Istanbul’s Ductape dwell at the junction of emotional turbulence and shadowy precision, crafting music as immersive as it is incendiary. Their distinct brand of darkwave and post-punk seethes with calculated chaos—basslines forming ominous barricades, razor-sharp guitars slicing through the tension, rhythms relentless yet meticulously controlled. Every track feels like a collision course through personal demons, dismantling the listener’s expectations one serrated riff at a time.
With their third full-length, Echo Drama, Ductape deepen their exploration of emotional catharsis, blending introspective, painfully honest lyrics with an electrifying sonic palette that fuses melancholic coldwave melancholy with irresistible post-punk urgency. The album serves as both reflection and reinvention—echoing past wounds while pushing forward into uncharted territories. Here, personal anguish meets dancefloor intensity, revealing layers of fragility beneath relentless energy.
In conversation with Post-Punk.com, the duo discusses the complexities that shaped the album: the interplay between English and Turkish lyrics, inspirations from the dark corners of Istanbul, subtle nods to their cultural roots, and the sweat-drenched communion between band and audience. They also speak candidly about their affinity with Turkish darkwave stalwarts She Past Away and a glimpse into future horizons: their forthcoming tour with IAMX, North American ambitions, and whatever uncharted territory their sound might next tear through.
The title Echo Drama suggests both a reflection on past work and a dramatic new chapter in your music. You’ve mentioned that it “echoes your past” and concentrates previous themes. Can you expand on this concept? How does Echo Drama encapsulate your artistic evolution, and what personal experiences or emotions shaped its themes?
Echo Drama is a reflection of everything we’ve been through, both musically and personally. The title plays on two meanings: it’s an echo of our past work, but also the drama within that echo, the emotions and intensity that shaped us. It carries the same dark, cinematic atmosphere we’ve always been drawn to, but with new layers. The songs come from deep personal experiences – moments of isolation, change, a recurring nightmare, and confronting memories that don’t fade easily. More than anything, Echo Drama feels like both a closing and an opening chapter.
As your third album, Echo Drama shows clear progression from Labirent and Ruh. What major shifts in sound, songwriting, or production did you explore? Were there specific lessons from your earlier records that shaped this album’s direction?
We wanted to push our sound further, while staying true to what makes us Ductape. We wanted to channel our live energy to the album. Compared to Labirent and Ruh, this album feels more dynamic and immersive. The biggest shift was in the production: we focused more on layering and textures.
Songwriting-wise, we allowed ourselves more space to experiment. The songs are still raw and emotional, but we played more with contrast, balancing aggression with fragility, coldness with warmth. We also took what we learned from our past albums and live performances to shape the sound. With Labirent, we were finding our identity. Ruh felt more refined and cohesive. Echo Drama takes both of those energies and expands on them.
One of the most compelling aspects of Echo Drama is how it pairs bleak, introspective lyrics with dynamic, sometimes danceable instrumentals. Is this contrast something you deliberately pursue? How do you balance coldwave melancholy with post-punk urgency, and what emotions do you hope listeners take away from that juxtaposition?
Yes, we wanted that contrast from the start. We toured a lot before recording the album and we wanted to reflect our stage energy and all the feelings we felt while performing previous songs to the new album. We imagined even if we were feeling down, we could listen to a song that feeds those emotions and also is danceable so we could shake the melancholy.
Of course, not all of the songs are up-tempo on the album, but for most of it that was the intention. There’s something powerful about pairing melancholic, introspective lyrics with energetic, danceable instrumentals. It creates a push-and-pull effect, almost like trying to escape your own thoughts while being completely immersed in them at the same time.
Çağla’s vocal delivery is incredibly varied, ranging from aggressive, emotionally raw moments to haunting, ethereal melodies. How do you decide what vocal style best suits a track? Additionally, you switch between English and Turkish in your lyrics—does singing in one language over the other change the mood or message of a song for you?
You know, sometimes you start listening to an album, and after three songs, it starts to feel like the vocals on each song are going to give you the same emotion. This is something we naturally avoided. For us, each song has its own personality, its own behavior, and its own cravings. When the instruments summon us, the lyrics start to flow, and we try not to change their course.
It’s also the same with choosing the language: the song chooses its own language, because the songs are mirrors to what we feel at that exact moment.
The album contains some fascinating production choices—such as the flute-like motif in “Anafor” or the motorik beats and bright synth layers in “Veil of Lies.” Can you talk about some of the sonic risks or experiments you took with this record? Were there any unexpected inspirations behind certain arrangements or production decisions?
Unexpected inspirations indeed. During “Anafor” we layered a drum sound and rhythm of Ramadan drums (shoulder-carried drums) which we actually hate. The story behind that is during Ramadan fasting month, drummers roam the streets at night to wake people up. That was a sound that scared Çağla as a little girl. We thought we should definitely use it.
To give tension, sometimes we use Furkan’s guitar as if it’s a sound effect too! When we made İnsan Senfonisi, we wanted to create an atmosphere where a person listens to it in a big room and then goes to another room to take a breath but can still hear the song coming through. We liked it that way, so we added that demo version to the album. Through the years, we have created ourselves a sound pool with all the instruments we have, and we trust their guidance through the songwriting process.
Being a two-person band means a unique creative process. How do you divide songwriting duties between vocals, synths, guitars, and bass? Does one of you usually bring the foundation of a song, or is it a fully collaborative process from the start?
It is actually spontaneous. Sometimes Furkan starts with drums and bass, or we both build the foundation together and go from there. We think about how a melody makes us feel. But we never focus on a specific topic and make a song about it. We also guide each other while finding a rhythm, a melody, or lyrics with a great harmony between us.
The deluxe edition of Echo Drama includes two additional tracks, “Fade Away” and “Blue Black.” Why did you choose these songs to accompany the re-release? How do they expand or reinforce the themes of the album?
It wasn’t something we planned, actually. We were going through a difficult time, and as soon as we had the chance, we started playing around with our instruments. What came out was a direct reflection of our emotions, and it gave us strength. It felt like the B-side of Echo Drama, almost like a continuation of the album. In that period, we actually ended up creating four or five songs.
Blue Black holds a special place for us—it was born out of a loss. Fade Away represents our survival through that time. These two songs felt like the beginning and the end of that chapter. That’s why, when the first pressings of the album sold out, we knew these two had to be included in the new edition.
“Blue Black” has been described as a track that “dances on the line between longing and liberation,” blending elements of detached coolness with raw passion. What was the inspiration behind this song, and does it hint at any new directions you might explore in the future?
It came from a deeply personal place. Furkan started mixing our songs with Blue Black and as much as it sounds warmer – and colder – we’ve never thought that Blue Black sounded any different than what we usually do. It has a certain weight but also movement. We loved how it stands between holding on and letting go. That balance is something we want to explore more, but it definitely does not define the direction we are going, as we usually don’t plan how to shape our sound. We also wonder which directions we will take in the next episode.
The lyrics across Echo Drama deal with themes of emotional turmoil, loss, and existential reflection. Were there any personal experiences that shaped specific tracks? Do you see songwriting as a cathartic process, and did this album in particular help you process any difficult emotions?
It’s a complete whirlwind of emotions. With this album, we created The Unknown, a world that only those who are aware can enter, while those who live with their eyes closed don’t even realize it exists. It’s a metaphorical place where we leave behind those who have the ability to see but choose not to.
The songs invite listeners into this world, exploring decisions about whether to stay or leave, the sorrow of letting someone go and stepping into The Unknown, frustration towards those who refuse to see, and deep introspection.
In the song The Unknown, the open invitation is echoed in the vocals, and the “Ha Ha” sounds symbolize the doors opening and closing with each entrance—like spirits passing through a threshold and entering our world—The Unknown. Emotionally, the most challenging songs for us were the first and last tracks, Red Scar and İnsan Senfonisi.
Your music is often mentioned alongside acts like Lebanon Hanover and Selofan, yet your fellow countrymen She Past Away are one of the biggest names in the international darkwave scene. How do you see Ductape fitting into this global movement? Do you feel a connection to the Turkish post-punk lineage established by She Past Away, or do you see your influences coming from different sources?
We see ourselves as a growing, young band. So, it’s definitely a joy for us to have our name alongside those of established groups. The position She Past Away has reached makes us incredibly happy. We’ve known each other almost since they formed, and we have a close friendship. We exchange ideas on many topics, and their support has been invaluable. It’s clear that they’re role models for both the emerging Turkish and global scenes. We’re on the same tree, but on different branches. As for our influences, we tend to look towards the ‘80s.
While darkwave and post-punk are often associated with European and North American acts, you’ve carved out a distinct identity as a band from Istanbul. How does your cultural background shape your music, and do you find that being based in Turkey influences the themes, aesthetics, or mood of your sound in a way that differentiates you from your European contemporaries?
Our culture inevitably has some influence on our music, but we don’t use it in an obvious way, nor do we think we could. The conditions of life in Turkey, daily struggles, and political events definitely affect us, but in the end, we create music that doesn’t traditionally belong to these lands.
The resurgence of darkwave and post-punk over the past decade has created a thriving international scene. As an artist actively contributing to this movement, how do you see the genre evolving? Are there any newer bands or artists that excite you and feel like they’re pushing the sound in fresh directions?
In the digital world, where making and releasing music has become easier, the rise in the number of new artists is inevitable. We especially noticed this increase during the pandemic. But what truly matters isn’t just the numbers—it’s seeing these artists continue and witnessing more original work emerge.
Dancing Plague, Potochkine, and William Bleak are currently the bands we enjoy listening to; their stage presence captivates us.
Translating the intensity and atmosphere of your studio recordings into a live setting can be a challenge. How do you approach your live shows? Do you rework or extend any songs for the stage, and what should audiences expect from a Ductape performance?
We believe the stage is the best place to fully express the emotions in our songs. On stage, the visual elements come into play, so what we’re trying to convey isn’t just heard but also seen. Our movements, stage presence, facial expressions… and the incredible amount of sweat.
There’s a strong, raw energy that flows between us and the audience, and from the feedback we receive, we know they feel it too. That’s something we truly love. The stage is where you return to your essence. A Ductape concert is definitely one of the key things that sets us apart from other bands. We never struggle to adapt our songs for live performances. We don’t make major changes—just a few revisions for live mixing—but the energy naturally takes them to another level.
Supporting IAMX on their European tour is a huge opportunity. Were you fans of Chris Corner’s work with IAMX or Sneaker Pimps before this? What are you most excited about when it comes to this tour, and do you think this experience will influence your future performances?
Of course, it’s impossible not to know and love IAMX and Sneaker Pimps, especially “Bloodsport”—it’s a song that has been on our playlists for a long time. But the IAMX project holds a particularly important place for us with its sound and depth.
We’re really excited about this tour. Visiting cities we’ve never been to before and playing for larger audiences makes us happy. The time we’ll spend with IAMX will be an unforgettable experience. Our first time seeing them live was at NCN Festival 2024, where we also performed. Now, we’ll get to experience it again and again, which makes this even more special.
With IAMX now being a US-based band (Chris Corner is originally from the UK but is now based in Los Angeles), do you see this tour as a potential gateway to playing in North America? Have you received much interest from fans in the U.S. or Canada, and are there any plans or hopes to tour across the Atlantic in the future?
We’ve received a lot of interest from the U.S. and Canada since day one and started getting invitations for a while now. We are looking forward to the day we meet with our fans there! This tour might bring us one step closer. We’d love to do a proper North American run at some point—it’s just a matter of the right timing and opportunities. §
The second pressing of Echo Drama is out on April 4th via Swiss Dark Nights. Pre-Order Here
Ductape is currently on a European tour. Catch them on the following dates:
- Mar 28 A BETON Győr, Hungary
- Mar 29 Gólya Budapest, Hungary
- Apr 4 Hellraiser Leipzig, Germany
- Apr 5 Kulturzentrum Grend Essen, Germany
- Apr 6 Exil Göttingen, Germany
- Apr 8 F-Haus Jena, Germany
- Apr 9 Zeche Bochum Bochum, Germany
- Apr 10 Aladin Music-Hall Bremen, Germany
- Apr 11 Musikhuset Posten Odense, Denmark
- Apr 12 Kulturhuset Viften Rødovre, Denmark
- Apr 13 Hafenklang Hamburg, Germany
- Apr 18 X-TRA Zürich, Switzerland
- Apr 30 Ziggy Club Turin, Italy
- May 3 Altherax Nice, France
- May 31 Das Rind Rüsselsheim, Germany
- Jun 13 Le Garage Creative Music Liège, Belgium
- Jun 14 Studio Canal 10 Mons, Belgium
- Jul 18 Theater am Tanzbrunnen Cologne, Germany
- Oct 1 Lux Hannover, Germany
- Oct 2 Lila Eule Bremen, Germany
- Oct 2 Return To The Batcave Festival Wrocław, Poland
- Oct 3 Slaughterhouse Berlin, Germany
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