The TSU! Project: James Hakan Dedeoğlu’s Music Born from Silence
A melody passing through minimalism, a guitar echoing in the backstreets of Kadıköy, and a feeling of solitude whispering in your ear… This is TSU!
They say every music genre has a season. Pop is cheerful under the summer sun; rock is best when the wind blows through your hair in autumn. But some sounds choose their own season, time, and even mood. James Hakan Dedeoğlu’s solo project, “TSU!”, is exactly that kind of work. It’s a musical journey that whispers from within the silence and shakes you without making noise.
If you haven’t listened to TSU! yet, let us warn you: this is not a dance floor. Instead of jumping and hopping to TSU!’s melodies, you’re likely to stare out the window on an empty bus on your way home, pondering, “What is life?” This music is introspective but never depressing. You know how sometimes you attach too much meaning to a cup of filtered coffee? Well, this is the sound of that moment.
So, Who is James Hakan Dedeoğlu?
While it might sound like an English exam question, James Hakan Dedeoğlu is a shining star in Turkey’s quiet but profound music scene. A guitarist, composer, and sound wizard… He’s a man who doesn’t fit the classic “singer-songwriter” mold. He’s been deeply involved with music since the early 2000s but has never gone “mainstream.” TSU! seems to be the result of a pact he made with silence.
It’s unknown whether the name is derived from the Japanese word “tsu,” meaning “wave,” but his music truly is like the ocean—sometimes calm, sometimes wavy, but always deep.
What is His Music Style?
Labels like “ambient,” “minimal,” “experimental,” and even “post-rock” circulate around TSU!. But for those who believe music cannot be explained by genres, the most accurate definition might be: TSU! is not listened to; it is felt.
A song begins, a faint guitar sound enters, followed perhaps by a synthesizer that stretches out like the sound of the wind, then it carries you away to places unknown yet familiar. It’s like you’re in a dream, but the alarm isn’t ringing.
Best Listened to Like a Movie
TSU!’s music sounds as if it were written for a missing scene in a film. Indeed, you can hear TSU! playing in the background of many short films, exhibitions, and contemporary dance performances. That’s because this music is like the language of other art forms.
For example, if you wake up one morning and think you’re living in a strange version of the world—a universe where people communicate via carrier pigeons instead of phones, and everyone walks in slow-motion—that background music is most likely TSU!.
Not for Crowds, But for Yourself
Perhaps this is TSU!’s most beautiful trait: it doesn’t try to please anyone. It’s not concerned with “making the charts” or “going viral.” Instead, it offers a calm proposition, like, “How are you? Shall we sit in silence for a while?”
That’s why listening to TSU! is like agreeing to be alone for a bit, to slow down. When you flee the city noise, you can put on your headphones and suddenly embark on an inner journey.
To Those Who Ask If Music Like This Can Exist in Turkey
Yes, it can, and of the most beautiful kind! TSU! is a project that originated in Turkey but speaks to the world. It’s a work with a global sound aesthetic but carrying the solitude of Anatolia within it. It’s like the lines Sait Faik wrote while looking at the island; it tells a lot, but not by shouting—it whispers.
Furthermore, it’s available on Spotify and waiting to be discovered on Bandcamp. So, it’s easy to access. But our advice is this: listen at night. Listen when you are alone. Perhaps brew some tea, perhaps let it be raining outside. Because TSU! is the music of “the moment.”
New Single: A Glass of Silence with “Moschofilero”
TSU!’s newest work, “Moschofilero,” opens a new window for both the ear and the soul. The song is also the first messenger of his new album, currently in production. It takes its name from a Greek wine grape. Imagine something slightly floral and aromatic… but this time, it echoes in your ear, not on your palate.
“Moschofilero” was written with allusions to the ancient world. It pours into notes the human impulse to “gather together,” the longing, a slight sadness, and an inner tranquility carried from the past to the present. As those familiar with TSU! know: this song once again increases the level of serenity. The chords hug you, and the guitar melodies hit you suddenly, like the sea touching your feet. The atmosphere is so immersive that you suddenly feel like you’re on the Aegean coast, not in the streets of Kadıköy.
Technical Crew, Aesthetic Soul
The recordings for “Moschofilero” were made at Vibes Studio in Kadıköy, Istanbul. The flawless clarity and texture you hear in TSU!’s music are combined with Ozan Bankoğlu’s production process. Görkem Karabudak’s mastery is evident in the mixing and mastering. The cover photo carries the signature of Aylin Güngör, maintaining the indispensable visual language of the TSU! catalog. Everything is meticulously crafted; it’s like a piece of handicraft.
Open TSU! on Spotify, Smooth Your Soul
The TSU! listening experience should not be something playing in the background; rather, it should be right at the center. The songs available on platforms like Spotify and Bandcamp aren’t there to accompany you while you do something—they exist to make doing nothing meaningful.
When you put TSU! on, things slow down. Even the tick-tock of the wall clock seems to start accompanying the music. With this music, you sit on top of time and pause for a while.
Conclusion: Music is Born from Silence
James Hakan Dedeoğlu’s TSU! project speaks not with high volume but with profound depth. In an age where everything is shouting, his whisper is all the more valuable. If your ears are tired and your soul is suffocating in city traffic, here’s a music recommendation that will do you good: TSU!
Remember, sometimes the most powerful melodies tell everything without ever screaming.