Anyone who knows anything about electronic music knows Mechatok, aka Emir Timur Tokdemir. He made a name for himself by touring worldwide and releasing a series of albums and collaborations with some of the most forward-thinking artists of the last decade, from Drain Gang (Bladee, Ecco2k, Whitearmor, Thaiboy Digital) to Charli XCX and Lorenzo Senni. These often subtly performed works were widely disseminated in the underground and adjacent mainstream scenes, quietly shaping the direction of experimental pop and club music and leaving a lasting mark far beyond their origins.
Tokdemir's childhood was shaped by music. He began playing the guitar at the age of six and considered becoming a professional classical guitarist. This career changed when his father brought home an Apple computer with GarageBand. Fascinated by the creative possibilities, he began producing music at the age of 14 and published his first tracks on SoundCloud - the birth of Mechatok.
It was at this time that Tokdemir began to visit clubs regularly and soon after he set his sights on Berlin. He immersed himself in the city's avant-garde electronic scene of the 2010s, connecting with collectives and labels such as PAN, Janus and Staycore (which he later joined). His involvement in this ecosystem quickly deepened, leading to collaborations with Oklou, Toxe (with whom he formed the duo Emiranda), Ecco2k and Bladee - eventually culminating in their 2020 album Good Luck.
his involvement in this ecosystem quickly deepened, leading to collaborations with Oklou, Toxe (with whom he formed the duo Emiranda), Ecco2k and Bladee - culminating in their 2020 album Good Luck.
These relationships led to the creation of his Natural Mind club series in 2022 - a space for cross-fertilization within his creative community. Since then, the series has hosted artists such as Evian Christ, Mica Levi, Elysia Crampton, Babyxsosa, Vegyn and Florence Sinclair. Mechatok has also been involved in more experimental projects, including Kim Laughton's video game Defective Holiday, whose soundtrack, released by Yegorka, was given a second life as an ambient album. His compositions can also be heard in the video game HORIZON, in exhibitions at the Guggenheim Museum and in sound installations at institutions such as the Haus der Kunst (Munich), the MACRO Museum (Rome) and the Oude Kerk (Amsterdam).
After years of refining his sound in the studio, Tokdemir now presents his kaleidoscopic debut solo album Wide Awake. The album is the result of a very personal journey that establishes Mechatok not only as an outstanding collaborator, but also as an undeniable solo artist who fully realizes his vision.
Everything on "Wide Awake" is tied together by a playful yet deeply intuitive sonic palette and a series of haiku-like lyrical core themes. The album raises questions about the possibility of authenticity and the status of self-expression in the context of algorithmic flattening. Is it possible to exist online without turning yourself into a character? Can your character self and your "real" self coexist peacefully? If modern software tools make it easy to emulate any sound you want, how can you individualize yourself as an artist? Mechatok refuses to propose utopian solutions, opting instead to live with strange ambiguities and utilize their generative potential.
Having built a community of collaborators over time, contributing with productions and guest features and connected through shared sensibilities, Wide Awake now finds this network coming together in a new, impressive context. While the album boasts an impressive line-up - Bladee, Ecco2k, Isabella Lovestory, Tohji - and a host of other notable vocal samples hidden within the sounds, it is by no means a feature-heavy album. Each contribution has been deliberately chosen and crafted, covering a wide range of emotions and styles, all filtered through Tokdemir's precise vision.