Dirk Vermeiren

Washed ashore on a deserted island is my first guest castaway, Dirk Vermeiren.

A Belgian resident of Istanbul, Dirk co-hosts the Soul Sendekasi Radio Show with Ansell Mullins who hails from the USA. "A weekly one hour message articulated with a soul scream, written in a funky pen, punctuated with gospel exclamations and signed by the Rhythm and Blues. The language of the Manifesto may be Turkish but the groove is international."

With just five records to keep him company, here are Dirk's selections.

Harry Belafonte - Abraham, Martin and John

"Whenever an artist reaches the status Harry Belafonte reached during his lifetime - successful in music and movies, even becoming a goodwill ambassador for the UN, and on top that being called 'the Most Handsome Man Ever' by my mom - he sort of loses credibility in the eyes of a lot of people. But his voice remains unique, and Belafonte's interpretation of this song made famous by Marvin Gaye is  unmatched."

The Staple Singers - Freedom Highway

"This a live recording, including my favorite musical family (next to the Von Trapp family obviously). The interaction with the crowd is so intense I'm sure I will never have the feeling being on my own, stuck on the island."

The Soul Children - The Sweeter He Is

"Isaac Hayes wrote this track, but it is the Soul Children that live it through with an intensity that hits you in the stomach.  I'll always be grateful to my partner in Soul Sendikasi, Ansel, to introduce me to this recording. It just keeps getting better all the time. So does the Soul Sendikasi, which I intend to keep working on even when I'm stuck on the island. I'll throw a bottle in the sea with program details on a weekly basis."

Nolan Porter - Keep On Keepin' On

"Because all previous tracks were slow songs, and everybody is in need of some physical exercise once in a while, I'll pick dance tracks for places 2 and 1. Nolan Porter's 'Keep On Keepin' On' combines the power of R&B, the emotional power of the best soul recordings and on top of that is funky as hell."

The Sisters Love - Give Me Your Love

"Dance track, rich in all aspects. Sensual and groovy at the same time, a touch of psychedelics, jazzy flute, gospel style voices. When you come to think about it it's not clear it all the singer is addressing a love or saying a prayer. I like that ambiguity."

Soul Sendikasi is aired in Istanbul on Açik Radyo (94,9 FM), in Ankara on Radyo ODTÜ (103,1 FM), in Izmir on Radyo Dokuz Eylül (107,9 FM) in Eskişehir on Radyo A (101,7 FM) and via a podcast available on the Soul Sendikasi website... see LINKS