Percussion virtuoso Burhan Öçal has made it his life mission to build bridges between different musical traditions. A native of Kırklareli, Western Turkiye, Öçal effortlessly plays Turkish folk music. Roma beats, jazz and Western classical music, as can be heard on his Groove Alla Turca, Oriental Ensemble, and the Trakya All-Stars projects and performances. The […]
The standout psychedelic event of the year returns in 2023. Chanteuse Djanan Turan leads The Flying Karpet collective and guests for the fourth annual musical homage to the late, great Barış Manço. The Istanbul-born star, who passed away in 1999, is one of the godfathers of Anatolian rock, forging a distinctive sound that continues to […]
Kaan Tangöze has been at the forefront of Turkish indie rock for the past two decades. The singer songwriter found fame as the lead singer of seminal rock band Duman, which he helped found in 1999. While the band continue to perform live, new material has not been forthcoming. Instead, Tangöze has been focussing on […]
Olcay Bayır digs deep into her Anatolian roots, combining powerful vocals in four languages with a tight 5-piece band that builds intense, uplifting grooves with Mediterranean and Mesopotamian vibes. Eschewing the retro Anatolian rock style that is experiencing a revival, Bayır goes for stunning contemporary arrangements that are jazzy but not jazz, folky but not […]
One of London’s premiere music venues, the Jazz Café, has acquired a fine reputation for staging a brilliant array of Turkish artists and events. In June they add another, as they pay homage to the masters of Turkish psychedelic rock in a new night called ‘Giants of Anatolia’. Curated and promoted by Turquazz Culture, this […]
After a three-year hiatus, Turkiye’s much-hyped Islandman returns to London in May to perform at the Jazz Café. The band, a three-piece electro-acoustic live outfit, provide a unique mix of mellow electronic dance beats with spacey live guitars, and hypnotic rhythms that are steeped in global grooves; expect everything from Turkish psychedelia to tribal drumming. […]
Gripin have confirmed the revised date for their “20thanniversary” London concert. Originally scheduled for 10 February 2021, but delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the concert at the Jazz Café is now set for Wednesday, 9 February 2022. All 2021 tickets remain valid. One of Turkey’s biggest alternative rock bands of the past two decades, […]
If you are a fan of Barış Manço, get ready for the third edition of the Psychedelic World of Barış Manço that pays homage to this iconic Turkish rock star. The brainchild of eclectic singer-songwriter Djanan Turan, this special night commemorates the anniversary of Barış Manço’s passing on 1 February 1999. Each year, Djanan and […]
One of London’s most iconic live music venues has launched a crowdfunding appeal to try and survive the coronavirus pandemic. The Jazz Cafe has been an important platform for a diverse range of artists, including those of Turkish origin. Like other venues up and down the country, it was forced to shut its doors in […]
UPDATE, 12 March 2020: This event has been postponed due to the Coronavirus Istanbul based musician/producer Tolga Böyük set the wheels in motion for Islandman, a fictional character composing musical stories about a non-existent place… On stage, Islandman is an electro-acoustic trio serving up a tasty mix of mellow electronica and dance beats with […]
