The Turkish community will be glamming up this weekend for a good cause. The British Turkish Women’s Association (ATWIB) turns 15 this year and to celebrate it is throwing its annual charity ball at the swanky Millennium Hotel in Mayfair this weekend. The evening will feature one of Turkish classical pop’s biggest singers – […]
Earlier this year, London-based Turkish rock & folk singer Canan Sağar followed up her debut release 13 with Kalbim. The eight-track album takes its cue from the tragic events occurring in Turkey. Canan will be performing a selection of her new songs at her UK album launch party in Beans and Barley, Harringay, this weekend. We […]
After an epic launch at The Library Club in March, Hura Nights returns to the lush Covent Garden venue this Friday. Created and curated by singer-songwriter Djanan Turan, this monthly party is perfect for those seeking to surf on an exotic wave of global beats – everything from disco to reggae, and trancey Anatolian […]
Deep within their unruly, freedom-loving psychedelic vibe, there is a particularness about BaBa ZuLa’s world that I love. Their front covers are always carefully considered and stunningly constructed. They are particular about their experimental sound, which never fits into any one genre but effortlessly brings together Western and Eastern beats. And the lyrics for […]
Children are the future of any nation and must therefore be cherished and nurtured. That was the view of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of modern Turkey who founded Children’s Day back in 1927. It grew out of National Sovereignty Day, established on 23 April 1923, which commemorated the country’s move from Sultanate rule […]
Eastern Mediterranean University’s annual Rock ‘n’ EMU festival has pulled in some major headliners since its inception, but none as big as the band that performed last night. Led by globally renowned Sir Bob Geldof, veteran Irish punk rockers The Boomtown Rats took to the stage in a packed stadium in Mağusa/Famagusta, eastern Cyprus, […]
At once a saxophone player, composer, music producer, club owner, jazz festival curator, and proprietor of his own record label. İlhan Erşahin wears many hats, but ultimately it’s the music that best defines him. Growing up in Stockholm to a Swedish mother and Turkish father, Erşahin’s musical ear was immersed in the coolest of sounds: […]
It’s the last few days to catch the Design Museum’s fascinating ‘Fear and Love – Reactions to a Complex World’ exhibition, which closes this Sunday evening. The exhibition contains eleven installations by some of the most innovative and thought-provoking designers and architects of our time, among them fashion designer Hussein Chalayan, architects OMA and […]
Everyone’s invited to a special party on Friday night in North London where there will be talent galore and oodles of positive energy to kick-off the weekend. Three live acts and DJs line-up alongside singer-songwriter Olcay Bayır as part of her fundraising efforts for her new album Rüya/Dream. Hailing from Turkey, Olcay Bayır is now […]
A new musical stage adaptation of Bliss or Mutluluk, a novel of the same name originally written by the politician, singer and artist Zülfü Livaneli, played at the Arcola Theatre in Dalston, East London last week. A joint production with Istanbul’s experimental theatre Talimhane, this was an outstanding, emotive and powerful performance. This UK run […]
