A young and fresh light is dawning on Turkish rock music: They are the 'Last Ones'

Turkish rock music, which reached its peak in the 1990s, largely lost popularity with the digitalization of the industry, particularly with the rise of genres like rap/hip-hop and electronic music. Turkish rock has experienced a slight revival in the last decade with the rise of "alternative rock" in Türkiye.

The band "Son Kalanlar," whose performance I happened to see a few months ago, is beginning to make their voices heard, as if to answer the question, "Is Turkish rock music dying?" "No, we are the last remaining members of Turkish rock." Formed by 26-year-old Celal Dikmeci, a student in the Art History Department at Mimar Sinan University's Faculty of Fine Arts, and 24-year-old Orkun Çelebi, a graduate of the Business Administration Department at Yeditepe University, Son Kalanlar are marching confidently into the future.

"Kana Kana," a project described by musician and producer Övünç Dan as "light gothic music with Turkish lyrics," performed at the Roxy a few months ago, and Son Kalanlar took the stage beforehand. I happened to be there by chance. However, despite their young age, Celal Dikmeci and Orkun Çelebi's confident demeanor, their command of the stage, and their flawless delivery of the songs to the audience were impressive.

'WE WANT TO BE PERMANENT'

We met with Dikmeci and Çelebi for our newspaper. Son Kalanlar's lead singer, Dikmeci, says they listen to very different genres, but that grunge music is the genre that unites them. The first time I heard it, I noticed that their musical structure reminded me of the music of Mor ve Ötesi and Redd. Dikmeci replied, "Yes, our style is similar to Mor ve Ötesi and Redd. We both listen to them a lot. Redd is a band we listen to less frequently, but since they're one of the best bands in Türkiye, perhaps Mor ve Ötesi has touched upon us, of course."

Dikmeci says there are many people making music in the market, but there's a general loss of meaning. He continues: “There's been a significant loss of meaning in ideologies. There's been a loss of the search for meaning. Individualization has intensified. In a consumer society, some things wear out very quickly.” Çelebi takes the floor and continues: “We talked about Mor ve Ötesi; there aren't even any songs like the ones they released years ago coming out today. People aren't acting with this motivation, this vision. Of course, it would be wrong to generalize, but most of them are doing it to save the day.”

Dikmeci continues where he left off: “Music is the biggest thing in our lives. We're concerned about staying relevant. Hearing, 'This band makes really good music,' is very important to us.”

'WE CANNOT TOLERATE INJUSTICE'

Dikmeci and Çelebi write the band's lyrics together. When you look at the lyrics, you sense their lyrical quality, their socialist outlook, and their rebellious streak.

In May, they gave small concerts at the Revolution Stadium at Middle East Technical University, and then again at Bilgi University in solidarity with students. "We have our own red lines," Dikmeci says. He continues: "We are both people with a very strong sense of justice. We can never tolerate injustice. We are like that in our own lives, too. Even an injustice that happens to someone we know or know disturbs us. When you're so emotional and so charged with a strong sense of justice, it makes you want to be a little rebellious."

Dikmeci says their favorite bands also have a similar stance, giving examples: "Mor ve Ötesi, Nirvana, Alice in Chains... They were all essentially cries of rebellion. They were trying to mobilize people. Turkey is going through a very desperate period. I'm saying this especially for our generation. Suddenly, everything started to go terribly wrong, and we're seeing the effects on us. It's painful for us. We're giving voice to this pain. We want to make music that mobilizes people."

Çelebi also says, "An artist must have a stance." "Above all, they must have an idea," he says, adding, "If an artist wants to express something, they must also believe in what they're saying. If an artist creates something without believing in it, they can't convey that to society."

'TO THE DESPICABLE...'

Dikmeci and Çelebi first crossed paths in the band "Arada Kaldık." They continued with that group for two or three years, and then Son Kalanlar emerged. I ask how they came up with the band's name, and guitarist Orkun Çelebi replies: "It was the name of the last song we made together in our previous band. Most of the songs there were a result of our creativity. It was a time when the band was nearing its end. Even as we were disbanding, when we formed this band, we wanted to have a specific audience. We wanted that audience to be comprised of those who were marginalized, despised, and left out. At the same time, we wanted to say, 'We are the last ones left' when it comes to good, high-quality rock music in Türkiye."

The duo's biggest support comes from producer, composer, pianist, and arranger Genco Arı. They, in turn, have great respect for him.