Ulaş Özdemir, Dertli Divani, Fatih Yaşar, Erkan Oğur, Tolga Çandar, Nick Cave, Captain Beefheart, Mighty Boosh, Frank Zappa, Zoviet France, and a small rock I found on the beach in 1983.
Eliot Bates has been playing oud since 1992, and a professional performer, recording artist, and teacher since 1994. He has performed extensively in North America and Turkey, with the groups Farabi, Kinetik Trance, 3Spell, Zambra, Basquerole, and Nerelisin. He has also produced several albums of electroacoustic music based on instrumental performances, under the monikers of Kaderci, Mech, and Warrior Caste. Most recently, he has been active as a solo artist, captivating audiences with his adaptations of Anatolian folk songs on the oud.
Eliot plays ouds made by Ramazan Calay (2006), Yucel (1995), and Sehit (1977).