Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek are a firm favourite on the indie music circuit with their infectious Anatolian psych-pop groove that’s heavily influenced by the likes of Selda Bağcan, Aşık Mahzuni Şerif, and Barış Manço. Music anthropologist, DJ and friend Sebastian “Booty” Carrell (B-music) introduced lead singer and bağlama player Derya Yıldırım to Graham Mushnik […]
Critically acclaimed Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek return to Britain later this year for two concerts, giving more fans and music lovers the chance to sample their fabulous sound. Founded in 2014 and with three albums and one EP under their belt, this modern super-quartet has been electrifying audiences all over Europe with their Turkish […]
This year marks thirty years since Mahsun Kırmızıgül’s acclaimed album Alem Buysa Kral Sensin [‘If This is the World, You Are the King’] dropped, shaking up Turkiye’s music scene with its catchy fusion of Turkish Fantezi, Arabesque and Folk songs that propelled Kırmızıgül to the top of the charts. Kırmızıgül’s music epitomises the sounds of […]
Selda Bağcan is widely regarded as the ‘Queen of Turkish Psychedelic Rock’. The singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music producer and activist has been a recording music since the early 1970s, and is best known for hits such as İnce Bir Kar Yağar (It’s Raining Fine Fine Snow) and Yaz Gazeteci Yaz (Write Journalist Write). Her blend of […]
Having sold out their last show at The Jazz Cafe with months to spare, Derya Yıldırım and her band return for two more gigs, including their biggest UK show yet, at the Islington Assembly Hall. This critically acclaimed modern super-quintet and their electrified and highly danceable Turkish psych sound follow up their debut album release […]
Renowned Turkish musician Coşkun Karademir will weave a rich and mystical Anatolian soundscape for those attending Monday night’s central London concert. “Türküleri anladım hangi dilde söylenirse söylensin” (I understand Turkish Folk Music in any language it is sung) Nazim Hikmet Ran, Türküler Performing Turkish folk music on his kopuz (a Turkic fretless stringed instrument), Karademir […]
Next month, Camden comes alive with the highly danceable sounds of Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek: a perfect blend of Anatolian folk, psychedelia, electro funk and progressive rock. The band return to London for a performance at the Jazz Café on 20 November, serving up fresh-yet-familiar sounds that are inspired by the likes of Selda […]
In almost every speech, Gaye strongly asserts she’s fighting the “Geography is destiny” saying, aphorised by Ibn-i Haldun in the 14th Century. Is this a pertinent remark for Turkey and Turkish artists? In a way it is. Turkey has had many economic, social and geopolitical issues over the years. With its central location as a passage […]
Olcay Bayır was named by the Guardian as “an impressive newcomer to London’s vibrant global music scene” for her first release in 2014. At the end of this month, she drops her long-awaited follow-up Rüya – Dream for Anatolia, produced by award-winning jazz outfit Kefaya. Members of this global collective of master musicians will line-up […]
This weekend, sensational singer / songwriter Olcay Bayır will be live in East London, delivering melodies inspired by her Anatolian roots and the cosmopolitan rhythms of her new home city London. The classically trained soprano from Turkey has become a firm favourite in Britain’s world music circuit, her contemporary sound a dynamic fusion of […]
