BURN RESIDENCY ANNOUNCES 2017 WINNER; TURKEY’S FURKAN KURT BECOMES SEVENTH DJ TO TAKE THE CROWN

Rounding off its seventh year, BURN Residency ends its search for the best undiscovered DJ talent, crowning Turkish finalist Furkan Kurt the 2017 winner. After completing a number  of challenges and tasks, Furkan was selected from the final three DJs by a panel of mentors and industry leaders includingCarl Cox, Pete Tong and Luciano.

The Istanbul native, Furkan, displayed a passion for techno to tech-house and even some tropical sounds like “lambada”. A high-level crowd reader, the Turkish mix artist impressed judges with his dynamic track selections.

Mentor, Luciano explained how difficult the final decision was for him and the team, “We were blown away by the DJ talent this year and really impressed with their skills and their drive. It’s always so humbling to see artists at this stage, hungry to learn and so receptive to the experience we are able to pass on.”

Furkan will receive a €100,000 management contract providing a direct investment into his new career as an emerging signed DJ. He’s said of his seven month journey, “This has been the most amazing and challenging experience, it has taught me invaluable lessons that I will never forget and hold onto for the whole of my career. I have grown in my technique, my knowledge and experience as well as making connections with DJs that have been inspiring me for longer than I can remember, my fellow finalists  and my new BURN family.”

Over 10,000 applicants from 26 countries entered mixes as part of the initial application process this year and were whittled down to 16 finalists. The final 16 took part in two BURN Residency  bootcamps in the world’s dance music capital, Ibiza; attending lectures, technical master classes, participated in numerous production and performance challenges. During the summer each finalist had the chance to play out at four renowned international events, Kappa Futur Festival in Italy, Alfa Future People in Russia, Electric Castle in Romania and Big BURN Istanbul in Turkey. During the final bootcamp in Ibiza, the final trio of Furkan, France’s Dualitic, and Italy’s Lorenzo de Blanck were chosen to complete the final stage; a residency period in Ibiza, playing out at various esteemed venues across the island.

Previous BURN Residency winner, Lollino, signed to Ask My Management and has gone on to release a mix via Bedrock – John Digweed’s label, as well as become a regular at HYTE.