Dogan Mehmet, along with his backing band the Deerhunters, creates an Anglo-Turkish, Gypsy-Punk style mix of traditions and strong acoustic grooves. A diverse mixture of Southern English and Turkish folk songs, self-penned material and driven tunes from English Morris as well as Cypriot traditions give Dogan his own captivating sound. His talent and confidence belie his young age and he makes a storm wherever he goes with his effervescent personality and huge enthusiasm for life and for his music. read more
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Press Quotes - Gypsyhead Album
"One couldn't engineer a better response to the theft of the people's music than Dogan Mehmet... whose debut shines" - Stewart Lee, Sunday Times
"this Striking Debut" - Simon Broughton, Evening Standard
"A thrilling shape shifting debut" - Metro
"Robust of voice with an explosive fiddle style , Mehmet energetically expresses his multicultural roots in a cogent and colourful combination of both the English and Turkish traditions...His band The Deerhunters also perform with relish throughout - scattergun rhythms and all...It's an album with a big heart, plenty of muscle and a fair bit of flair...and it won't be ignored easily." - Colin Irwin, FRoots
"Dogan Mehmet...gives a roaring fanfare for multicultural Britain, merging Anglo-Turk traditions with relish and conviction...whether in full Turkish mode, re-jigging English trad or concocting his own potent mixture of the two, it's a remarkable debut" - Mojo Magazine
"Dogan Mehmet is a British folk original...A promising start from a talent to watch." - Songlines
"An accomplished and entertaining record" - Dai Jeffries, R2
"It’s a tough, forthright blend, with both playing and recording possessing a superbly gutsy presence. Simply, a must-hear disc." - Properganda
"The opening song, ’Raggle Taggle Gypsies’, can be a hackneyed affair, but is instead a joy, with ’Cuckoo’s Nest’ segued so well into the melody that I’m
amazed the two haven’t always belonged together. Dogan’s vital singing style and pacy instrumentation give movement to the song. This enthusiastic musical style is in evidence throughout the album, even as the pace and stories change.
Both ’The Raging Seas’ (penned by Dogan) and the traditional ’The Royal Oak’ see mention of the Turkish and English, although not necessarily on the same side. Equally, the sublime ’West Pier’ travels into a set of Turkish tunes without missing a beat. Dogan’s arrangements and selection of song lyrics lead to a cohesive album unafraid to be Turkish and English, not a forced fusion of the two.
If you want a quick track recommendation, for me it is ’West Pier’, another self-penned song. The lamentation and almost meditation on Brighton’s lost pier is sincere and poetic, a modern but timeless folk song." - Liz Osman, Bright Young Folk
"Dogan Mehmet's singing on this album is compelling; a strong, powerful yet adaptable voice, which is at times reminiscent of Jon Boden and Jim Moray...A promising first album" - Florence Bearman, EDS
"[Dogan] and his backing outfit The Deerhunters hurl themselves at a selection of English and Turkish traditional songs and Mehmet originals with electrifying and sometimes brutal groove......Two traditions from opposite ends of the continent come forcefully together on this album, and the winner? It's you - the listener." - Raymond Greenoaken, Stirrings
"As a first album, young Dogan's work is mightily impressive and I look forward to seeing him live." - Neil Brooks, Shreds & Patches
"Vocally, sounding way beyond his 19 years, Mehmet, a superb violinist and percussionist, has masterfully combined Anglo-Turkish traditions and has pulled it off with aplomb....This CD will appear to both folk purists and the generally inquisitive - you won't be disappointed." - Elly Roberts, DVD Fever
"As a debut Dogan has created a powerful and original album. It possess the presence of sound more akin to Bellowhead with Gypsy undertones. He is a great new young talent on the scene." - Folk Radio
"...and finally, "Royal Oak", a folk song about a Turkish ship attacked by the English. Who won? The music for sure! " - Folkworld.de
"By drawing on his cross-cultural background, Mehmet has successfully given a fresh musical and lyrical interpretation to tradition." - Susan Darlington, Morning Star
"The robustly rocking, superbly gutsy nature of the music and playing on this disc is acutely matched by its bright and stupendously forward recording quality. By all accounts we should be hearing much more of Dogan in times to come." - Net Rhythms
"[Dogan] has taken traditional music by the scruff of the neck and forced it into Gypsy-Funk grooves. The result is exhilerating , though it will take several days to be appreciated...Harry Cox on acid." - Chris Ridley, Folknews Kernow
"This album confirms what local folk-club goers already know that here is a young man with enormous potential." - The Folk Diary
Press Quotes - Live Performance
"Dogan took the Audience on a European journey with his resonant voice and rhythmic dance music" - BBC Radio 2
"One of the UK's First Turkish Morrismen" - Dogan Mehmet
"A truly electric performer" - Larmer Tree Festival
"Dogan Mehmet is certainly one to watch. With an energy in his playing so lacking in his contemporaries he’s a lesson in how to perform with fire in your belly! He has more than a gift, he has a reason and will become with any luck a guide for many more in his wake." - Sam Lee; The Magpie’s Nest
"A couple of chance encounters may have brought him into the English traditional music culture but it is something that he is going to make a great contribution to." - Vic Smith, Froots
