Biography
Turkish composer and producer Safak Ozkutle channels his work through the Oceanvs Orientalis project, fusing ancestral rhythms and traditional instruments with hypnotic house and downtempo textures. Early on he operated primarily as a DJ before committing to live performances, which soon established Oceanvs Orientalis as a regular presence at dance festivals worldwide. His first album, Untold/Unknown, surfaced in 2015, and two years later he launched the Barcelona-based Kanto Records. The downtempo album Ex Nihilo followed in 2020, while 2024’s Portrait of the Obscure explored progressive house, drum’n’bass, and funk.
Before launching Oceanvs Orientalis in 2011, Safak Ozkutle had worked as a creative director. He began performing at Istanbul parties alongside international techno figures such as Marcel Dettmann and Margaret Dygas. By 2015 he had moved from DJ sets to live shows, appearing in Greece, Germany, Brazil, and Cambodia. Berlin’s The Magic Movement issued his debut EP Khronos, and he self-released the full-length Untold/Unknown digitally. In 2016 he delivered the EPs Indoor Voyager and the cumbia-inflected Expediciones, the latter a collaboration with Matanza. Kanto Records, functioning as both label and art collective, debuted in 2017 with the Oceanvs Orientalis EP General Tales of Ordinary Madness, which featured singer/songwriter Idil Mese. The glitchy house EP Dance of Swords arrived the next year. Ex Nihilo, a narrative full-length recounting the universe’s creation, emerged in 2020; several singles and the EP Gran Tribulación completed that year’s output.
The 2021 live recording Akustikhane Across, made with Ismail Tuncbilek at All Saints Moda Church, appeared as an EP. Oceanvs Orientalis also paired with saxophonist Ilhan Ersahin on the tracks “Pire” and “Mesta.” Their partnership continued with “Revenge of the Wankers” in 2022 and “1980” in 2023. Another collaboration, the EP Atomic Alchemy, was recorded with Qualista. Later that year the single “Il Lupo,” featuring Tooker, came out on the tech-house imprint Crosstown Rebels. Portrait of the Obscure, Oceanvs Orientalis’s most club-focused release to date, followed on the same label in 2024.
Before launching Oceanvs Orientalis in 2011, Safak Ozkutle had worked as a creative director. He began performing at Istanbul parties alongside international techno figures such as Marcel Dettmann and Margaret Dygas. By 2015 he had moved from DJ sets to live shows, appearing in Greece, Germany, Brazil, and Cambodia. Berlin’s The Magic Movement issued his debut EP Khronos, and he self-released the full-length Untold/Unknown digitally. In 2016 he delivered the EPs Indoor Voyager and the cumbia-inflected Expediciones, the latter a collaboration with Matanza. Kanto Records, functioning as both label and art collective, debuted in 2017 with the Oceanvs Orientalis EP General Tales of Ordinary Madness, which featured singer/songwriter Idil Mese. The glitchy house EP Dance of Swords arrived the next year. Ex Nihilo, a narrative full-length recounting the universe’s creation, emerged in 2020; several singles and the EP Gran Tribulación completed that year’s output.
The 2021 live recording Akustikhane Across, made with Ismail Tuncbilek at All Saints Moda Church, appeared as an EP. Oceanvs Orientalis also paired with saxophonist Ilhan Ersahin on the tracks “Pire” and “Mesta.” Their partnership continued with “Revenge of the Wankers” in 2022 and “1980” in 2023. Another collaboration, the EP Atomic Alchemy, was recorded with Qualista. Later that year the single “Il Lupo,” featuring Tooker, came out on the tech-house imprint Crosstown Rebels. Portrait of the Obscure, Oceanvs Orientalis’s most club-focused release to date, followed on the same label in 2024.
Albums
