If you’re after a hybrid mix of psychedelic rock, funk, and electronic, wrapped in a heavy Anatolian twang, look no further than Lalalar. This trio of multi-media musicians-cum-producers aim to bury the borders between the Middle East and the rest of the world without “harming any species” as th...
Gaye Su Akyol’s critically acclaimed first international album Hologram Ĭmparatorluğu (Glitterbeat, 2016) established her as one of Turkey’s most compelling new voices, her music effortlessly straddling diverse genres such as rock, folk and Turkish classical music. She spent the next few years to...
A musical virtuoso from Turkey is one of three rising stars performing at a classical music concert in London later this month. Award-winning Salih Can Gevrek will take to the stage at St James’s Church on Wednesday, 27 November, as part of a special programme by music charity Talent Unlimited. A...
Superb live, expect a rhythmically powerful, soulful, rooted and contemporary live set. Olcay Bayir’s music is a natural marriage of her time-honoured Anatolian heritage and the vibrant, eclectic sounds of London. Classically-trained in the UK as a soprano, collaborations with musicians from all aro...
Anatolia is the home of some of the world’s oldest civilisations and a land of heartfelt musical expression. Its current inhabitants draw on the languages, drawings, and culture of multiple tribes that have settled there. Two virtuosos, tanbur master Özer Özel and bağlama master Coşkun Karademir,...
There’s already a huge buzz among London’s Turkish community about pop star İlyas Yalçıntaş, as he prepares to make his debut appearance in the capital on Sunday 13 October. The singer-songwriter from Erzincan amassed a huge fanbase after appearing on a national television talent contest in 2014....
Oriental dub legends BaBa ZuLa’s extraordinary live performances are a legend unto themselves. By mixing traditional instruments such as the darbuka, electric saz, and spoons with electronics and dub, BaBa ZuLa create a unique sound. Known as the “Kings of Istanbul psychedelia”, their style of ‘rock...
A former X Factor Turkey [Star Işığı X Factor] finalist and favourite to win before the channel took the show off air, pop star İlyas Yalçıntaş’s electrifying performances on national television and song writing ability proved his star quality. His debut single, İncir, which he had penned and san...
Blessed with a heavenly voice, Olcay Bayır has been singing for as long as she can remember. She was born in Gaziantep to a Kurdish Alevi family steeped in the âşık (wandering minstrels) tradition, and her career as a classically-trained singer-songwriter is a perfect marriage of her roots and globa...
On their debut album ‘On’ (Bongo Joe Records), Altın Gün showed what happens when you open doors between Turkish folk songs on the one hand and a dirty blend of funk rhythms, wah-wah guitars and analogue organs on the other. The Amsterdammers who come from various backgrounds (Turkish, but also I...
