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 […]
One of Turkiye’s biggest stars of hip-hop and trap music, Ezhel will be performing for one night only in London at the start of 2024. The rapper, who made his name as one of the faces of Turkiye’s counter-culture, using his fresh lyrical style to reflect Anatolian city life, will hit London on the back […]
One of Turkiye’s biggest indie rock stars, Emre Aydın, will be back in Britain in October for an exclusive date at London’s O2 Academy Islington. The singer-songwriter, whose accolades include winning ‘Europe’s Favourite Act’ at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008, has penned a host of hit songs, including Bu Yağmurlar, Son Defa, Sensiz İstanbul’a […]
One of Turkiye’s biggest rappers, Uzi, will be performing an exclusive London concert at Indigo2 this autumn. Utku Cihan Yalçınkaya, better known by his stage name Uzi, has been making waves since releasing his debut album Kan [Blood] in 2021, which spawned hits “Krvn” and “Umrumda Değil”. Kan was listed in Spotify Turkiye’s Top 10 […]
Ersin Tatar, the President of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC), was among the thousands of people to enjoy this year’s Turkish Cypriot Cultural Festival on Donkey Lane, North London. After an absence of four years due to the pandemic, this family-friendly one-day festival organised by the Council of Turkish Cypriot Associations UK (CTCA) […]
Digital content creator and dancer Berk Çiçekgil is used to sharing elements of his life on social media, but when he uploaded a clip of himself and friends performing at his wedding last month, he quickly became a global internet sensation. Istanbul-born Çiçekgil, 22, married fellow professional dancer Pelin Yar in Turkiye. The couple, who […]
Now in its 34th year, the Day-Mer Culture & Arts Festival brings together a myriad of social, political and cultural flavours for its annual flagship event in North London that celebrates and unites the UK’s growing Turkish and Kurdish communities. Istanbul born, Germany resident Turkish singer Zeynep Bakşi Karatağ headlines this year’s festival that takes […]
Festival fever is hotting up and it’s not just because of rising weather temperatures in London. After a four-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, The Mid Summer Ball is back with two big events on the same day. A total of 19 artists will be performing everything from Garage to House, Soul, Funk, Rap, […]
Singer-songwriter Djanan Turan shares the first two singles from her upcoming new album Love’s Company, Diamond In Black, sang in English, and Yangın [Fire] in Turkish. The two songs, while musically different, convey through their emotionally charged melodies and powerful, socially conscious lyrics the deep injustices of today’s world. Yangın, produced in Hackney’s award-winning Fossil […]
Anatolian fiddle / kamança player Melisa Yıldırım and Indian tabla player Swarupa Ananth created musical magic when they met in early 2022 during a OneBeat 9 residency in Florida and recorded a spontaneous and extraordinary album in one take, now released as Hues of Imagination. This month, the duo meet for the first time since […]
