1/ So First Off - Tell Us your Name, City and Country and what you currently do for a living?
Ada Bayramoğlu - Music to Curator
My name is Ada Bayramoğlu. I live in İstanbul, Turkey. I am a student.
2/ Is This Something You Always Wanted To Do? What Do You Enjoy About It?
I spend a lot of my time creating personal playlists and I am very happy to finally share them with the world. Before I joined Musicto, my playlists were just for me and my friends. But now, everyone can look up keywords on their laptop and find my playlist. I love that I can reach out to someone very far away from my own house. People trusting my taste of music is what I really enjoy about it.
3/ Tell Us About Your First Musical Memory - Why Do You Think You Remember It?
As long as I can remember, our house has always been a place where the cassette player kept turning. My parents were very interested with Turkish music and they had musical talent too. They sang songs together and listened to music together. One day, we were on a road trip and my father bought a CD from a gas station on the way. It was the album Ebruli by a Turkish band called Ezginin Günlüğü. When I listened to the first song, I suddenly felt warmer and happier. From that day on, that album is our road trip album. Whenever I hear a song from it, I go back in time to that day.
4/ Who Did You Make Your First Mixtape / Playlist For - What Was The Result - Did They Dig It?
I made my first playlist for myself. I compiled all of my favorite songs into one playlist and named it “My Songs”. There were songs from all kinds of genres and artists. That was the only playlist I listened to for at least six months. At the same time, my friends listened to that playlist too.
5/ What Made You Go Online And Search About Music Curation?
To be honest, I didn’t search about music curation. I was on Instagram and I saw a Musicto playlist (Mert’s Music To Save Anatolia) featured on a profile. It was the profile of one of my favorite artists, Gaye Su Akyol. Immediately, it caught my attention and I looked up Musicto. When I found out I could also be a playlist curator, I jumped on the opportunity.
6/ Tell us about the name of your Playlist - where did that come from?
I live in a city that lies between two continents: Europe and Asia. And daily life of a person who lives in Istanbul involves crossing the Bosphorus to go to the other part of the city. Whether it be by the ferry or by the Bosphorus Bridge, I personally cross the Bosphorus at least two times a day. In fact, my favorite type of transport is by the ferry. Wind blowing, the sea beneath my feet and the breathtaking Istanbul silhouette… When I am going between two continents there are some songs that I always listen to. Those are the songs that connect Europe to Asia and East to West. Just like the Bosphorus Bridge is symbol for a cosmopolitan city like Istanbul, the songs that are in my playlist are the art form of multiculturalism.
Visit Music to Cross the Bosphorus
7/ What does a track have to have to make it onto your list, is there something special that you look for?
I make sure that the song has both Eastern and Western elements. I also make sure that the song is a product of the new-wave stye. Other than that, I choose my songs according to my instincts and my feelings. If I am crossing the Bosphorus with that song, it
can go into my playlist.
8/ What can an artist do in their track submission to your list to ensure that you'll listen to their track?
Artists have to understand that I am not going to put their song into my playlist if it does not fit the mood and genre of my playlist. But I am open to all kinds of tracks that may be a nice fit for my playlist.
9/ We know - these change all the time - but as of this week - what are your all time top 5 favorite tracks.
- Alphaville - Big in Japan
- Barış Manço - Hemşerim Memleket Nire
- Amy Winehouse - Stronger Than Me
- Şebnem Ferah - Okyanus
- Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California
10/ And finally - which Music to Curator should we interview next?
Because we are from the same country, I am really curious about Mert’s answers. I would love if the next interview would be with Mert from Music To Save Anatolia.