The Turkish, Istanbul-based unit Konstrukt likes to spice its very own cosmic-psychedelic version of free jazz with seminal heroes of free music, and has collaborated so far with Joe McPhee, Peter Brötzmann, Marshall Allen, Evan Parker, William Parker, Ken Vandrmark, Thurston Moore and Keiji Haino. «Eastern Saga» was recorded at the TUSK Festival in Newcastle in October 2018 with another iconoclast hero of free music, Otomo Yoshihide, who plays here on guitar and turntables, whose extensive work encompasses turntablism, modern composition, free jazz and soundtrack.

The performance begins with «Fire Dance», introduced by a solo double bass solo of Apostolos Sideris who improvises on a traditional Turkish scale. Patiently Konstrukt and Yoshihide explore this suggestive and mysterious, Middle-Eastern scale. Konstrukt’s multi-instrumentalists Korhan Futacı and Umut Çağlar, together with drummers Erdem Göymen and Ediz Hafızoğlu, add passionate colors and nuances to this layered piece, while Yoshihide turntablism and electric guitar ignites Konstrukt’s spacious interplay and pushes it  into more intense, dense and furious terrains that still maintain the hypnotic and sensual, rhythmic drive.

The free-form, free-associative syntax of Yoshihide’s always inventive, noisy turntables and distorted guitar is even more dominant on the second, apacious piece «The Myth», contrasting the cosmic cries of Futaci’s sax or any attempt by drummers Göymen and Hafızoğlu to settle on distinct rhythmic patterns.

Quite an intense experience.

Eyal Hareuveni

Korhan Futacı (as, fl, loops), Umut Çağlar (g, synth, double reeds, fl), Apostolos Sideris (b), Erdem Göymen (dr), Ediz Hafızoğlu (dr), Otomo Yoshihide (g, turntables)