Turkish Beatmaker Da Poet Offers Up a Great New Record with ‘Beattape’

Rapper, producer and beatmaker Da Poet has earned the affectionate name of “DP King” in his native Turkey, where for years he’s been working the hip-hop circuit, cutting quality albums and putting together an inspired set of mixtapes to add to his rather wide repertoire of work. When Da Poet is not experimenting with his rhyme-techniques, he’s usually exploring new ways in which to layer texture and sound into his beats.

His latest release, Beattape, is just one of the many instrumental hip-hop albums that the rapper has produced in the last eight years or so and this time he has his ear fixed on a juxtaposition of dark and light atmospheres with a healthy dose of electronica thrown in for good measure. Icy, cool, mysterious samples of traditional Turkish sounds sit (un)comfortably next to warm, sunny slices of lounge-jazz and the fusion of these two opposing worlds is seamless. From the sultry, lush sonics of “Magic” and “Smile for Me” to the twisted street funk of “Raw”, paintbrushed by the samples of a wailing sax, Da Poet keeps his rhythms evenly-paced, ensuring his ride is always smooth. “Battle Royale” and “Other Side” (featuring İnce Şarj) are curious exercises that explore a cultural exchange in Eastern and Western sounds.