Highlighted as ‘a very singular artist’, she fuses field recordings, analog synthesisers and atmospheric ambience; into harmonious noise woven into harsh ritualistic rhythms, as means to utilise sound for storytelling. Combining her self-taught practice of music with her higher education in psychology; Utku's work as a whole draws inspiration from various layers of human condition and the complementary nature of dualities. She primarily engages with musical composition, sound for visuals, performance and installations.
In August 2018 Şeb-i Yelda (EP/12'') was released by Karlrecords, which presented Utku (as R.A.N.) with an authentic sound and strong conceptual theme to a wide audience. Following the international success of her EP, she released her debut full-length album Gnosis in July 2019 via the same label. This release gained Utku recognition for her unique approach of creating sonic story plots by merging concepts with experiments in electronic music.
Her sophomore album, The Psychologist, was released on Editions Mego in May 2022. Loaded with analog synthesisers, string composition, gnarly vocals and a raw artistic force, this album has been cited as ‘Utku's most ambitious, authentic and complex work yet’, in which her academic background and her current practice as a conceptual music composer are intertwined.
Since 2016, Utku presented her work and performed across the world; including in Dark Mofo, Atonal Berlin , Salon IKSV Istanbul, Hamburger Bahnhof, CTM Festival, Donaufestival, Lunchmeat, Kunsthaus Zürich, Sonic Acts, Weltmuseum Vienna, MONOM, Stockholm Royal College of Music, among many other acclaimed music events and cultural institutions.
Her work has received notable press from platforms such as The Wire, Noisey, RollingStone, Redbull Music, Groove Mag, HHV Mag, A Closer Listen, Gonzo Circus, BantMag, Scene Noise among others, as well as getting broadcasted by seminal radio stations such as BBC Radio 3, ORF, TRT, NTS radio, RAI 3, YLE and Sveriges Radio.
She has received numerous scholarships, residencies and fellowships; including from the Goethe Institut, SHAPE (Sound, Heterogeneous Art and Performance in Europe) platform (2021), EMS Stockholm, Submarine Cairo and Musicboard Berlin among others.
Utku is based in Berlin.
AiR + Scholarships
+ Fellowships
Musicboard Berlin
Received scholarship for the year of 2023
Artist in Residence at Monom
Berlin/DE
17-21 January, 2023
Neustart Kultur 2022
Musikfonds e.V.
Guest Composer at Elektronmusikstudion 2022
Stockholm/SWEDEN
22.11- 12.12. 2022
Neustart Kultur 2021
GEMA Scholarship Program
SHAPE Platform 2021
Platform for Innovative Music and Audiovisual Art from Europe
Musikfonds Scholarship Program
Scholarship between January - June 2021
Guest Composer at Elektronmusikstudion 2020
Stockholm/SWEDEN
Scholarship by Goethe Institute Sweden
Musicboard Berlin 2019
Artist in Residence in Tehran/IRAN
in collaboration with Goethe Institut Teheran
Daire Residency Program 2019
Mardin/TURKIYE
K2 Contemporary Art Center
Project by European Union & Republic of Turkey
Amplify 2019
Berlin/GERMANY
Amplify Berlin Artist in Residence
Submarine Studio Artist in Residence
2017, Cairo/ EGYPT
Notable Performances
11.11.2023- MIRA Festival, Barcelona/ES
17.08.2023 - Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin/DE
16.06.2023 - Dark MOFO, Hobart/AU
26.05.2023 - Heart of Noise, Innsbruck/AT
12.03.2023 - Eric Ericsonhallen , Stockholm/SE
28.01.2023 - Monom x CTM Festival 2023, Berlin/DE
07.12.2022 - Work presentation at Royal College of Music, Stockholm/SE
22.10.2022 - La Casa Encendida, Madrid/ES
08.10.2022 - Sonic Acts Biennale, Amsterdam/NL
01.10.2022 - Lunchmeat, Prague/CZ
29.05.2022 - CTM Festival, Berlin/DE
22.10.2021 - Insomnia Festival, Tromso/NO
14.10.2021 - Berlin Atonal presents Metabolic Rift, Berlin/DE
07.10.2021 - Musikprotokoll, Graz/AU
25.09.2021 - Today's Art, The Hague/NL
23.08.2020 - Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin/DE
03.05.2019 - Donaufestival 2019, Krems/AU
13.04.2019 - Radialsystem, Berlin/DE
01.11. 2018 - DICE Festival, Berlin/DE
09.03.2018 - Salon IKSV, Istanbul/TR
16.12.2017 - Yukunkun, Beirut/LB
07.12.2017 - El Warsha, Cairo/EG
24.06.2017 - Forte Prenestino, Rome/IT
28.03.2017 - Ausland, Berlin/DE
25.06.2017- Kantine Am Berghain, Berlin/DE