ECHOES OF BECOMING
About the Album
Echoes of Becoming is Canberk Ulaş's second solo album and the artistic outcome of his master's research in World Music and Improvisation at the University of Agder in Norway.
The album explores new possibilities for the Armenian duduk beyond its traditional role. Through original compositions, extended playing techniques, electronics and contemporary improvisation, the duduk is presented not only as a melodic instrument but also as a source of texture, rhythm, harmony and orchestration.
Recorded across Sweden, Norway and Ireland in collaboration with some of the leading voices in contemporary improvised music-including Arve Henriksen, Jan Bang, Eivind Aarset and Bugge Wesseltoft - Echoes of Becoming offers a personal exploration of what the duduk can become in contemporary music while remaining connected to its distinctive voice.
Rather than adapting existing techniques from other instruments, the research focused on developing an original performance language for the duduk. Throughout the album, new extended techniques, unconventional sound production, electronics and sampling are used to expand the instrument's sonic vocabulary.
The result is a body of work that investigates how the duduk can function beyond melody - as an instrument capable of creating textures, harmonic layers and complete sonic environments.
Among the earliest artistic projects to explore the duduk
as a contemporary experimental instrument through original compositions, electronics and artistic research.
Echoes of Becoming proposes a new contemporary performance practice for the instrument.
The Story Behind the Album
Echoes of Becoming is more than a collection of compositions. Although each piece stands on its own, together they form a personal journey that unfolds chapter by chapter.
The album was written during a period of profound change in my life - one that involved leaving familiar places, questioning long-held beliefs, moving across countries, and gradually reshaping my understanding of identity. Rather than telling this story directly through words, I chose to express it through sound.
The titles offer clues, but the narrative remains intentionally open, allowing listeners to find their own meanings within the music.
Broken
Every transformation begins with a moment of rupture.
Broken is not about defeat, but about the point at which old ways of living or thinking no longer hold together. Sometimes change only becomes possible when remaining the same becomes more painful than moving forward.
Pattern in Heritage
Many of the patterns that shape our lives are inherited rather than consciously chosen.
This piece reflects on beliefs, fears, survival strategies and ways of interpreting the world that quietly pass from one generation to the next. These patterns often repeat themselves until we begin to question them.
Rather than placing responsibility on circumstances or other people, the music points inward—to the more difficult task of examining our own ways of seeing.
Outside Selfland
Leaving familiar patterns also means leaving familiar identities.
Outside Selfland explores the unsettling space between who we have been and who we might become. It is not yet a place of arrival, but a landscape of uncertainty where old certainties disappear before new ones emerge.
The music intentionally inhabits this sense of instability.
Ritual
Transformation often requires letting go of an identity before another can emerge.
The piece is inspired in part by a passage from Rainer Maria Rilke, who writes:
"If one day you have a name that everyone knows, raise your hand at midnight and ask God for a new name that no one knows."
The idea is not about changing one's name literally, but about stepping beyond the expectations attached to it. Our identities often become invisible boundaries that shape how others see us—and how we see ourselves.
I Came From Far Away
This piece reflects both an inner and an outer journey.
While the album was written during my move from Turkey to Norway, the title speaks less about geography than about distance in a broader sense—the distance travelled through experience, uncertainty and change.
Kristiansand
Kristiansand marks the first place where this new chapter truly began.
It was there that I met musicians I had admired for years, began collaborating with them, and started shaping the musical ideas that eventually became Echoes of Becoming.
Tired but Not Lost
Long journeys rarely feel heroic.
There are moments of exhaustion, uncertainty and doubt, yet these do not necessarily mean that we are lost.
The title reflects the possibility of continuing without having all the answers. The inspiration for the piece came from Clarissa Pinkola Estés' reflections on the long, demanding nature of inner transformation.
Greetings to Istanbul
Every journey changes the way we look at where we came from.
Although much of Echoes of Becoming reflects movement toward the unknown, Greetings to Istanbul pauses for a moment to look back with gratitude.
The melody was written years earlier while I was living in Istanbul. When I later had the opportunity to record it with Bugge Wesseltoft in Norway, the piece naturally found its place within the album. After learning that I was from Istanbul, Bugge spoke warmly about the city and the friendships he had built there over the years. The title became a quiet musical greeting—from Norway back to Istanbul.
Rather than expressing nostalgia, the piece acknowledges that every new beginning is built upon the places and experiences that shaped us.
A New Beginning
The final piece closes the story while quietly suggesting another one.
Every musician who contributed to the album returns briefly, as if offering a final farewell before the music comes full circle.
The ending is intentionally not an ending at all.
Every arrival becomes the beginning of another journey.
Musical Innovations
Original compositions written specifically for the possibilities explored in this project.
Development of new extended techniques for the duduk.
Electronic processing of duduk recordings to expand the instrument's sonic palette.
Use of the duduk as a textural, harmonic and rhythmic instrument rather than solely a melodic voice.
Integration of improvisation, sampling and electroacoustic composition.
Collaboration with internationally recognised artists from the Scandinavian contemporary music scene.
People Behind Echoes of Becoming
Kieron Concannon
One of the most beautiful friendships the duduk has brought me is with Kieron Concannon from Ireland, who is a great uillieann pipes player and has been running a successful record label in London. While he took online lessons from me to learn the duduk, I ended up learning so much more from him, including kindness and a wonderful sense of humor. The deep voice you hear in “Ritual” is his, delivering a wise message from the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke.
Bugge Wesseltoft
He is a true pioneer. Blending jazz with new technology and styles, all while staying true to the spirit of improvisation. I was incredibly lucky to meet him in Norway. He’s not just a musical inspiration but a model of humility and open-mindedness.
When I first mentioned I was from Istanbul, he shared fond memories of the city and his friends there. When the opportunity came to have him guest on my album, I brought a melody I’d written years ago in Istanbul. Playing it together, I titled it “Greetings to Istanbul”; a musical message from Norway to Istanbul.
Arve Henriksen
Without a doubt, he is one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. His words and music are filled with creativity and passion. Arve is renowned for his distinctive, soft trumpet tone and his wide range of expression. Beyond being a musical “superhero,” he has been a generous, supportive, and wonderful mentor to me throughout my master’s degree in Sweden. You can hear his unique trumpet solo on the track “Ritual.”
Deniz Ulkat
In “Tired But Not Lost”, you hear her voice as she delivers velvety, magical lines from Clarissa Estes’ tale Women Who Run with the Wolves. I took sentences from a voice recording she sent me a few years ago and rearranged them in the album to create new meanings. After whispering a few whimsical lines and disappearing in “Tired But Not Lost”, Deniz returns in the final track, “A New Beginning”, to conclude the story of Echoes of Becoming. Like almost everything in the album, Deniz’s voice brings something personal and intimate from my life; a comforting sound of a good friend from miles away.
Jan Bang
He is known as a musical innovator and a bridge-builder, among many other titles. Years ago, I started noticing his name on records I loved, but it took time to fully understand his contributions because he doesn’t play a usual instrument. He coined the term ”live-sampling” and has produced many records released by Jazzland Recordings and ECM Records . He was my first mentor in Norway during my master’s at the University of Agder, where I was fortunate enough to perform and record with him. He generously welcomed me into his creative space, allowing me a glimpse into the laboratory of his mind and the process behind his productions. I learned so much from him.
It was through him that I met the legendary guitarist Eivind Aarset, and together we recorded the track “Kristiansand” in his studio. If you listen carefully, you can hear Jan’s unique touches, especially towards the end.
Benedikte Kløw Askedalen
She was one of the first to welcome me warmly when I moved to Norway. In addition to her authentic soul and personality, she has a voice that gives me goosebumps every time. She brought deeper meaning to my song “I Came From Far Away,” singing beautifully in both English and Turkish.
Eivind Aarset
Years ago, while living in Turkey, I discovered the album Dream Logic, released by ECM Records and produced with Jan Bang. This record, created by Eivind, was a door opener for me. It marked my first encounter with dark ambient music and showcased his unique style in both playing and composing. I was immediately drawn to his artistry.
Eivind is a guitarist, sound designer, and composer whose distinctive approach sets him apart. His innovative playing style makes it challenging for many to recognize the guitar in the sounds he creates. Beyond his mastery of the guitar, I have always been deeply impressed by his compositional approach.
In my second month in Norway, I found myself on stage with him, thanks to Jan Bang’s kind and generous invitation to join the Punkt Ensemble as a guest during the Punkt Festival in 2021. This initial collaboration led to another opportunity. At Jan’s studio in Kristiansand, I had the chance to record with Eivind. The session was entirely improvised, and the music flowed naturally, teaching me invaluable lessons. With these extraordinary collaborations and my studies at the University of Agder, Kristiansand has become a special place in my life. As a tribute, I titled this track Kristiansand.
© & ℗ 2024 Jazzland Recordings and Canberk Ulaş
Music produced, arranged and mixed by Canberk Ulaş
Mastered by Murat Çolak at GERYON in New York
Cover photograph and cover design by Canberk Ulaş
Inside photograph by Anders Magnus
All the compositions by Canberk Ulaş except Track 6 is by Ulaş, Eivind Aarset and Jan Bang
Lyrics in Track 5 by Canberk Ulaş
Spoken words in Track 4 are from the book “The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge” by Rainer Maria Rilke; translated from Turkish to English by Canberk Ulaş
Spoken words in Track 7 are from the Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Kurtlarla Koşan Kadınlar, translated by Hakan Atalay, Ayrıntı Yayınları
Duduk, electronics, sansula, sampling, upright piano, keyboard: Canberk Ulaş
Trumpet: Arve Henriksen (Track 4)
Electric guitar: Eivind Aarset (Track 6)
Live sampling: Jan Bang (Track 6)
Vocals: Benedikte Kløw Askedalen (Track 5)
Grand piano: Bugge Wesseltoft (Track 8)
Spoken words: Kieron Concannon (Track 4)
Sampled spoken words: Deniz Ulkat (Track 7)
Duduk, sansula, upright piano recordings are done by Canberk Ulaş in Gothenburg and Hindås, Sweden
Track 6 is recorded by Jan Bang at Punkt Studio in Kristiansand, Norway
Trumpet in Track 4 is recorded by Arve Henriksen in Mölnlycke, Sweden
Spoken words in Track 4 is recorded by Kieron Concannon in Ballyloughnane, Ireland
Piano in Track 8 is recorded by Bugge Wesseltoft in Oslo, Norway
Vocals in Track 5 is recorded by Benedikte Kløw Askedalen in Oslo, Norway