In the last decade, Turkey has undergone many changes both culturally and politically, and these changes have in turn had a fundamental effect on subculture and underground contemporary club culture. In the wake of an Islamistic reconfiguration of culture, the social climate is growing more conservative and less conducive to an adventurous, inclusive music scene.

There is a growing disdain for pleasurable appreciation of music; also, diversity and alternative lifestyles have been victims of ideological backlashes, not least of which terrorist attacks like the one on the Istanbul nightclub on New Year’s Eve. In which ways has this hostility and violence impacted the country’s club culture and music scenes? How can musicians today guarantee free, safe spaces for themselves and their art? What can the Turkish musical community in Berlin do in relation to the state of affairs in their home country? In this panel, several musicians based in or between Istanbul and Berlin speak with moderator Banu Çiçek Tülü to share their own observations and address these questions.