ABOUT ME

Aslı Vuslateri is a Turkish percussionist, vocalist, and oud player specializing in Latin American and Cuban rhythms, with a professional career spanning performance, education, recording, and collaborative music projects across Turkey and Europe.

Born on September 8, 1981, Aslı demonstrated musical talent at an early age. At the age of nine, her elementary school teachers recognized her abilities and encouraged her to begin formal music education with her first instrument, the keyboard. During her studies at Bursa Atatürk High School, she joined the school choir under the direction of Arife Koman, performing at respected venues such as Tayyare Kültür Merkezi and the Bursa Outdoor Performance Stage. In her final year of high school, she began private vocal training with Ms. Koman, marking the start of her long-term professional path in music.

Between 1995 and 1999, Aslı received formal training in Turkish music at the Bursa Municipal Conservatory, where she studied oud and kudüm (small double drums) under the institution’s artistic direction. Following the completion of her studies, she moved to Istanbul and continued her vocal education for two years with Cengizhan Sönmez, one of the distinguished radio singers of Turkish Radio and Television (TRT).

In 2000, Aslı was accepted into the Turkish Music and Popular Western Music departments at the Müjdat Gezen Performing Arts Center and Conservatory. She later chose to continue her education in Western music, studying guitar and oud while developing her vocal performance skills. During this period, she was strongly influenced by her rhythm instructor Utku Ünal, which led her to focus increasingly on drums and percussion instruments. She graduated in 2004 and subsequently worked for two years as an Assistant Instructor, training students in the Stage and Performance department.

In the same year, Aslı participated in workshops led by Okay Temiz, where she was introduced to African rhythms and learned to play the djembe. Between 2006 and 2008, she expanded her musical repertoire by studying Latin American and Cuban rhythms with Engin Gürkey, a faculty member in the Percussion Instruments Department of the Istanbul State Conservatory.

Following this period, she joined Turkey’s first all-women percussion ensemble, Zilli Perküsyon, founded and directed by Engin Gürkey. With the group, Aslı performed at major concerts and events and recorded with leading Turkish artists including Nilüfer, Erol Evgin, Nükhet Duru, Demet Sağıroğlu, Aşkın Nur Yengi, and Seyyal Taner for the album Zilli Perküsyon (Ossi Müzik). She also performed live percussion in a single scene of the feature film Vicdan (2008), directed by Erden Kıral and starring Nurgül Yeşilçay.

In 2012, Aslı began performing with the band Yolda, while continuing to develop her percussion work through collaborations with various groups and musicians. During the same year, she participated in workshops and interactive corporate projects and assisted Jozi Levi, an acclaimed performer of Brazilian music and percussion.

Between 2009 and 2017, she performed with numerous prominent Turkish musicians, including Buzuki Orhan Osman, Cihan Okan, Ozan Doğulu, Aydın Karabulut, Murat Çekem, Attila Özdemiroğlu, Garo Mafyan, Ege, Suat Suna, Sibel Alaş, Kaan Öztürk, Harun Kolçak, and Güvenç Dağüstün. From 2015 to 2017, she also performed extensively in Bodrum, appearing at various venues, hotels, and performance spaces as part of Son Production, collaborating with artists such as Salih Ata, Sinan Erkoç, Erdinç Erişmiş, Suat Suna, and Mine Çağlıyan.

In 2017, Aslı began giving percussion lessons at Gerçek Sanat Atölyesi (The Real Art Atelier), founded by Turkish stage actor Bilal Çatalçekiç. During the same period, she performed as a percussionist with the Taş Plak Symphony Orchestra, founded and conducted by Neyzen Özsarı.

At the end of 2018, Aslı relocated to the Netherlands, marking a new phase in her artistic direction. She collaborated with local bands such as Betty Blue and Caponata, and worked with artists including Selim Doğru, Ezgi Köroğlu, and Karsu.

Since 2021, she has been teaching percussion through Muziekonderwijs.nl, a Netherlands-based music education platform connecting professional teachers with students nationwide.

In 2023, Aslı performed as both vocalist and percussionist in Eric Van Donkersgoed’s projects Spanish Blues and Darkswell. In Rotterdam, she has appeared regularly at Matrix Rotterdam, performing with artists such as Merve Akyıldız and Erman Türkeli, as well as in various traditional Turkish folk music events.

In 2025, she attended DJ performance training at the Rotterdam Music Production Academy (MPA) and began integrating DJ sets into her individual live performances as a new hybrid concept. In the same year, she launched her own Drum Circle project, focusing on rhythm-based, community-oriented musical experiences. Also in 2025, she performed on oud with the Rotterdam Melodi Choir, founded by Mediha Aslan, under the direction of Caner Malkoç.

In 2026, Aslı met Simone Alyssa Sol, a musician working in the field of spiritual and healing music, and began collaborating as part of a collective with Simone and Yordi Rahmadi Latumahina.

Today, Aslı Vuslateri continues to perform, teach, and create across Europe—bringing together percussion, voice, oud, and DJ-based sound through live performances, workshops, drum circles, and collaborative projects rooted in rhythm, presence, and connection.