Good People of vitruta: Rânâ Uludağ

Rânâ, welcome! We always start by asking the same question, so we decided not to change the routine: How would you describe yourself to those who don't know you? Who is Rânâ Uludağ? How did it start, what did it do, how does it continue?

This is a very difficult question to answer. I can say that my world is constantly changing. From my passion for professional Alpine ski racing to my interest in drums and percussion; I am a person who pursues everything that nourishes my soul and arouses curiosity in me, around nature, movement and music. I navigate the axis of working, creating, experiencing new things and social outreach. Some of them stand out and some remain in the background.

Can we hear from you the story of how music entered your life and how you started playing drums?

Interestingly, my connection with rhythm started with taking darbuka lessons in kindergarten. Afterwards, I took piano lessons for many years. I was taking the exams for the Royal Academy of Music. However, due to endless hours of banging on pots and pans at home, my mother introduced me to drums in the 6th grade. Then I had to choose between piano and drums: I chose drums.

I completed the drum exams of the London College of Music and received my performance and solfeggio certificate. In high school, I received classical, Latin and Turkish percussion training at Engin Gürkey Percussion Workshop. I've been performing on stage since I was 15 years old. I gravitated towards percussion collectives, jazz and then the indie-british jazz vibe.

We founded Palmiyeler 12 years ago. Now I also perform in various projects. It took me many years to establish myself as a “female drummer” in the industry, it was quite a struggle. For this reason, I now make a point of using my visibility as a musician to encourage women to take to the stage.

When you were in high school, and even in the first days of Gezi , your path crossed with Palmiyeler. Please tell us about the first moments when you made music your career and what came your way afterwards.

I met Palmiyeler through a phone call. When I was in high school, I answered a number I didn't know just to get an excuse to leave class. Tarık (our bassist) was on the phone. “We are a garage rock band, do you want to join us?” said. I confirmed too.

At that time, Peyote had a studio in Nevizade. We met there for our first rehearsal and met for the first time. Turns out that day was the first day of Gezi Park. We found ourselves on the street after the rehearsal. It was definitely one of those days that I will never forget and that changed my life.

After a few rehearsals, we didn't see each other for a while. Then, one day Mertcan called and said he wanted to record. We recorded Palmiyeler's EP at the now non-existent Studio Bee in Moda. I remember it very well — I subsidized the studio fees with the money I earned from ski racing.

After registration, we did not see each other again for 2 years. There were even a few moments when I thought I was being scammed. At that time, I entered the university and started working as Ahmet Uluğ's intern assistant at Pozitif. Just then, Mertcan called me and told me that they wanted to release the album. We released the album; A week later, at the booking meeting for One Love 2014, the relevant team said that they liked the fact that there was a new group called Palmiyeler, and I shyly said that I was in that group.

The first concert of our lives was on the main stage of One Love. And we had never played live before — in fact, our setlist wasn't even long enough to play a gig. We started working and our second guitarist Barış Konyalı joined our band. We have given 172 concerts since then; 2 US tours consisting of 45 cities, 10 states and 1 European tour... I would have to write pages to describe the memories!

Then you move from Istanbul to New York . We are also curious about Rânâ, who decided to study Music Business at New York University .

In 2016, I suffered a serious injury during the National Team's university Olympic trials. I was bedridden for a very long time; I learned to walk again. Meanwhile, I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Instead of studying drum performance, the idea of ​​studying behind the scenes in the capital of music was quite attractive.

But my college GPA—because I never went to school and was playing, skating, and working at Pozitif—wasn't nearly enough to get into NYU.

While bedridden, I raised my GPA, applied and was accepted. In New York, my musicianship remained a little more in the background. After completing internships in the fields of festival production, music distribution and venue booking, writing my thesis and graduating, I joined Meta as Music Partnerships Manager. Honestly, it was a dream job. I was part of a team of 7 people who managed the digital activations of all the star names in the Northern US market. Although the glamorous life where music meets corporate life was enjoyable, I decided that I was too far away from music and resigned in 2021; We did the West Coast tour of Palmiyeler and I returned to Turkey with Covid.

We know her journey led to Omni Sound . What are you doing? Do you have a project that makes you say, "I can't help but work on it?"

After I returned to Turkey, we contacted Ahmet Uluğ again. When we heard that I was leaving Meta, we met to talk about what was on our minds and founded the independent record company called Omni Sound. We currently have 4 publications. They are all special from each other.

Every publication has a life cycle; When that is finished , "What should we produce now, who should we work with?" We perk up our ears to the whole world. This dreaming phase is always very exciting. Once the project starts, everything progresses like a marathon. Record publishing has many branches, and running them all at the same time with the right strategy is a job that requires a lot of effort and attention. Our first record , Living Sky - Sun Ra Arkestra directed by Marshall Allen , was definitely our most exciting project. It was among the top 10 jazz records of that year in the world. It was rated by important media such as The New York Times , The Guardian and Pitchfork . Being the producer of this production in every aspect, from the imagination, recording, production and distribution stages, is an experience I will never forget throughout my life.

I am returning our route to Istanbul , maybe Pera : How does the city nourish you these days? For example, where are your favorite places to perform? Is there a special reason?

I love living in Cihangir and the neighborhood spirit. It is very inspiring to spend every day with my friends who spend every day producing and improving themselves. Having such talented friends who break taboos in their own industries nourishes me a lot.

My favorite place to perform is definitely Salon İKSV — it's like home now. Palmiyeler and Salon İKSV are mutually interconnected. Last winter, we held the first of the under-18 concert series, which was the first in the history of Salon İKSV. It was the first concert most of the participants had ever attended. What an honor it is to be instrumental in this.

As a listener, thanks to Frankhan's innovative bookings, Istanbul is getting the music it has been longing for for a long time - and sometimes for the first time. It is impossible not to appreciate the work they do, especially in such a time. Greetings to Deniz Kuzuoğlu and Emre Garan!

We're curious about what inspires you: What do you like to listen to, examine, watch or read these days?

NTS Radio, BBC Radio 6 are my refuges when I don't know what to listen to. Isaiah Collier, Immanuel Wilkins, Brandee Younger, Andre 3000, Aja Monet, Misha Panfilov, Carlos Nino, Shabaka, Valentina Magaletti, Khalil El Zabar, Makaya McCraven… BadBadNotGood's new album! There are so many things to list, but these are the first things that come to my mind.

I was quite impressed by The Greatest Night in Pop ; Also from the Quincy documentary. As for movies, Sibyl and Anatomy of a Fall , Passages and Perfect Days are among the ones I watched recently and liked.

I don't have time to read many books these days, but let me list my favorites from the ones I've read recently: The Starting Place by Ursula K. Le Guin, Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon, Shifting the Silence by Etel Adnan. I am also a close follower of Loft Caz and The Wire .

We have one last question: Would you like to share with us what comes to your mind when " vitruta" and "Good People" are mentioned? Brand, neighborhood, individual, color, event—whatever comes to mind.

When I say "vitruta", I think of a sense of community, a wonderful selection of products, an innovative perspective, a very sweet team and shops that invite people in. And the color… green!

You can click here for the products Rânâ Uludağ used and selected in the shooting