Mor ve Ötesi

Biography

Mor ve Ötesi (stylized as mor ve ötesi) (literally Purple and Beyond; a play on the word morötesi, meaning ultraviolet) is a Turkish alternative rock band from Istanbul. Its four current members are Harun Tekin (vocals and rhythm guitar), Kerem Kabadayı (drums), Burak Güven (bass) and Kerem Özyeğen (lead guitar). Former members include Alper Tekin and Derin Esmer. The band achieved mainstream success with the release of the album Dünya Yalan Söylüyor×Dünya Yalan Söylüyor16 April 2004 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Yardım Et5:352Cambaz3:513Bir Derdim Var3:244Re3:395Sevda Çiçeği4:006Serseri3:347Aşk İçinde4:018Az Çok2:599Son Deneme3:1710Uyan27:26. In 2008, the band represented Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade with the song "Deli" (Lunatic).
Mor ve Ötesi had their breakthrough with their fourth album Dünya Yalan Söylüyor in 2004. The album sold over 300,000 copies and changed the way rock was perceived by the Turkish music industry. Their hundreds of live performances have included several tours in Europe and the United States. The band celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2016 with two special CD box-sets containing all of their published work.

History

Mor ve Ötesi was formed in 1995 with the line-up of Kerem Kabadayı (drums), Harun Tekin (vocals and guitar), Derin Esmer (vocals and guitar) and Alper Tekin (bass), who were then students at the Deutsche Schule Istanbul. They released their first album Şehirתehir1996 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Sabahın Köründe3:382Yalnız Şarkı4:463Uyku3:494Şehir4:125Sessizlik5:576The Faithful Lover3:597Rüya4:148Reality5:189Past4:1310İthaf3:57 ("The City") in September 1996 and played their first live concert in Ankara. That year, Burak Güven replaced Alper Tekin on bass.
The band's second album Bırak Zaman Aksın×Bırak Zaman Aksın7 January 1999 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Son Giden3:332Şarkıcı Çocuk3:463Özgürlük3:114Mucize?4:145Pis3:216Yeşillik2:217235:308Tv'deki Kız3:409Boşver2:5510Bırakmazlar Yakamı4:3611Çelişki1:2912Beyaz3:3313Ne4:1714Balıklar3:4215Jam5:16 ("Let Time Flow"), was released in January 1999 and was met with success. Just after its release, Derin Esmer moved to the United States and was replaced by prominent guitarist Kerem Özyeğen. After the devastating 1999 Kocaeli earthquake, Mor ve Ötesi started exploring more social and political themes. They were also very active in the opposition against the use of nuclear energy in Turkey.
In August 2001, they released their third album, Gül Kendine×Gül Kendine12 August 2001 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Daha Mutlu Olamam3:382Doğru Yanlış4:253Gül Kendine4:184Hayat5:315Hep Aynı4:376Eksik4:547Orda Durma4:408Gece4:499Bazen3:5510Canlı Yayın5:4711Bir / İyi12:43 ("Smile at Yourself"). With Kerem Özyeğen, there was a noticeable change in the band's music and lyrics. In May 2003, Mor ve Ötesi's released the Yaz EP, which included a cover of the Ajda Pekkan song "Yaz Yaz Yaz".
Their fourth album Dünya Yalan Söylüyor×Dünya Yalan Söylüyor16 April 2004 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Yardım Et5:352Cambaz3:513Bir Derdim Var3:244Re3:395Sevda Çiçeği4:006Serseri3:347Aşk İçinde4:018Az Çok2:599Son Deneme3:1710Uyan27:26 ("The World is Lying") was released in March 2004. The album became their most popular album in Turkey, reaching 250,000 sales. Since their previous work was not as well known, many new fans were not aware of the band's history. Although it had been their best selling album, it is not admired by many of their old fans as much as their previous work, and some have even seen it as "sell-out". The album contained considerable political criticism against the activities of the United States; both in Iraq and the rest of the world as heard in songs such as "Yardım Et" and "Cambaz". In the same year, they received a Golden Orange Award for their single "Bir Derdim Var", included on the soundtrack of the Çağan Irmak film Mustafa Hakkında Her Şey.

Their fifth album Büyük Düşler×Büyük Düşler5 May 2006 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Parti3:262Kördüğüm4:503Ayıp Olmaz mı?4:494Şirket3:335Küçük Sevgilim4:146Durma Öyle3:427Kış Geliyor4:248Darbe3:339Saklama4:5410Sonu Belli4:0411Çocuklar ve Hayvanlar4:4812Büyük Düşler5:14 ("Great Hopes") was released on 9 May 2006. The album mainly dealt with the political problems of Turkey and the personal problems of the group members, including loss of family members and their relationships. It also had a noticeably darker sound in comparison to their previous albums. Büyük Düşler is regarded as a homage to their old fan base and a return to a style closer to their earlier albums. Three singles were released from the album: "Şirket", "Küçük Sevgilim", and "Ayıp Olmaz Mı?". Büyük Düşler was named Best Album of the Year by Rolling Stone Turkey and Best Rock Album of the Year by Blue Jean magazine.
On 10 December 2007, TRT's general manager İbrahim Şahin announced that Mor ve Ötesi were to represent Turkey in Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song 'Deli'. Mor ve Ötesi qualified to finals through the second half of the semi-finals on 22 May. They had the 12th performance on the finals and finished the contest in 7th place with 138 points, which was held in Belgrade on 24 May 2008. During the contest, BBC commentator Terry Wogan described the lead singer as "a sinister James Bond".
The band's sixth album, Başıbozuk×Başıbozuk24 November 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Deli3:052İddia3:583Sonbahar3:044Kış Geliyor (Canlı)4:175Re (Canlı)3:256Bir Derdim Var (Canlı)3:217Parti (Flatliners Killa mix)3:378Kördüğüm (Demian & Emre remix)5:049Ayıp Olmaz mı? (Kaan Düzarat & Fuchs rework remix)4:5510Küçük Sevgilim (Kaan Düzarat remix)4:5311Darbe (Burak Güven & Serkan Hökenek remix)3:2212Çocuklar ve Hayvanlar (DJ Kambo remix)4:5813Deli (Luna remix by Cihan Barış)3:2514İddia (Kerem Kabadayı & Serkan Hökenek remix)13:59, was released in late 2008, and included three studio and four live tracks, including their Eurovision entry, as well as remixes.
Their seventh album "Masumiyetin Ziyan Olmaz×Masumiyetin Ziyan Olmaz6 May 2010 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Korkma4:112Meksika3:263Sor4:274Yorma Kendini3:485Festus4:296Araf4:097Camgezer3:318Nakba3:489Kara Kutu4:171020124:2411Bisiklet4:49" ("Your Innocence Won't Go To Waste") came out on 12 May 2010.
Their eighth album "Güneşi Beklerken×Güneşi Beklerken17 December 2012 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Güneşi Beklerken4:222Eski Şarkısı5:103Oyunbozan4:384Sana Değmez4:235Son Sabah5:486Yağmur, Teşekkürler4:377Bahar5:288Gel Söndür Beni5:149Tamiri Mümkün Kalbinin5:1710Boş Bir Dünya4:2511Mermiler8:3712Denize Doğru4:40" was released on 17 December 2012.

In 2016, the band released the single "Anlatamıyorum×Anlatamıyorum17 May 2016 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Anlatamıyorum4:27", which came out with recording label DMC. The music video was shot together with director Serdar Ferit. Two sets were set up for shooting in Istanbul and Helsinki. On the 20th anniversary of the band's foundation, their cult album Dünya Yalan Söylüyor was, for the first time, introduced to fans on vinyl format.
On 21 January 2022 the band released their ninth album, entitled Sirenler×Sirenler21 January 2022 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Adamın Dibi4:372Dünyaya Bedel5:523Linç4:104Canavar2:265Forsa3:506Hazinende4:487Kaptan5:388Ağrılar3:329Tünel5:2210İstiklal5:2211Park6:38 (Sirens). Tamiri Mümkün, the film of the concert they held at Vodafone Park on 28 May 2022, was released on 13 January 2023.