Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek are an outernational band with members from Germany, France, and South Africa. Formed in 2014, the group draws a meaningful continuity from the Anatolian folk repertoire to their own songwriting, combining timeless melodies with contemporary grooves often touched by psychedelia and 70s soul.
Fronted by Hamburg-born singer and bağlama player Derya Yildirim , the band includes Graham Mushnik (keys), Antonin Voyant (guitar/bass), and Helen Wells (drums). Derya learned the bağlama at her father’s encouragement — “there’s something very magical about it,” she says — and it remains at the heart of her sound.
Their latest album Yarın Yoksa (If There Is No Tomorrow), released on Big Crown Records and produced by Leon Michels ( El Michels Affair ), carries forward the spirit of resistance, longing, and hope that runs through their music. With their distinctive sound and powerful presence, Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek are one of the leading voices in contemporary Anatolian psychedelia.