ALADAG: "The essential part of my work is to tell an emotional story"

ALADAG is a multifaceted creative with experience as a director, writer, and producer in the film industry, though his true passion lies in music. He began DJing at 13 and producing at 14, co-writing and co-producing several Gold and Platinum records in Germany. Today, he fully dedicates himself to music as the core of his artistic career. His sound reflects a rich cultural blend, combining his Turkish roots, influences from Stuttgart’s hip-hop scene, and years spent in Berlin’s techno clubs, resulting in a vibrant fusion of genres showcased in his releases on Diynamic such as "Picture: Aladag", "Transistor" EP, and "Surreality" EP. His work has been recognized and supported by prominent international artists like Solomun, Pete Tong, Tiesto, and John Digweed, highlighting his broad appeal in the contemporary music scene. For ALADAG, music is not only an artistic expression but also a means of human connection and the heart of his creative journey.

You’ve moved fluidly between directing, writing, and producing before returning to music as your main focus. How does your background in filmmaking shape the way you construct a track or design the narrative arc of a DJ set today?

For me, there are strong parallels between film and music, because in both disciplines I am essentially telling a story. A story with a beginning, a middle, a climax, a turning point and a resolution. My background in film shaped this way of thinking and still strongly influences how I approach music and my DJ sets today. When I produce, I imagine visual situations, images, atmospheres and stories. There is not a single track I create that does not start from a story in my head. In that sense, it influences my work in a very fundamental way, and I truly define myself as an artist and a storyteller.

Your sound is rooted in Turkish heritage, Stuttgart’s Hip-Hop scene, and the raw energy of Berlin’s Techno clubs. How do you balance these contrasting influences while maintaining a clear and authentic artistic identity?

If I look closely at my musical roots, they are actually very diverse from a very early age. Through my older siblings, I grew up with artists like Cat Stevens, later David Bowie, Heaven 17 and a lot of 80s music. At twelve, I held my first Beastie Boys tape in my hands, followed by Public Enemy, and just a year later I bought my first techno record. Yves Deruyter “The House of House”. At seventeen, I started throwing my own hip hop parties in Stuttgart as a DJ and promoter. So my musical spectrum was always very wide.

Turkish music was never the main sound of what I listened to every day, but it still shaped me deeply in another way. My parents had a beautiful taste in music, and when they played Turkish records, it was always very emotional and honest music with touching stories. That emotional depth stayed with me.

Today, all these influences live naturally inside my music. I love 80s vocal aesthetics and even when I sing myself, I often find myself drawn back to that sound. I love carrying hip hop groove into electronic music, and I am still inspired by early rave and trance elements that shaped me in my youth. What brings it all together for me is always the emotional core of a song. If a track does not fully touch me yet, I usually feel that one of these elements is still missing. Once the emotional connection is there, everything suddenly falls into place.

With your recent "Awake" EP on Diynamic, you seem to push the emotional and sonic boundaries of your work even further. What sparked the creative direction behind this project, and what does it represent in your artistic evolution?

"Awake" represents a very clear shift in my artistic journey, and at the same time a deep return to my roots. The way it came into existence was very special. It actually started from a completely different track that I could not finish. I tried many directions with it and at some point I almost lost the connection to it. In the end, I only kept a few elements that truly moved me emotionally and transferred them into a new song. From that moment on, “Awake” was born, almost like a personal release.

Some time ago, I co wrote a song with a German pop artist that came together within less than an hour. Even while it was happening, I had this very strong feeling that this song would connect with many people, because there was something universal inside it, something bigger than myself. Later it became the biggest hit of that artist and received multiple gold and platinum awards. A very similar feeling came back while producing “Awake”. It felt like something happened that was beyond my personal control. Almost like a spiritual spark that placed an energy inside the track that surprised me. And to this day, that energy still surprises and inspires me.

In the studio, I had the feeling that "Awake" has the potential to connect emotionally and to touch others in the same way it touched me.

You describe yourself as a deeply introverted person bringing hidden emotions into the light through music. Is there a personal ritual or creative process that helps you translate that introspection into something universally relatable?

I do not really have one single ritual or fixed way to access my emotions. What I have learned over the years is to develop an early sense for when I am emotionally disconnected. And that still happens more often than I would like. It usually happens when I move too much into my head. When I start overthinking, trying to create something I planned beforehand or something I liked somewhere else and wanted to recreate. In those moments, tracks can become technically good and energetic, but emotionally they leave me untouched.

When that happens, I always have to stop and ask myself where I lost the connection. And every time, I have to find my way back again. Sometimes the solution is physical. I need a break, movement, sport, or time in the sauna to reset myself. Other times, it happens directly inside the music. I strip the track down almost completely and ask myself what the real core is. What is the main element, what story does this track actually want to tell, and where do I want to go with it.

When I find that point again, I feel that I am back in the emotional realm instead of the rational one. From there, the process leads me somewhere completely new, far away from what existed before. But that is often exactly what is necessary. I feel that the essential part of my work is to tell an emotional story. Functional tracks that follow a purely functional pattern can already be created by AI today. For me, the true value lies in the personal and human connection to the music. And in my case, that connection often takes detours and only very rarely the direct path.

Your tracks have received support from some of the biggest names in the electronic world. How does this level of recognition influence your vision moving forward—does it push you to take more risks, or does it reinforce staying true to a very personal path?

It truly inspires and motivates me to see artists I deeply respect playing my music, writing me messages, and supporting what I do. I share a very special connection with Solomun in this context. I have been a fan of his for many years, of his DJ sets, his productions and remixes, and everything he has built with Diynamic Records and his events. That is why it was an incredible honor when my very first release already came out on his label as a Diynamic picture release. Now, with "Awake", I am celebrating my fourth release on Diynamic, and I feel deeply grateful for that.

Beyond the incredible resonance from internationally respected DJs and musicians, what moves me just as much are the messages from people outside that circle. From listeners, from upcoming artists, from people who are just starting out with music and tell me that my work inspired them to take that step. Some share that my music helped them through a certain phase in life. With a few of them, I stay in regular exchange. They send me their tracks, ask for feedback, and I can follow their development over time. That touches me deeply and means a lot to me.

I feel very fortunate to have my own heroes who inspire and encourage me, and at the same time to be able to pass that energy on to others. And just as I try to encourage people to take risks and find their own voice, artists like Solomun encourage me to fully trust my own artistic path and not let myself be pulled away from it. That path is often uncertain and undefined, but I believe it is the only way to truly leave your own mark today, especially in a world where so much music is being released every single day.

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