Günce Aci: A New Chapter

On The Substance EP, Günce Aci taps into a rawer strain of rave-driven club music, blending acid lines, hard house energy and tense, cinematic textures. The EP signals a clear shift in momentum, reflecting both the current climate of the dancefloor and a deeper, more personal layer running through the artist’s work. We caught up with her to talk about the inspiration behind the release, navigating nostalgia, and how personal and cultural influences continue to shape their music.

‘The Substance’ EP marks a noticeably rawer, rave and hard house-leaning direction in your sound. What prompted this shift, and what does this release represent for you at this point in your journey?
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With the industry's ever-evolving genres, it’s been hard not to be influenced by these new sounds. This first began shifting my DJ sets, and eventually, it shaped my own sound and productions as well. My current sound is basically a blend of my signature style and storytelling with all the latest influences I’ve been into from music, cinema to the people I’ve encountered.

The title track weaves acid bass, rave stabs and spoken-word fragments into a very tense, hypnotic framework. What ideas or emotions were you exploring when shaping this piece?
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I watched the movie The Substance and it really moved me because it captures the harsh reality of how women are treated in the industry, especially the constant pressure of patriarchal beauty standards and the ageism we face that men simply don't have to deal with. And those feelings resonated with the track I created.

Your productions often balance physical impact with atmosphere. How do you approach building tension without sacrificing groove or dancefloor momentum?
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I try not to treat atmosphere and groove as two separate things. To me, they have to breathe together. I approach tension by layering evolving sounds over. It’s like keeping a constant pulse while the world around it changes and the physical impact comes from the consistency of the bassline, while the atmosphere does the emotional heavy lifting.

‘Too Loud To Think’ clearly nods to 90s rave aesthetics while still sounding contemporary. How do you navigate referencing the past without falling into nostalgia?
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Yes this was the main idea, the goal was to give these tracks a modern shape. I used my Digitone and Juno VST to layer the melodic parts, making sure those new sounds worked perfectly alongside more classic, old-school grooves and basslines.

‘Last Dance’ feels emotive yet restrained, almost reflective despite its anthemic energy. Was this track conceived as a narrative closer to the EP?
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Definitely. I really wanted 'Last Dance' to feel like that final chapter where everything just clicks together. Even though it has a driving energy, I wanted to keep a sense of weight. It’s a farewell, but it leaves this vibrating tension that leaves the story open for what’s coming next.

You’ve released music on a diverse range of labels, from Ombra INTL to Darkroom Dubs. How do different label contexts influence (or not influence) your creative process?
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Lately, the lines between labels like these have blurred, as they’re often exploring similar genres. So I prefer to stay focused on my own creative path.

As a key figure within Istanbul’s electronic music scene, how does the city shape your sound, and how do you see its influence translating internationally?
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Turkey has an incredible musical depth. I’ve been shaped by everything from our local post-punk and darkwave scenes to psychedelic Anatolian rock, and those motifs just naturally leak into my melodies. I believe that’s what stands out globally — since so much music sounds the same today, people are drawn to something real that actually tells a different story.

Looking ahead, does ‘The Substance’ signal a longer-term direction for your work, or do you see it as a specific snapshot of where you are right now?
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I’m definitely planning on releasing more in this direction, but I don’t see myself sticking to just one specific genre or sound forever. 'The Substance' is a strong signal of where I am, but I’ll always leave the door open for different experiments.

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Keep up with Günce Aci here and the Midi Trip Records here.

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