ROX-TV gets an exclusive interview with El Capitan, from Istanbul. He’s playing at the Burning Man this year. Check it out!

Welcome back to the ROX-TV website. As the returning readers know, our reach is much farther than the coast lines of America. We are constantly looking around to bring you interesting stories from wherever they arise. Tonight, I’m really excited to be talking to El Capitan, from that far-away place of Istanbul. One of the oldest cultural centers in the world. I find it fascinating that electronic music can be found wherever there is a need. My hat is off to children of the night, unafraid to hear the sounds from across the water. The world is smaller than you think. We are closer than you think. Thank God for the music my friends, it’s bringing us closer everyday. The true language of the planet? It’s music. That thing that transcends the language and the regional culture, no matter where you are on Earth. Chalk one up for the underdogs. So, we have a cool interview from El Capitan, who is currently performing at the Burning Man festival this year.

So, welcome to the website, before we get started, please let the readers know your performing name and where you come from?

“El Capitan from Istanbul, Turkey”

How long have you been performing sets for people? What got you started on this musical journey?

“It’s been my 5th year in this business. After meet with electronic music at Ibiza, I noticed that I don’t want to listen to intro and outro of tracks. Thats why I decided to learn how to mix them. And after meeting with electronic music, my whole life has changed. Quit my job, quit my 45 days of marriage and changed my city as well. Took 2 years to find myself again:) till then all I did was just play music… Then one of the club owners invited me to his club, that’s when my music career started… When I found myself again, I became a professional DJ about to play at the same stage with A+ musicians like Artbat, Georgia Anguili and Stereo Express etc. Was very sad this time because pandemic took place and my fast career stopped suddenly. Luckily, there were always the right people around me and showed me the way of how this must be taken professionally. Thats what I do since then. Taking my business serious and keep working to improve myself. I have my new brother and friends addicted to electronic music, that’s why I used this 2 years quarantine to improve my skills. I was much ready after it ended”.

How long did you perfect your craft before taking your sound to the public spaces for all to hear?

“Every year it becomes better. Until this year, I’ve been playing many different genres at different venues. Trying to be up to date and be the first one to provide new sounds to people. After the 5th year…now I have my own genre, but don’t know how long it will last:) We’re 4 producers in Turkey playing and mixing techno-based electro, breakbeat and hard groove genres at high bpm. Happy about my new sound as I keep playing techno and I can play it at many different venues to a larger group of people”.

Can you please tell the readers how this opportunity arose to play at the world-famous Burning Man festival? And what that opportunity means to you personally?

“Thats kind of a dream playing at the best festival. This place is unique and utopic. Don’t want to miss the opportunity of playing there…feels more like being part of this family. And act like this accordingly based on the spirit of burning man. No commercial usage”.

If you could talk to the people who have never heard you perform right now…what would you tell them that they are missing out on? Why is music important for a happy life?

“I like to make a journey in my sets. Sometimes going so deep, sometimes I gear up and make it very hard and then making everyone calm again… Overall my sets are energetic I can say. I like to use deep basslines with easy melodies and grooves. This contrast is very human. We all have dark and light sides. I want the audience to release different kinds of emotions during my sets”. 

How long is your set going to be this year at the Burning Man and where can people find you, once they get there? 

“Gonna be a long night at Kukerswell, Camp Alborz, and Holy Jam this year”.

Is this your first time coming to the festival or is Burning Man something that you’ve seen and witnessed before?

“This would be my third time. And second year as a DJ”.

What is your dream gig in terms of a place to play or someone to work with that you hold in high regard. What does that look like?

“I’m looking forward to being a boiler room DJ in the future. This is where all the best DJ and producers in my genre take place”. 

Do you have merch or music for sale and if so, where can the people find it? If nothing for sale, where can people go to enjoy your music?

“3 EPs and 2 of my singles can be found at all music platforms such as Spotify, apple music and SoundCloud etc. I’m a little bit lazy to upload my sets:) but still have recorded sets at YouTube and SoundCloud”.

Anything you’d like to tell ROX-TV readers about in terms of your hometown scene, or music scene. We all come from somewhere different, and I think it’s cool to hear how people do things elsewhere.

“Believe we all belong to one big community as electronic music listeners. There are hundreds of different genres, but the culture is similar wherever you go in the world. We like to live, we care about people, we respect each other. And when we hear electronic music, we love to dance hours and hours. This is the same wherever you go. All we need is a good music, nothing more”.

Thanks for talking to me and best of luck at the Burning Man, if you’d like to come back and talk to us about the experience after the fact, that’s fine too. Any parting words or merch plugs?