The Nefes Ensemble is a London based group of amateur and professional musicians performing renditions of traditional folk music songs. Founded by Gonul Tekin Ekmekci in 2009 and led by Salman Aybars, the collective’s repertoire includes a wide variety of authentic pieces.
Guest musician Ozan Vefai (Mustafa Kılçık) will play and sing both contemporary and centuries old Alevi songs in form of deyiş and nefes
Folk music of Turkey performed using stringed and wind instruments with percussion and vocals, has set rhythmic structures and freeform versions, as well as regional differences that extend far beyond the borders of modern Turkey into Middle-East, Central Asia, Greece and the Balkans.
While popular among the UK’s large Turkish speaking community, folk music of Turkey rarely gets performed outside its ethnic home crowd. Nefes Ensemble is changing all that.