Masal

Event information

Weaving harp, theremin and electronics into beautiful aural journeys Masal are an English-Turkish instrumental duo whose music comprises stomping, jazzy breakbeats, with deliciously grimy and occasionally ethereal synths, sprinkled with harp melodies that fall like droplets from stalactites in an underground cave.

Özlem Simsek is a Turkish/English harpist, theremin player and vocalist whose middle eastern background is entwined with her western studies in classical music. Meanwhile, Alastair Johnson grew up in Hadleigh, Essex, relying on the library’s record collection for inspiration before he started making experimental electronic music as Alien and Weapon Eyes.

2024 saw the release of their acclaimed collaboration with Andy Bell, a new album, “The Galloping Cat”, which was mastered by Andy’s Ride bandmate Mark Gardener. The first single from the album, ‘Black Beads’, according to the duo’s Özlem Simsek, is a song all about “finding one’s purpose in life, battling with uncertainty, the unexpected turns and changes while searching for the things that make us happy or make us feel fulfilled”. 

The Galloping Cat saw this self-described pair of “neurodiverse nature lovers” collaborating on six meandering tracks of psychedelic grooves, electronic weirdness and motorik basslines, mostly wordlessly exploring themes of self-discovery, and is nothing short of stunning.

This gig, in a secret (entirely accessible) venue in central Oxford (details to be announced closer to the date), will be one of the first in their tour celebrating the launch of their new album due out in April 2025.

This performance is a fundraiser for Oxford Health Charity. The Oxford Health Charity (OHC) (charity number 1057285) sits alongside Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and aims to provide funds which enhance the experience of patients, carers, families and staff receiving support or working for the Trust. The charity funds activities, equipment, projects and patient-focussed support that is above and beyond the usual expenditure of the NHS budget. This could range from the provision of simple items to increase patient wellbeing; funding arts and creative sessions that improve the mental health of our patients and staff; the development of our green spaces and activities that improve the welfare and wellbeing of our staff. The Charity also contributes towards largescale projects to develop and enhance the environment around the Trust sites. Earlier in the day of this performance, Masal will also perform a private, relaxed performance for staff and patients at the Nuffield Hospital.