About the album
The album contains exclusively his own compositions, sometimes with just one or two instruments, sometimes carried by heavy drums and electric guitar. The music is rooted in the traditional Turkish and Arabic music in which Yilmaz grew up, but always seeks dialogue with jazz, classical, rock, spoken word and singer-songwriter traditions. The result is a unique, hybrid sound that deliberately defies existing genre classifications.
Themes
Yilmaz grew up in Enschede as the child of Turkish-Arab migrant workers and spent part of his childhood in Antakya (southern Turkey). That experience forms the undercurrent of Geboortegrond, which focuses on themes such as origin, migration and coming home. His characteristic, melancholic sound resonates through every track, but the album transcends the personal. It captures the feeling of a generation of new Dutch citizens with roots elsewhere and expresses a broader desire for connection beyond differences, as expressed in the Turkish-Dutch song Moederland, one of two duets Yilmaz performs with Dutch rapper Baas B.
Contributors
Although a solo project, Geboortegrond is also a tribute to the many musicians who inspired Yilmaz along the way. Contributors to the album include jazz pianist Ferdinand Delcker (DE), percussionist Nezih Antakli (US), rapper Baas B (NL), violinist Anne Bakker (NL), drummer Modar Salama (SY/NL), bassist Peter Rikkers (NL), and many others.