The term ‘taking you on a journey’ is often overused and under-played when referring to DJ sets, Elif is a true exception. She may be small in stature but her sound is anything but, this powerhouse from the cultural hub of Istanbul in Turkey is truly a force to take notice of.
From an early age Elif was always on the fringes of music, living as a digital nomad around the world, she became a successful music, travel & festival blogger. A real desire to add something more meaningful to the industry she was surrounded by, soon led to her transition from writer to the talented performance artist we see today.
After returning to Istanbul before the initial start of the recent pandemic and a gentle nudge from several credible labels, Elif seized the opportunity to really focus further on the production side of her profile.
Elif has expertly forged her trademark sound of flowing melodic floor fillers that are now a constant in sets around the world. Her productions leave enough space for you to explore between the key elements, intricate arps and synths are woven into soundscapes and vocals, whilst you are firmly grounded by thumping kicks and driving basslines. Her emotion and intention is perfectly translated in each track, pulling you between hypnotic drum patterns and raw percussion that combine to create tracks that are both thought provoking and timeless. Releases on Anjunadeep, Stil Vor Talent, A Tribe Called Katori, and Kindisch show the true diversity and ability of Elif in the studio.
Albert Einstein famously said “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” and that’s exactly what Elif saw once the pandemic had hit. She began live streaming her sets from her home and it wasn’t long before she was invited to host a weekly show for Blondish and her ‘Abracadabra’ brand quickly gaining the attention of Damian Lazarus and many others.
As soon as international travel was possible and with parts of the world opening back up again, Elif travelled through South Africa, the US and Mexico whilst still fulfilling 30 of her ‘Moon Shuttle’ Live Streams. Elif has continued to play on the world’s biggest stages from her native Turkey’s Echoes from Agartha in Cappadocia, monastic ruins in Stuttgart, Berlin’s Kater Blau and Ritter Butzke, Amsterdam, Goa, and New York for ‘The Gardens of Babylon’, Nick Warren’s ‘Soundgarden’, Audiofly’s ‘Flying Circus’, and both Lazarus’ ‘Get Lost’ party in Miami and his ‘Wild is Love’ at the #1 voted club in the world ‘Hi – Ibiza’
Elif’s consummate calmness in the booth is a stark contrast to the whipped up frenzy created on the other side. Her perfectly balanced sets deliver each and every time. Tough edits that nod to the familiar, soon take you deep into the unknown. Elif creates a unique, almost one to one connection with her audience, as much of a storyteller as an artist and one that you can’t help but be drawn into.
Elif has a commendable work ethic, continued global bookings and a consistently busy release schedule (with some unique collaborations) are testament to this. Elif also continues to use her platform to raise awareness of environmental issues including being a supporter of organisations such as the ‘Bye Bye Plastic’ foundation – a movement to make the electronic music industry more sustainable. Elif’s talents are clear for all to see and hear and the continual rise to sit amongst her peers is so rightly deserved. One of the industry’s most exciting and capable artists, and this is just the start ……
