Kozmik AnaDolu – TechnOrient // TeknoAnatolia
İpek İpekçioğlu, aka DJ Ipek, has been a defining figure in the global ethnic-orient-electronic music scene for over 30 years. As a DJ, producer, curator and queer activist working between Berlin and Istanbul, she connects club culture with cultural diversity, political conviction and artistic vision.
Sound & perspective
As a resident DJ at the legendary Gayhane – QueerOriental Dancefloor at Berlin’s SO36, she has spent decades shaping one of the city’s most important and longest-running queer dancefloors. Her sets transcend boundaries of origin, gender and identity, transforming every dancefloor—from underground raves to festival stages—into a space of freedom, resistance and belonging.
Musically, Ipek brings psychedelic Turkish funk together with disco, çiftetelli with house, Kurdish halay with electro, traditional 9/8 rhythms with baile funk, and Anatolian folk songs with techno. She also blends deep house, tech house and melodic techno with the rich soundscapes of Anatolia, Türkiye, Kurdistan, Iran and the Middle East. Through her unmistakable Kozmik AnaDolu sound, she creates a powerful, hybrid and political sonic space brimming with energy. Her sets are more than music: they are a statement against racism, sexism and exclusion, and an invitation to everyone who believes in freedom, creativity and collective expression.
Awards
Her artistic work has earned numerous accolades. Ipek won the World Music DJ Contest in London in 2005, was named among Türkiye’s top DJs in 2023, and received the German Record Critics’ Award. In 2024, Der Tagesspiegel recognised her as one of the 100 most important figures in Berlin’s cultural life. She also received the 2024 Soul of Stonewall Award for her lifetime achievements and commitment to the queer migrant community.
Productions & projects
As a producer, Ipek has made her mark internationally. Tracks such as Uyan Uyan, Wake Up and Bir Çift Turna, releases on Sony Music / Epic Istanbul, and her acclaimed remix of Selda Bağcan’s Gesi Bağları showcase her musical range. Projects such as Berf û Zin, Gel Gel Kuir and Gayhane Güllüm x Kürperi demonstrate that, for her, music is always also a space for visibility, resistance and empowerment.
