Başak Günak's 'Rewilding': Nature Whispers in Electronic Tones

Başak Günak's work has evolved significantly over the last decade. Her new album is an electronic exploration of nature, decay, and rebirth. Günak has taken the concept of rewilding – typically associated with restoring ecosystems – and applied it to sound itself.

The album's eight tracks are an expert's guide to audio foraging. Günak has gathered sounds from her previous installations, weaving them together with whispers, whistles, and a deconstructed South-Eastern Anatolian folk song. She is creating her own ecosystem, a sonic one, where each sound plays a crucial role in the overall balance.

The choice of instruments is striking. Alongside the expected electronic devices and elements, she's incorporated organ, bass clarinet, a broken piano - even the halldrophone makes an appearance. It's this mix of the familiar and the exotic that gives Rewilding its unique texture.

KitMonsters – halldorophone - interview with creator Halldór Úlfarsson

The halldorophone is a unique acoustic-electric instrument created by Halldór Úlfarsson from Iceland. One of its leading players is Oscar-winning Hildur Guðnadóttir, who used it extensively on her score for Joker, and was part of its development. We talked to Halldór about the cello-like instrument and how it grew from his original idea to becoming a sought-after sound at the heart of tracks from the likes of experimental metal band Sunn O))) and psychedelic folk rap artists CryptoChrome. If you want to see it in action, Bill Thompson will be playing one at his Cafe Oto show in London, on Tuesday 25th February.

kitmonsters.comTerry Tyldesley

Günak's approach to composition is fascinating. She treats whispers and sine waves as "auto-rewilders," allowing them to naturally shape the album's soundscape. Sometimes these elements sink into the background, only to resurface later, much like the cycles of nature itself.

For those new to Günak's work, she's been making waves in the electronic music scene for years. Her previous albums, Beautiful Swamp and Bluets, earned critical acclaim, with the former landing on Deutschlandfunk Kultur's Best Albums of 2018 list. Beyond her solo work, Günak has composed for theatre, dance, and even contributed to a Webby Award-winning project for the Berlin State Museums.

Rewilding was recorded across multiple locations – Berlin, Istanbul, Elektronmusikstudion Stockholm, and Willem Twee – giving it a truly international flavor. The album was mixed and mastered by James Ginzburg, whose touch is sure to enhance Günak's intricate sound design.

Anyone who has spent time in both bustling cities and quieter corners of the world will be excited to hear how Günak balances urban and natural elements in her music. Rewilding seems to exist in a space between worlds – not quite of the city, not quite of the wild, but somewhere beautifully in-between.

Rewilding is available on Bndcamp in both vinyl and digital formats.

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Bonus Tracks from Spotlight OnLawrence Peryer