Alpay Göltekin was a film music composer born on April 2, 1972, and passed away on May 11, 2020. Among his most well-known works are the soundtracks for popular TV series such as Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Poyraz Karayel, Kuruluş Osman, and Kiralık Aşk.

As the son of a musician, Göltekin developed an interest in music at a young age, starting piano lessons at the age of six. He pursued a conservatory education and, at his family’s request, attended the Naval Academy. However, his true passion always remained music.

After many years of performing and working in the music industry, he met the renowned composer Melih Kibar in 2002, a meeting that became a turning point in his career. He worked as Kibar’s musical assistant for two years, contributing to albums such as Gülüm and Saat Sabahın Dokuzu, as well as performing vocals for various jingles.

In 2004, Göltekin parted ways with Melih Kibar to pursue freelance work. In 2006, he co-founded the “REC Music Production” company with composer Alp Yenier. Four years later, in 2010, he ended this partnership and began collaborating with his wife, Zeynep Asyalı.

Göltekin described his craft as “creating music for visuals” and took great pleasure in enhancing the emotions of a story—love, hatred, intrigue, and more—through music in films and TV series.

While composing the music for Diriliş: Ertuğrul, he utilized traditional instruments such as the dombra, cura, kopuz, bendir, and jembe to reflect the spirit of the historical period, blending them with symphonic arrangements. Göltekin believed that the music played a significant role in the show’s success.