Ipek Ipekcioglu didn’t initially set out to mix records; that is, until fate stepped in. About 10 years ago, the DJ who was scheduled to host a party for gay Middle Easterners in a Berlin night club pulled a no-show. Enter Ipek, who, armed with a few Turkish cassette tapes and being a second generation Turkish lesbian, was deemed a fit replacement.
“Obviously, people were missing something else that the Berlin music scene did not already offer. Thus, DJ Ipek was born.
Throughout the past decade, a number of Berlin clubs, as well as many international events have been home to her unique musical blend.
Ipek’s music is characterized by what she calls “Eklektik Berlinistan.
Berlin with its many cultures and a transnational art scene, is like a country in itself, said Ipek; perhaps the “cheapest metropole city in Europe.
Economically speaking, she found the presence of refugees, immigrants and artists “makes the city rich.
Many of these marginalized sounds make their way into Ipek’s music. She might have hidden herself under a hijab she donned at the beginning of her career because she was self-conscious, but her music was something she was confident in from the very first gig. In a “macho club scene dominated by “black or Turkish pop, Ipek brought in her left-wing political music,coupled with English tunes she had on tapes.
At her Cairo debut earlier this week, her music consisted of tunes sung in many tongues, including German, Hindi, Turkish, English, Arabic and Greek.
“Because it was organized by the Goethe Institute, said Sherif Omar, an Egyptian audience member, “I was expecting a cultural event.
“The music was nice, he added. “It’s not music that would normally be played in a club here, but at the same time it is not completely alien to everybody. It’s pretty much music that everyone can dance to.
Some audience members found the visual screen, consisting mainly of montages from various Indian and Arab music videos, to be disjointed and somewhat random. Many were also inclined to sit rather than dance as almost half of the space was a sitting area.
Dutch attendee Mijka De Jong found Ipek to be a “really good DJ, she said, but “it might be better if they didn’t put the seats, and maybe the lights could be a bit dimmer.
De Jong, who is more used to the “house club scene, found Ipek’s music to be “quite a new sound for a DJ – like a bit of a cultural mix.
Ipek was even more of a novelty to audiences in Sohag and Alexandria where she staged two additional performances.
She found it “interesting to play to an audience that was observing rather than dancing to her music. She also appreciated that it was a novelty for people in Sohag “to see a woman with a different energy.
Dr Friedrich Dahlhaus, head of cultural programs at Goethe Institute, was aware he was doing something slightly “risky by inviting DJ Ipek. Yet, he regarded this initiative as a substantial contribution to the institute’s cultural activities.
Matthias Treutwein, who organized the event in Sohag, realized that the audience there is not acquainted with the clubbing scene and, consequently, was unwilling to dance.
“We tried everything, he said. Yet, the response overall was positive, as people were interested and the audiences, including the governor of Sohag, stayed until after midnight.
In an effort to engage with ordinary members of the public, organizers decided to offer free admission.
“Goethe did not want to set it in a club which charges for drinks etc. which already exclude 90 percent of society, said Treutwein.
In Cairo, Ipek played at the Rawabet Theater, right opposite a garage in the downtown area, to an audience from all walks of life: from refugees to diplomats, foreign exchange students to security guards.
“I take you and I make you dance, Ipek shouted to the cheering crowd.
Indeed, hearing the “eklektik music, one feels transported to someplace familiar, somewhere like.let’s just call it Berlinistan.
Ipek Ipekcioglu currently has five albums to her credit. Her latest is called “Import Export a la Turka. More information on http://www.djipek.com/
