Whereas the first albums had more to do with retro futurism, in Anadolu Ejderi (Anatolian Dragons), past and present collide beguilingly as Gaye Su Akyol jumps on the Anatolian wagon, pushing it further with self named title track, setting high expectations via bold synth flash, fierce drum roll, punchy guitar lines and haunting refrain. At last Gaye Su Akyol has delivered a made-to-measure ...
The deeper I got into the Balkans the more I began to feel the magnetic pull of Istanbul. As of Novi Pazar, everything started to tilt towards the Bosphorus. The food, the music, the language, the mannerisms, all began to assume a Turkish touch. I realized that if ever I were to unwind the knotty issue of the Balkans in my ...
Istanbul is a world unto itself, with a population (between 15 and 20 million) that is larger than many countries. Just picture it: six times bigger than Berlin, about the equivalent of ex-Yugoslavia in population, with crass discrepancies between rich and poor, Asian and European, modern and traditional, religious and secular. If you live on the European side you have no idea what ...
Eyüp Sultan mosque (Eyüp Sultan Camii) is perhaps Istanbul’s holiest spot, outstripping even Hagia Sophia in sanctity. The standard bearer of the Prophet Muhammad, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, who took part in a failed siege of Constantinople in 674 – and after whom the mosque is named - is buried here. On top of the grave stands a nineteenth century mosque, an historical ...
For some years now Anatolian rock has established itself as the grooviest sound on World Beat dance-floors. Taking a tip from Turkish folk rockers from the 70s like Bariş Manco, Erkin Koray and Selda Bağcan, Dutch/Turkish psyche outfit Altın Gün have achieved immense resonance with their funky arrangements of Anatolian rock numbers. In his latest move, Balkan pop-star, Shantel, has teamed ...
I have to say that Kolektif Istanbul was one of the reasons I moved to Istanbul in 2011. A year or two before I packed up and left I caught a gig of theirs at Kreuzberg's Ballhaus Naunyn, which was supposed to wrap up the theater festival, Diyalog. The band rocked the house with their brand of “Turko-balkanic progressive wedding ...
You could say that all big cities are, by their very multifaceted natures, places of contrast. This holds true about New York, London, Berlin... The list goes on. And yet it appears to me that Istanbul is more than any other place, a city of paradoxes. It is at once, European and Asian, rich and poor, old and new, hot ...
Robert Rigney: So basically I would like to know about your beginnings. Also about living in Tarlabaşı in Istanbul, and differences between playing Roma and gadjo weddings. So the first question is how did you start? Cüneyt Sepetçi: Like many Roma musicians it came from my father. My grandfather also played clarinet. My great grandfather also played clarinet. The whole Cüneyt family, if they are instrumentalists, play clarinet. I have a lot ...
While it is true that young people in Turkey are getting clued in on their 70s Anadolu psyche heritage through international acts like Altin Gün (if the Westerners like it, then it must be good), one has the sense that Lalalar’s sound may be closer to the hearts of young western-leaning Istanbulus. “Lala,” Ali Güçlü Şimşek, explains, is “the wise man, the ...
Anadol claims to be influenced by traditional Turkish pop, “such as Anadolu rock and Arabesk music from this country where I grew up. There is a connection to Folk and also French pop or Flamenco, Middle Eastern melodies and orchestration, Greek adaptations, Kenny G. solos, American guitars.” Having said this, when it comes to her own improvisations, Anadol is miles apart from her professed affinities. Anadol ...
Islandman supplies slick multi-layered atmospheric down-tempo electronica with an ethno touch. Featuring musicians from all over the globe, the title of the album “Godless Ceremony” gives one pause for thought. A sense of “Ceremony” to be sure – is what is missing in most European and American music, and life in general. It is also in turn what a lot of ...
These songs stem from a perilous time in Turkish history when ethnic strife between Turks, Greeks and Armenians was beginning to make itself manifest. Oddly, perhaps, the precarious mood of the day doesn’t seem to infringe on these bubbling early seventies Istanbul meyhana (tavern) tunes. “All is well in old Stambul,” one might be seduced into thinking. At the center of this ...
Kolektif Istanbul haven’t changed all that much since their first album Krivoto, which came out nearing the peak of the Balkan hype in 2008. These 13 mostly infectious dance tunes are still keeping to the same Turko-Balkanic territory, though French sax player and totally Turkified band leader Richard Laniepce prefers the term “progressive wedding music” to describe what the band are all about. ...
Berlin is a swamp: literally, figuratively, and etymologically (Brlo - old Slavic for swamp). It will suck you down if you are not careful - and sometimes you just need to escape to save your soul. I have been plotting my escape for a while now, even without knowing it. Sometimes I think Belgrade would be a nice place to get ...