Arif Susam

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Arif Susam
Birth name	Arif Susam
Born	1956, Elazığ, Turkey
Genre(s)	Synthpop, New Wave
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer
Instrument(s)	Keyboards, synthesizer, percussion
Years active	1978 - present

Arif Susam (born 1956, Elazığ, Turkey) is a new wave/synthpop artist. His style combines traditional Turkish tunes with synthesized instruments. He was very popular in the 80s with fellow artists like Nejat Alp, Ümit Besen, Cengiz Kurtoğlu and Atilla Kaya.

[edit] Career

His statement "Pain and suffering in various tempos" describes the career of Arif Susam spanning over more than 25 years.

He started playing keyboards and singing in local clubs and restaurants. At the same period he recorded a demo and sent it to Şahin Plakçılık record label which turned up an eight figure record deal.

In 1982 he began performing live every night at Köşem Restaurant in Tarabya, İstanbul. The Köşem Restaurant sessions went on for 14 years without a break. Susam is known for being the only artist to go platinum in Turkey, as his double live 1984 album Tavernada Yıldönümü sold over 1.200.000 copies.

His live tavern performances usually took place in the Bosphorus shore district of Tarabya. Not being as much popular as he was in the 1980s, he still performs live with his Korg i3 keyboard at a restaurant in Yenikapı district.

[edit] Personal life

In 1980, Arif Susam got married and had two sons. He is known for being a fanatic supporter of Galatasaray S.K. and makes a cameo appearance in the championship album Şampiyonluk Gecemiz. He is also a very close friend to Cengiz Kurtoğlu since 1980.

[edit] Quotes

His most famous quote is "Mutlu bir gecenin başlangıcında, tüm çiftleri dansa davet ediyorum." which literally means "In the beginning of a happy night, I invite all couples to dance."