#81 - Islandman - Istanbul Lockdown
Turkish trio's Boiler Room commission became a deeply personal meditation on grief, blending live strings and traditional Turkish clarinet with electronic ambience during the darkest days of 2021.
Sometimes the most beautiful music comes from the darkest places.
That's exactly what happened when Turkish electronic trio Islandman was commissioned by Boiler Room to create an exclusive track during lockdown.
What they delivered was "Istanbul Lockdown" - a piece that would become one of their most emotionally powerful compositions.
But this wasn't just another pandemic song. For Tolga Böyük, the band's founder, it carried the weight of personal tragedy.
The Commission That Became Confession
In 2021, as the world remained locked down, dance music giant Boiler Room was commissioning artists to create exclusive content for their lockdown broadcasts.
Islandman - the "interplanetary musical trio from Istanbul" comprising Tolga Böyük, Eralp Güven, and Erdem Başer - was tasked with creating something special.
They delivered "Istanbul Lockdown," recorded in their home city with live strings and Turkish clarinet.
But as Böyük later revealed, the track "brings back difficult memories," having lost his father around the same time.
The commission became something much deeper - a musical meditation on loss, isolation, and the strange beauty that can emerge from grief.
When Electronic Meets Traditional
Islandman's approach has always been about blending worlds.
They describe their music as "a cross-cultural collection of shamanic rhythms, mellow electronic structures, dance beats and psychedelic guitar riffs, combining Turkish psychedelia and African roots music with the electric universe."
"Istanbul Lockdown" exemplifies this perfectly.
The track features live strings and traditional Turkish clarinet floating over electronic foundations - creating what critics call music "rooted in Anatolia" but "drawn from a world of make-believe."
It's the sound of ancient traditions meeting modern isolation.
The Sound of a City in Pause
Istanbul during lockdown was a city transformed.
The bustling metropolis that bridges Europe and Asia suddenly fell silent. Streets that normally teemed with life became empty corridors.
"Istanbul Lockdown" captures this eerie transformation - the way familiar places can become alien when stripped of human activity.
The track sits perfectly within their Godless Ceremony album, which the band describes as "awash with acid drenched electronic motifs and stuttering electronic drum machine syncopations."
But unlike the album's more danceable moments, "Istanbul Lockdown" feels contemplative, almost sacred.
More Than Just a Pandemic Song
What makes "Istanbul Lockdown" special isn't just its timing - it's how it transforms personal grief into universal art.
Böyük's experience of losing his father during this period infuses the track with a weight that goes beyond mere pandemic documentation.
It becomes a meditation on how we process loss when the world itself feels lost.
The live strings add an orchestral grandeur that elevates the electronic foundation, while the Turkish clarinet brings an ancient voice to modern sorrow.
The Global Reach of Local Pain
Islandman's genius lies in their ability to make deeply Turkish experiences feel universal.
They're described as "contemporary cartographers" who map emotional territories that transcend borders.
"Istanbul Lockdown" proves this perfectly - it's unmistakably rooted in Turkish musical traditions, yet speaks to anyone who experienced isolation and loss during 2021.
The track became part of their third album Godless Ceremony, released on Danish label Music for Dreams, showing how local stories can find global audiences.
A New Chapter in Turkish Electronic Music
The success of "Istanbul Lockdown" helped establish Islandman as pioneers of what they call "Neo-Turkish Psychedelia."
They're part of a new generation of Turkish artists reimagining traditional music through electronic prisms.
Their approach combines "balearic, house, down-tempo and electronica with a global gaze" while never forgetting their Anatolian roots.
Tracks like this prove that the most powerful dance music doesn't always make you move - sometimes it makes you feel.
The Beauty in Breakdown
"Istanbul Lockdown" reminds us that great art often emerges from great pain.
Böyük transformed personal loss into communal experience, creating a track that captures both individual grief and collective isolation.
It's music for empty dancefloors and full hearts.
In a year when the world stopped moving, Islandman created something that helps us understand what it means to be still.
The Bottom Line: Sometimes the most powerful music comes from the most painful places. Islandman proved that electronic music can carry the weight of traditional grief while creating something entirely new.
Notes About "Istanbul Lockdown" by Islandman
Release Date: September 10, 2021
Album: Godless Ceremony
Original Commission: Boiler Room lockdown broadcast exclusive
Recording Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Instrumentation: Live strings, Turkish clarinet, electronic elements
Duration: Part of 10-track album plus 3 vinyl exclusives
Genre: Electronic / Downtempo / Neo-Turkish Psychedelia
Label: Music for Dreams (Denmark)
Islandman "Istanbul Lockdown" Era Details
Band Members
Tolga Böyük - Bass guitar, synthesizers, vocals, composition
Eralp Güven - Drums, meditative percussion
Erdem Başer - Psychedelic guitar work
Formation: Istanbul-based trio, "born from the imagination of Tolga Böyük"
Godless Ceremony Album Context
Recording Period: 2020-2021 during global lockdown
Release: September 10, 2021 via Music for Dreams
Concept: Third album described as "most open-minded work to date"
Musical Approach: "Contemporary cartographers" mapping global musical territories
Collaborations: Features Tamikrest, Kenneth Bager, various international artists
Sound: "Balearic, house, down-tempo and electronica with a global gaze"
Interesting Facts About "Istanbul Lockdown"
The Boiler Room Connection That Sparked Creation
"Istanbul Lockdown" began as a commission from Boiler Room, the influential dance music platform known for its intimate club broadcasts. During 2021's lockdown period, Boiler Room was commissioning artists worldwide to create exclusive content for their special broadcasts.
What started as a professional commission became deeply personal when Böyük experienced the loss of his father during the same period. The track evolved from a simple Boiler Room exclusive into a profound meditation on grief, isolation, and the strange beauty that emerges from darkness.
The Turkish Psychedelia Renaissance
The track represents part of a broader renaissance in Turkish electronic music, with Islandman pioneering what they call "Neo-Turkish Psychedelia." This movement combines traditional Anatolian musical elements with contemporary electronic production, creating a sound that's both ancient and futuristic.
Islandman's global success - including releases on Danish label Music for Dreams and performances at major European festivals - demonstrates how Turkish artists are finding international audiences while maintaining their cultural identity. "Istanbul Lockdown" became a perfect example of how local stories can resonate universally when told with genuine artistic vision.