Disney+ has lost tens of thousands of subscribers after cancelling its plans to air a television drama series about Atatürk. Turks worldwide have reacted furiously to the cancellation news, ostensibly due to American anti-Turkish lobbying, but was the reaction justified? Last year, Turks were thrilled to learn that Disney+ (Disney Plus) was planning to produce […]
The term ‘musical legend’ is overused, but in the case of Erkin Koray it is entirely justified. The free-spirited, guitar-playing singer-songwriter is one Turkiye’s most significant artists of the past 60 years; a pioneer of Anatolian and psychedelic rock, the composer of some of Turkiye’s most memorable hits and, together with Orhan Gencebay, the inventor […]
Musically impossible to pigeon-hole, Lalalar’s sound is a futuristic mash-up straddling punk rock, Anatolian psychedelic funk, and dirty electronic beats. Iggy Pop is a fan, describing them as “Turkey’s most innovative alternative artists”. The band’s name is adapted from the Ottoman word ‘Lālā’ (meaning “wise man”), used to describe the teacher of Sultans. It’s an […]
UAE-based American journalist Hafsa Lodi’s ‘Modesty: A Fashion Paradox’ has become the definitive read on this fast-growing global industry that marries faith with fashion. Published by Neem Tree Press in 2020, this 288-page book explores the big drivers behind the rise of modest fashion, its controversies and the main players involved. While some of the […]
This Friday, 27 January, East London venue EartH plays host to the brilliant Islandman, an electro-acoustic live trio behind some of Turkiye’s most exciting new dance music. The group have sold out shows with their combination of Turkish psychedelia and global beats, and they are forever originating. Cue virtuoso guest artists, percussionist Okay Temiz and […]
If you’re looking to discover and support Turkish creative talent outside of London, then head to theUrban Arts Studio in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, where works by painter and tapestry weaver Ayten Nightingale are currently on display as a group exhibition. From September, even more of Nightingale’s art works will be on show at the […]
The Lady of Heaven was the talk of the town last week when UK cinema chains Cineworld and Showcase ceased all screenings of the “blasphemous” film on the big screen. The British film claims to depict the origins of terrorism in Islam and its first victim, Lady Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. The […]
Nizami Ganjavi is one of Azerbaijan’s greatest poets and thinkers. Following a decree by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in Janury, 2021 was declared the “Year of Nizami Ganjavi”. The aim is to promote Nizami throughout the world and to further explore his legacy. It should be noted that although there […]
It was the end of 70s and early 80s, when punk became mainstream, and Franco-Turkish combo progressive rock band Asia Minor hit their stride, releasing two albums back to back. Suddenly the band was attracting the attention of all prog lovers and prominent musicians of the era, including Alan Parsons, who was recording an album […]
The cancellation of a concert by renowned DJ Kölsch at Saint Hilarion Castle in North Cyprus has left Turkish Cypriots feeling angry and frustrated. The Danish DJ was scheduled to play a 90-minute live set in the medieval castle atop the Girne / Kyrenia mountain range on Monday evening, 31 May. The concert was being […]
