There are mysterious records. Records hiding and showing something at the same time. This is one of them. It is made from two records that were most probably released in the mid-1970s, most probably primarily by Turkish Roma. It brings together what Anadolu pop music lovers always dream of: Anatolian geleneksel (traditional folk tunes), disco and funk, jazz and hard rock, psychedelic sounds, hard-hitting drums, Arabesk percussion, and hip-hop friendly breaks. Put together in a careful, smooth production with a warm, relaxed and dance-friendly vibe. Here you get it: Roma-nized instrumental Turkish pop music in all its facets of the 1970s.
First official reissue of one of the most sampled Turkish records in 45 years, a psychedelic masterpiece from 1980. Recorded between Istanbul and Stockholm, it captures the era between Okay Temiz’s Don Cherry Trio touring and his own band Oriental Wind’s sensational debut. Mentioned distinctive elements have elevated the record to cult status among record collectors, sample enthusiasts, and diggers around the world. `Drummer of Two Worlds` is a star map of Okay Temiz’s musical worlds. Blending elements from the grand piano to his handmade drums, and from the amplified Berimbau to his cowbell array, weaving Turkish rhythms like 9/8 and 7/8 with the universality of 4/4, it presents a unique sound narrative that resonates with the dimensions of a well-traveled mind.
“Turkish Disco Folk – Volga Nehri” is a fantastic Turkish psychedelic disco folk track that sounds from the original 1970s. Funky sound with moog organ, bass guitar even fat synth bass riffs and double drum tunes. Carefully reworked from the master tape by Arşivplak, Olgay Neke and SIRS.
The Turkish-psych band Altın Gün return with a two-song summer remix single. The two tracks feature the remixing talents of Altın Gün band members Jasper Verhulst (bass) and Chris Bruining (percussion). Both Verhulst and Bruining are always searching for new ways of (re) creating music and these remixes were one way to discover new paths in the music they fashion as part of Altın Gün. Kalk Gidelim is a cumbia driven remix, inspired by the cumbia villera of Argentina, while Su Sızıyor is a digidub style remix with lots of King Tubby inspired reverbs and phasers.
A wide selection of Oriental Turkish funk music for listening and dancing. The tracks are ranging from traditional Turkish Folk to funky belly dance sound and from electrified bouzouki beats to exotic fuzzy riffs. Mostly traditional tracks are taken from the zourna & hanging drum playing style that is practiced in this kind of music and in fact it usually plays at the weddings. Here played with the western instruments including bass guitar, hammond organ and drum set.
This album is one of the best selling album in Turkey’s musical history. “Modern Oyun Havaları” which means “Modernised folk-dance Music” was first released in 1973 by Kent (Kent Ses ve Plak Endüstrisi). Esin Engin who was a singer, arranger and composer almost the youngest and one of the most outstanding musicians of Turkey. He was the first arranger who used both native and pop music instruments correctly without changing the characteristics of Turkish music’s rhythms and melodies. His albums were also the best-selling records among tourists from all over the world that came to see the priceless natural and historical treasures of Turkey. In this album, you’ll find a good selection of modernized hits of the most famous Turkish belly dance Wedding house melodies.
Contrarily to the rest of Tasos Stamou’s experimental discography, the musician’s latest album “Balkan Express” has a more obscure electro-folk approach. It consists of seven pieces, all recorded with seven different vintage electric keyboards from Stamou’s own collection, blended with oriental acoustic solos. Since Stamou grew up in the Balkans in the ‘80s, he wanted to pay homage to the essence of the sound of the era that unintentionally shaped a whole culture. It was when these inexpensive, available-to-all electronic keyboards with synth sounds and drum machines replaced traditional Balkan folk music ensembles. The acoustic instruments solos and melodies of the album were influenced by local traditions and the heritage of the Ottoman music. “Balkan Express” is meant to be a time capsule taking the listener to the folk-wave retro-Balkan subculture.
Arşivplak presents Anatolian Funk by Beynelmilân, an album with a very unique psychedelic sound influenced by Turkish psychedelic folk and has a cool funky feel at times with disco folk driven rhythms with electric saz riffs. The sound is characterized by traditional Turkish folk songs, great instrumentation and rhythm sections, beats with some tripped out keyboard actions, female and male harmony vocals.
Legendary Turkish psych innovators Moğollar grace the Artone Studios in Haarlem for a masterclass in the original Anadolu psych roots, cutting a compendium of their rawest hits and most-wanted psychedelic rock classics. Formed at the end of 1967 with five young musicians, Moğollar were the original Anadolu psych originators. They were the first Turkish pop band who tried to blend the microtonal folklore and traditional instruments of rural Anatolia with Western pop and rock; they were the first Turkish psychedelic band to achieve overseas recognition. More than fifty years after first forming, Moğollar materialised in the Artone Studios to give a masterclass in fuzzed-out folklore and Turkish psychedelic roots for Night Dreamer’s Direct-to-Disc series – a fitting follow-up to Night Dreamer’s BaBa ZuLa set, coming straight from the group who laid the foundations of the genre. For this Night Dreamer session, Moğollar spent two days in the Artone studios, recording sides A and B on the first day, and C and D on day two. With BaBa ZuLa’s Murat Ertel adding contemporary sonic punch behind the boards, the band revisited their most renowned hits to lay down energised new versions, and dusted off some of the most sought-after cuts from their enormous catalogue. The result is a showcase set by a band that are one of true pioneers in global psychedelic rock, and a masterclass in the true roots of the Anadolu psych sound: fuzzed-out, committed, and straight from the source.
Gülferiler is a Northern Cyprus Band that was based in London. It was founded by Süleyman Gülferi and his sons in early 1970’s. The band used to play traditional Turkish/Cyprus wedding folk songs at the Weddings. This is their only studio album.
Uzelli Kaset was established in 1971 by Muammer and Yavuz Uzelli in Frankfurt, Germany. Their music resonated not only with the longing that Gastarbeiter (guest workers) felt for the homelands and families they had left behind and the melancholy brought by their difficult living and working conditions in Germany, but also with the joy that welled up at village weddings on their days off, and the long car or train journeys home. Reaching the remotest corners of Germany as well as Turkey, Uzelli Kaset was soon more than just a music company; it became a companion to Turkish workers living far from home.
Örtmek comes back round, presenting another vinyl only pressing of three invaluable edits of vintage Turkish funk, rock and disco delicacies. Following the raw, percussive experiments of the first release. Opening track ‘Özil Dans’ rains down crashing cymbals and freak-out-worthy wah guitars, maintaining an irresistible and authentic groove that doesn’t falter for five minutes of Eurasian hypnosis. ‘Dokuz Sekiz’ weaves traditional string elements alongside bursts of wild chanting. Finally, ‘Mozart’in Davul’ stitches a frantic, dense rhythm from the fuzz and feedback of an unknown slab of Turkish psychedelia.
Three expansive edits of Turkish funk and psychedelia, each dubbed out through tape delays and spring reverbs, as well as carefully EQ-ed and mastered for an enhanced sonic experience. Side A kicks off with the low slung funk of ‘Ayçiçegi’, featuring an infectious bassline which weaves between subtle flashes of spring reverb, whispered vocals, each underpinned by pounding drums. Side B begins with ‘Biz Burdayiz’ , a relentless drum loop and singular vocal hit looped around and manipulated with tape delays, and the record closes with ‘Günesi Kesin’, a tense funk break which builds before reversing inside of itself.
The Official 30th anniversary vinyl reissue of Elektro-Dschungel – Kebab Und Andere Träume album from 1987. A divere blend of New Wave, Turkish Pop and Oriental-Rock, Funk & Soul, Hip-Hop but also Disco in a exotic way.
Matsuli Music is releasing another forgotten gem of the South African jazz diaspora – the 1976 Istanbul session featuring Johnny Dyani and Okay Temiz fusing deep roots and new routes, integrating folklore and rhythm within an experimental, avant-garde vision of love and life. Available for the first time since Yonca Records originally released only 1000 copies in Turkey, this album has remained an elusive and sought after landmark in South African exile Johnny Dyani’s discography. The recording captures a complex, funky and musically together exploration of folk themes, jazz messages and popular directions. After many years together discovering both South African and Turkish sources, Temiz and Dyani were intimately versed in each other’s traditions. Side one features material arranged by Temiz, and the second has material arranged and composed by Dyani – including a stunning arrangement of Don Cherry’s Elhamdulilhah Marimba with Dyani on piano and voice.
Musical Tasting is a series of events, a collaboration between Asociatia My Transylvania and The Hipodrome Of Music, aiming to promote countries, regions and their musical genres, combining auditions with traditional recipes from the area, cooked with as many local and seasonal ingredients. We will have musical and culinary trips in Turkey, Lebanon, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Belgium, Cuba, Israel Greece or Romania.
Brand new Anatolian Psych-Pop sensation. 4 heart-melting gems where Turkish Folk meets groove and electric action. Young singer/multi-instrumentist Derya Yıldırım teams up with fantastic drummer Greta Eacott (G-Bop Orchestra / One-Take records) and 3 quarters of Catapulte Records’ Orchestre du Montplaisant (Antonin Voyant, Graham Mushnik, Andrea Piro). With members originating from Turkey, Germany, France, Italy and Great Britain, Grup Şimşek (pronounce « Shimshek ») encapsulates the Outernational generation.
For the third set of Excursions, we’re letting off some tasty Turkish flavours. Darkhouse Family presents ‘An Ottoman Excursion’. Halal Cool J (aka Don Leisure of Darkhouse Family) has blessed us with four cheeky edits, crafted with care, and guaranteed to create dancefloor flames. For ‘An Ottoman Excursion’ we head straight in with the neck-snapping drums and epic riffs of ‘Visne Nektari’, before the synth-led ‘Derbent’s Groove’ breezes triumphantly into motion. For the flip, we nicely drop the pace a little to do the ‘Turkish Duck Walk’, before the humidity of the ‘Fernebache Heat’ raises up the tempo to close out the set. 4 chops. 8 minutes of Turkish Psych-Funk vibes.
The crown jewel of Koliphone Records, Grazia’s debut album is by far one of the most intriguing pieces of music to ever be recorded in Israel. Jaffa in the late sixties and early seventies had an exciting and exotic sound to offer, where folk musicians performed live at its taverns seven nights a week. It was far from the mainstream hit-parade of swinging Tel-Aviv but close enough geographically to attract listeners from across the Tel-Aviv-Jaffa metropolis.
Ambassador’s Reception label present the Romanian band Steaua de Mare, with their unique Smokey psychedelic sound. The whole concept of Steaua de Mare was founded on past sounds and the bygone entertainment rituals which existed before the 1989 revolution (that atmosphere extended well beyond and into the nineties). Steaua de Mare was a sixties seaside complex in one of the now fading Black Sea resorts Eforie Nord. As people relaxed in the sun and ate good food, traditional songs were played by restaurant bands which gave Steaua de Mare the idea to pay homage to this way of life by combining the sound of that era together with the new recording techniques of today. The band: Bogdan Stoian (violin, synths) Andrei Dinescu (percussion, drums, violin, synths) Ion Dumitrescu (bass, synths, drum-machines, drums) Horațiu Ș (synths, electric piano) Eugen Imecs (drums, percussion) came together after many years of jamming and decided to pool all resources together in two different studios around Bucharest. Their unique sound comes from many directions. They bring elements of Prog, dub, psychedelic rock, Turkish and contemporary gypsy music mainly from Romania and Bulgaria into the mix. If you then add that they are irreversibly contaminated in analogue and early digital sounds then maybe you have a passing image of this hybrid sound. Steaua de Mare add a unique twist on local standards with the help of Roland Juno 60, Yamaha CS-5, Elektronika EM-25, Junost-21, Poly 61 and their beloved Wurlitzer electric Piano. A wide range of influences from Can to Ork Universal, from psychedelic attitudes, kraut adventures to outer national delights like Bulgarian Chalga.
The Hipodrome Of Music 