Today, Turkey’s own bass music trailblazer Serhat Durmus has released his debut album, ‘Arres’, out now on Amuse. With a number of highly successful singles under his belt, ‘Arres’ marks Serhat’s first full body of work and a point of departure for a producer to watch. ‘Arres’ represents a creative expression of Serhat’s life story, drawing from his most powerful emotions, ambitions as an artist, and the love of his family.
‘Arres’ is a masterful display of the signature sound Serhat has cultivated, utilizing spacious atmospheric soundscapes, fragile toplines, and ethnic instrumentation. As a whole, the project fuses several electronic subgenres to create intense emotions from highs to lows. The album’s title track hones in on these elements, highlighting the emotionally charged vocals of Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Melanie Fontana who is known as a co-writer on Dua Lipa‘s ‘Future Nostalgia’. Other collaborators include chart-topping songwriter and BTS collaborator Krysta Youngs on ‘Anu’ and fellow Turkish producer NOES on ‘Lies’.
Inspired by the love of his family, ‘Arres’ is a project close to Serhat‘s heart. The project’s title has dual meanings, nodding to the Greek god of war ‘Ares’ and the tribulations Serhat has fought and overcome with his wife Serra, while also referencing the spelling of her name in reverse order. With a child on the way, Serhat adds an emotive touch to the record by sampling his unborn baby’s first heartbeat in the intro.
Speaking on the album, Serhat says, “Making music is my creative way of telling stories and expressing emotions. I believe you can hear my story and where I’m heading when you listen to my music. I’m going to have a baby soon and I can’t tell you how happy I am. It’s difficult to put the emotions around that into words but this album really included my family.”
Serhat‘s music has already attracted worldwide attention – evidenced by the massive success of his recent hit ‘My Feelings’ (ft. Georgia Ku), a reimagined version of his standout track ‘Hislerim’. Between the two singles alone, Serhat has amassed over 115 million Spotify streams, 2 billion YouTube views, and top 100 global positioning on both Tik Tok and Shazam. Serhat also welcomed remixes from Raaban, Dimitri Vangelis & Wyman, Mokita, GOLDHOUSE, and Ryan Celsius Sounds on his recent ‘My Feelings’ EP.
With over 2.2M monthly Spotify listeners, Serhat Durmus remains a valued contributor in the global electronic music space. He stands as one of the only Turkish producers to ascend from the local scene and continues to cement his status as a high-caliber electronic producer. With a constant ambition to develop his sound and build a deeper connection with those who inspire him the most, ‘Arres’ marks a pivotal chapter in Serhat’s evolving story.
