Deniz Cuylan - For Shirasu (feat. Makoto Kubota & Berke Can Ozcan) [Hush Hush] (New Age)
- The Slow Music Movement
- Aug 5
- 2 min read
Multi- Instrumentalist Deniz Cuylan is a man of the world, having grown up in Istanbul, received French schooling and now resident in Los Angeles - the ideal base for his soundtrack work. He first came to my attention in 2021 when he released his debut, largely solo guitar album, No Such Thing as Free Will on the always worth checking Hush Hush Records. He followed that up with Rings of Jupiter, which again primarily highlighted hs guitar virtuosity, but also made good use of Greg Chudzik's string playing. Both albums are wonderful, and I strongly suggest you take a listen to them.
He's certainly not suffering from writer's block, as his third album, entitled Luca is on its way, and this time he's thrown open the studio doors to the likes of Felbm, Peni Candra Rini, Thor Harris, Makoto Kubota, Berke Can Özcan, Sarah La Puerta, Six Missing, Casper Clausen, Greg Chudzik and as you'll hear, he's been busy honing his arrangement skills to accomodate his guests' talents.
The end of June saw the arrival of "No Such Thing" - the first sign that something had been brewing in camp Cuylan. It's a classy, good natured, genre-fluid instrumental cut that harks back to mid-twentieth century - albeit with some light electronic augmentation, orchestral jazz and cinematic sounds..
"For Shirasu" shares a similarly gentle nature, but sees Cuylan stretch out even further - inviting a vocalist for the first time, although refreshingly eschewing typical choices by opting for Makoto Kubota from Les Rallizes Dénudés, who shows solidarity with Cuylan for the the loss of his dog Luca - who gave the LP its title, by reciting a poem in his native language about his deceased cat, which makes a nice change from your usual lyrical themes.
Its another cultured production too, with Berke Can Özcan laying a quietly lysergic, new age electroacoustic bed for Cuylan's fond, rather than sad, guitar reflection on his once loyal companion. It's the perfect companion for "No Such Thing" and boding well for the album which will be with us on September 18th
Playlist Companion
Find Cuylan in the New Age of New Age Playlist.
