Mercan Dede & the Secret Tribe

A fusion of Sufi and electro music performance with three musicians and one whirling dancer headlined by Mercan Dede.

Dede believes that when you put digital and electronic sounds together with hand-made, human ones, you can create a universal language, capable of uniting old and young, ancient and modern, East and West. It’s a bold claim, but the Turkish-born and Montreal- based musician/producer/DJ has the career and the music to back it up. When he takes the stage with his group the Secret Tribe, he hovers at the side behind his turntables and electronics, occasionally picking up a traditional wooden flute. or ney to float in sweet, breathy melodies, while masters of the kanun [zither], clarinet, darbuka [hand drum] and whatever other instruments he’s decided to include that night, ornament his grooves and spin magical, trance melodies to match the whirling of the group’s spectacular dervish dancer, Mira Burke.

This contrast between electronica and classical or folkloric arts cuts to the core of the Suti philosophy that guides this one-of-a-kind artist. ‘Those things are not really separate.‘ says Dede. ‘The essence of Sufism is counterpoint. Everything exists with its opposite. On one side. I am doing electronic music. The other side of that is this really acoustic, traditional music.’ Dede doesn’t just bring in any traditional sounds and sights as adornment to his techno beats.

Special Feature:Free entrance