Culture Clash: emir taha
Cultural pursuits with the Brixton songwriter...
*emir taha* has that golden touch.
The songwriter opened 2021 with a No. 1 single in his native Turkey, while co-signs have come from D.C. rapper Wale and Benny Blanco.
Last year's 'Hoppa Pt. 1' EP was a terrific global success, allowing the 24 year old Brixton based artist to seal his arrival.
New single 'Bad Reception' is out now, blending the myriad of SoundCloud rap sounds with his Turkish heritage, while adding layers of woozy R&B sound.
Discussing his new single, emir says that 'Bad Reception' is about "the connection with God, slowly getting weaker as beliefs become outdated and fade away...."
He continues: "It's when you run out of reasons to hold onto what you thought was with you from the start. Losing your most crucial life support by realising things, disconnecting from that wavelength and also feeling regretful because you deeply miss the thought of being heard and answered. Some days you get too caught up in the moment and forget about what is important."
"Other days you feel sad and resentful, so you go back to a higher power for help. However, this time you can’t convince yourself that you’re being heard because you feel too aware and your thoughts are in a war..."
Clash caught up with emir taha to chat extra-curricular pursuits for Culture Clash...
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*Film...*
Disney’s Soul. One of the best animation movies I’ve seen in a while. The story is amazing. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but my favourite bit was the intersection of real life and the great beyond where there are artists/musicians etc. floating around, losing themselves whilst playing.
Also in the last few weeks, I had the chance to catch up on all the Star Wars films. Been waiting to do that for a while.
*Albums...*
From the albums that have recently come out, I think Slowthai’s new record TYRON is so sick. The music videos he’s been dropping are mad as well. Jevon’s “Fell in Love with Brasil” album also dropped recently. A lot of Bossa nova, samba influence. I love that world and find it really inspiring. I think he recorded some of the tracks in Brazil which is cool.
A few other albums I’ve been listening to: MGMT - 'Little Dark Age', Duckwrth - 'Super Good'.
*TV Show...*
Blown Away on Netflix is a glass blowing show I got hooked to very quickly. Finished that in a day I think. “US Circle” is the easy-going show you need in your life when you want to distract yourself from anything serious. Was a house favourite for sure.
*Books...*
I've mainly been reading Cemal Süreya in the last weeks - a Turkish poet/writer I admire. A lot of pure words from a pure soul. He makes you feel a part of his story with simple, light words that are loaded with meaning and the symbols he uses in most of his poems.
Üvercinka is one of my favourite poems of his. I have the book Sevda Sözleri where you can find almost all of his work. He is a one of a kind writer. No one talked about love like he did.
*Gadget...*
Lava Lamp. It changed my life.
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'Hoppa pt.2' EP is out on March 26th.
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