#88 - Fungistanbul - Fungis
Fungistanbul’s “Fungis” - Three Istanbul musicians created a meditation on nature’s decomposition cycle using professional instruments in 2016.
Story Behind “Fungis”
The Title Track That Named a Movement
“Fungis” emerged as the opening statement of Fungistanbul’s debut album Phenology, released March 7, 2016, through Hits On Air Music (later Nujen Müzik). The 5:33 track introduces listeners to the group’s philosophy through its very title—Fungistanbul comes from the word fungi, which in Latin means mushroom, as these living things are really important to decompose dead plants and animal residues, allowing nutrients to return to the ecosystem. This opening track, recorded with professional instruments, established the sonic foundation that would later make their transition to waste instruments in 2019 so revolutionary. The track serves as both musical statement and philosophical manifesto about cycles of decay and renewal.
Three Professional Musicians Before the Trash Revolution
“Fungis” documents Roni Aran, Serhat Ayebe, and Herman Artuç at a crucial moment—they were all professional musicians creating contemporary Turkish-rooted music before their transformation into upcycling pioneers. The lineup on Phenology includes Roni Aran on tarmoni, setar, classical and fretless guitar; Herman Artuç on percussion and vocals; Yildirim Eldem on kaval and tenor block flute; and Ciwan Ayaz on electric bass, lavta, and vocals. Guest: Eren Turgut on acoustic bass. This professional instrumentation would make their later “Trash Oriental” project all the more remarkable—they weren’t amateurs playing garbage, but accomplished musicians choosing to transform their practice.
“Fungis” Recording and Production Details
The Tarmoni and Contemporary Turkish Traditions
The production of “Fungis” showcases what World Music Central described as a finely-crafted work that brings together beautiful contemporary Turkish-rooted music and other art forms. Fungistanbul’s style incorporates Turkish traditions as well as the sounds of nearby cultures, adding elements of jazz and western classical music. The track features the tarmoni, a new string instrument that is essentially an improved saz, giving “Fungis” its distinctive melodic character. Throughout the album you’ll heard the mesmerizing sound of an end-blown flute—without reading the credits, critics assumed it was a Turkish ney, but in reality it’s a Bulgarian kaval, which has some similarities.
Celebrating Nature Through Phenology
Turkish ensemble Fungistanbul celebrates nature on its debut album titled Phenology, with “Fungis” establishing the album’s central theme. Phenology revolves around the natural life cycle of plants and animals, and the opening track creates a sonic representation of organic growth and decomposition. The music on Phenology includes seven original compositions and the remaining three pieces are Turkoman, Kurdish and Armenian traditional songs, positioning “Fungis” within a broader multicultural exploration. The exquisitely-packaged CD includes original artwork by various professional, adult and child artists that illustrate each track, with “Fungis” receiving visual interpretation that mirrors its organic themes.
Notes About “Fungis” by Fungistanbul
Release Date: March 7, 2016
Duration: 5:33 (5:32 in some editions)
Genre: World Music / Turkish Folk Fusion / Instrumental / Ethnic Jazz
Album: Phenology (debut album, track 1 of 10)
Label: Hits On Air Music / Nujen Müzik
Total Album Duration: 47-48 minutes
Language: Instrumental
Fungistanbul “Fungis” Era Band Details
Album Details
Album: Phenology
Release Date: March 7, 2016
Label: Hits On Air Music / Nujen Müzik
Total Tracks: 10
Album Concept: Natural life cycles of plants and animals
Recording Approach: Professional acoustic and electric instrumentation
Original Recording Date: Album recorded in 2014, released 2016
Band Members/Personnel
Roni Aran - Tarmoni, Setar, Classical Guitar, Fretless Guitar, Composition
Herman Artuç - Percussion, Vocals, Composition
Yildirim Eldem - Kaval, Tenor Block Flute
Ciwan Ayaz - Electric Bass, Lavta, Vocals
Eren Turgut - Acoustic Bass (guest)
Serhat Ayebe - Additional instruments (later member)
Production Notes
Debut album recorded three years before “Trash Oriental” project began
Features mix of original compositions and traditional songs from Turkoman, Kurdish, and Armenian traditions
CD packaging includes collaborative artwork from professional and child artists
Album establishes philosophical foundation for later environmental activism
Represents mature musicianship before experimental upcycling phase
Available on CD, digital platforms, and streaming services globally
Interesting Facts About “Fungis”
The Professional Foundation Before the Waste Revolution
“Fungis” gains profound significance when understood as the “before” in Fungistanbul’s transformation story. In 2019, three years after this album, the trio began experimenting with a sound they call “Trash Oriental,” joining a growing global movement of groups that bang, strum and blow into things they find in dustbins. As band member Roni Aran later admitted in the group’s studio, “We had no idea we would come up with this sound when we first started. We were all surprised with the result, and so was the audience.” The fact that “Fungis” showcased their mastery of traditional instruments—Aran on tarmoni and fretless guitar, Artuç as a percussionist who specializes in Latin jazz, and their collaborators on kaval and lavta—made their later decision to play discarded plastic mannequins, empty cans, and lamp bases all the more radical. They weren’t learning music through trash; they were translating decades of professional skill into a new medium.
From Fungi to Trash Oriental: The Environmental Philosophy Unfolds
The name “Fungistanbul” and the opening track “Fungis” predicted the band’s future environmental mission. Just as fungi decompose organic matter to return nutrients to the ecosystem, the band would later pioneer upcycling as artistic practice. By 2021, Fungistanbul’s emergence on the local music scene coincided with a steady rise in the environment’s importance to Turkish voters—especially the young, where it ranks next to the economy in importance in opinion polls. Their philosophy evolved from celebrating natural cycles on Phenology to actively demonstrating human intervention in those cycles through their “Trash Oriental” project. As they explain on their website, “Like everything in nature, humans change and transform. There is no such thing as ‘garbage’ if you want it to be.” The album Phenology was recorded in 2014 but released in 2016, and by 2019 they had transformed their practice entirely, proving that artistic evolution can align with environmental consciousness. “Fungis” now serves as a time capsule—a reminder of what Turkish world music sounded like before Fungistanbul made it their mission to prove that professional music could be created from materials destined for landfills, inspiring similar movements and following in the steps of groups like Colombia’s Latin Latas while developing their distinctly Turkish approach.