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Volkan Öktem is an independent artist living in Istanbul and working on various projects in many genres including live stage performances and studio recording sessions. He found the perfect environment to reflect his unique style, when he and several other musicians formed Laco Tayfa, which fuses traditional Turkish music with jazz, funk and reggae. They performed locally as well as globally at many concerts, such as New York and Istanbul.
In July 2004, he played with John Scofield in the 11th International Istanbul Jazz Festival. Furthermore, in January 2005 he played with Bendik Hofseth "Down to Earth'' project in Istanbul. He performed at the 12th International Istanbul Jazz Festival, with Muvaffak "Muffy" Falay, Elvan Araci and Dianne Reeves. He played with Okan Ersan & Istanbul Superband in the Leverkusen Jazz Festival two years in a row. He performed at the Yamaha All Stars Europe Concert in Frankfurt. He also played with Dee Dee Bridgewater in Azmir. He played in Aydin Esen Group in Paris and Ankara feat. Wolfgang Muthspiel in Vienna. Performed with some of great musicians, such as Gilad Atzmon and Andy Sheppard. He played with Guillaume Perret, Nils Petter Molvaer, Marius Neset, Erik Truffaz and Sig (aka Sigfried) between 2015-2018.
Currently, Volkan Öktem is touring with Tarkan in Turkey and Europe as well as touring with Sonic Boom and in independent projects, workshops and masterclass series. He performed on more than 200 albums. He still continues working on studio recordings in Turkey, as well as performing internationally for various projects.
