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The Island Seeds Band

 

The Island Seeds collective sprouted from the local music scene promoted through the United by Sound program of the Home For Cooperation.  In 2020, Island Seeds, a collective of almost 40 Cypriot musicians joined forces to record ‘The Time Is Ripe’, a special invitation to the world of united cooperation manifested. The result is a track sang in English, Cypriot-Greek and Cypriot-Turkish that drives the message home that no amount of divisive politics will stop the communities of Cyprus from re-uniting. The track was released by Home for Cooperation.

Building on the beautiful collaboration and synergy between the musicians, 7 Turkish-speaking and Greek-speaking Cypriot musicians continued their journey as the Island Seeds band. The band engaged in producing original songs in a collaborative process in 2021 and 2022, and presented them in their premiere performance on the 10(+1) Anniversary celebrations of the Home for Cooperation, in May 2022.

The band performed at the Fengaros Festival and the United by Sound Winter Edition series of the Home for Cooperation in 2022 & 2023.

Get to know the Band: Through their dreamy soul-infused melodies, pulsating psychedelic grooves and esoteric lyrics, the Island Seeds offer a unique musical blend of the island’s ‘Mediterranean soul’, which is quintessentially Cypriot and yet effortlessly at home beyond its borders. Formed over coffee within Nicosia’s buffer zone in the spring of 2022, the Island Seeds is a collective of seven artists from the island’s two largest communities, united by a sense of musical self-discovery and experimentation. During their tour across the island, the Seeds will be presenting songs from their recently recorded debut EP  – which also features collaborations with other Cypriot artists across the divide- in addition to material from the members’ solo projects, making up a set filled with delicious textures, introspective slow-jams and buoyant acerbic impressions of Cypriot reality.

The band consists of Alexis Sunder – guitar, vocals, Ezgi Akgürgen – vocals, Cemre Arca – flute, keys and vocals, Alexandra Astreou-Karides – electric guitar, Alexandros Komodromos – electric guitar, Arman Tatlicioglu – electric bass and Ulaş Öğüç on drums.

Delightful ear-worm grooves, introspective lyrics and blissful melodies that if they were any sunnier would come with an SPF warning. The Seed’s third Alex offers vocals drenched in retro soul, a pen of colourful and cerebral humour and a contagious infatuation for Ulas’ side-snare.
Alexis Sunder
Alexis Sundervocal, guitars
With a vocal range as wide as the island itself, the Island’s soul queen has a voice as smooth as velvet and has RnB running through her veins. Her unmistakable soulful timbre is as ferocious as falling timber and as soft as a cat’s walk. Dreamy melodies, mouth watering hooks and iconic dance moves guarantee to make you feel sensations infinitely higher than good; feeling Ezgood.
Ezgi Akgürgen
Ezgi AkgürgenVocals
The emblematic ‘Fro’ from Larnaka adds frizzy psychedelic vibes to the Seeds’ sonic waves and visual style. Tasty funk bends, soul scoops and spicy tones are his bread and butter, while adoring wah-wah cries follow his every step. Rumour has it he doesn’t go anywhere without his two boards; that for pedals and for skate.
Alexandros Komodromos
Alexandros KomodromosGuitar
Mesmerising vocals, enchanting story-telling and flowers in one’s hair usually describe mythical nymphs or 60s music icons. No time travel or mythological book study needed to enjoy the Seeds’ very own song nymph and multi-instrumentalist, who casts her melodic spells with her breathy tones, whimsical flute melodies and soulful keys, bringing a folksy Mediterranean air to the Seed’s soul.
Cemre Arca
Cemre ArcaVocals, flute, keys
Black jeans, sunglasses and a rolly cigarette, you don’t get more rock n’ roll than Arman. Beyond the rocky exterior hides a groovemeister that propels the Seeds’ sound with his relentless, bouncy and delicious basslines, solid on-stage energy and easy-going approach. Knows his way behind a bar and to every tune on the jukebox.
Arman Tatlıcıoğlu
Arman TatlıcıoğluBass
Melodic, unassuming and with a positivity so warm it constitutes a greater threat to the Arctic than climate change, Alaska serves as a stream of musicality that glues the Seeds’ sound. Plucking strings is nothing new for this quiet storm of a rocker, her calm confidence of a tennis champion serves addictive guitar licks for the win. Game, set and match.
Alexandra Astreou-Karides
Alexandra Astreou-KaridesGuitar
Good thing the band’s thespian and big friendly giant is forced to sit behind a drumkit, or else he’d tower over everyone on stage. He’s got a thing for sticks, brushes and buttons and the Seeds write slowjams just so he can use his side-snare. German trains envy his time-keeping and Japanese samurais long for his hair.
Ulaş Öğüç
Ulaş ÖğüçDrums
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Home for Cooperation acts as a bridge-builder bringing people together to share, exchange, and create new memories and experiences, through its physical presence and its peacebuilding programs, benefiting from the transformative power of arts and culture.

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