The best of Turkish psychedelia, from Selda to Derya Yıldırım
Blending experimental rock, funk and electronica with traditional instrumentation and Anatolian folk melodies, this genre has been pushing boundaries for more than half a century
–
In the mid-1960s, the sound of Turkey was changing. As Beatlemania dominated global airwaves and Jimi Hendrix’s guitar warped the conventions of rock, young Turkish artists were busy transforming their own traditions for a new era.
Guitarist and singer Erkin Koray electrified the saz — a lute-like central Asian instrument — and placed it front and centre in Arabesque rock compositions, while groups such as Moğollar and Kardaşlar began to release electric guitar-driven music anchored in 19th-century folk melodies. Usually classified as Anatolian rock or Turkish psychedelia, the movement grew throughout the 1970s, often drawing upon contemporary left-wing political themes.
Escalating political violence in the late 1970s and a military coup in 1980 sent many of the nation’s most prominent performers into exile. Yet, by the turn of the millennium, Turkish psych began to be rediscovered by a new generation of fans.
From archive compilations and re-releases to new artists such as Gaye Su Akyol and Altin Gün, the genre is a treasure trove of inventive music. As the acclaimed German-Turkish band Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek prepare for a European tour in support of their forthcoming third album Yarin Yoksa, here are seven key releases, past and present, to get you started.
Moğollar – 1968-2000
Founded in 1967, Moğollar were responsible for some of the earliest explorations of Turkish psychedelia. Led by keyboard player Murat Ses, the five-piece group combined sitar-like saz melodies with a journeying, acid rock feel. The band were nicknamed the “Turkish Pink Floyd” thanks to a run of cult singles, including the thundering Düm-Tek and anthemic, synth-driven Dinleyiverin Gari. More than just a greatest hits compilation, 1968-2000 is an essential introduction to a wide-ranging back catalogue, covering early Beatles-influenced numbers such as Dağ Ve Çocuk (1970) and guitar-fuelled instrumentals including Dörde Özlem (1994). With several original members in place, the band is still touring and recording.
Various Artists – Love, Peace & Poetry: Turkish Psychedelic Music
The Love, Peace & Poetry series of compilations, released by the Bonn-based Normal Records, began in 1998 with the aim of promoting lesser-known obscuro rock from around the world. With volumes covering everything from US garage rock to Japanese experimental groups, in 2005 its ninth instalment reissued a stack of gems from the early Turkish psych scene. Among the highlights are Moğollar’s lyrical, Doors-influenced 1971 track Haliçte Günes in Batışı, folk singer Alpay’s yearning Kirpiklerin Ok Ok Eyle (1967), Edip Akbayram’s fiercely uptempo vocal performance on Yakar Incedeni Inceden (1973) and the earth-shaking, tempo-shifting rhythms of Hardal’s Bir Yağmur Masali (1980).
Selda – Selda
Highly sought-after and currently out of print, the 1976 self-titled debut album by singer Selda Bagçan is a rare gem from the heyday of Turkish psychedelia. Initially rooting her sound in protest music and spending much of the early 70s performing Anatolian folk songs accompanied only by an acoustic guitar or saz, she amplifies those radical sensibilities on this LP with a powerful backing band. Tracks such as Gitme and Yaz Gazeteci Yaz are experimental, spaced-out funk, while Mehmet Emmi and Ince Ince combine driving grooves with hypnotic electrified saz motifs. Bagçan’s voice soars throughout, launching a formidable career that continues to this day.
Baba Zula – XX
Founded in 1996 by Levent Akman and Murat Ertel, Istanbul-based Baba Zula have spent the past three decades at the forefront of the new Turkish psychedelic scene. The quartet’s distinctive sound blends folk melodies with woozy electronics and dancefloor-focused darbuka rhythms. Comprising 28 career-spanning tracks, this 2017 compilation provides a perfect introduction to the group’s unpredictable oeuvre, from the saz dub of Gerekli Şeyler to the breakbeat-influenced Seksek. If you want something a little more up to date, İstanbul Sokakları (2024) showcases the band’s continuing curiosity, exploring rumbling bass and moody synth atmospherics.
Gaye Su Akyol – Anadolu Ejderi
If Turkish psych has a modern-day diva, it’s singer Gaye Su Akyol, who started her career as a painter and visual artist. The soul-drenched vocals and cinematic compositions of her 2014 debut LP Develerle Yaşıyorum propelled Akyol into the upper reaches of the Istanbul music scene. She gained a dedicated following with her theatrical live shows and Akyol’s latest, fourth album, 2022’s Anadolu Ejderi, offers the fullest imagining of her genre-crossing sound. Employing mighty vocals over an uptempo backing of saz, oud and electric guitar, the swelling melodies of Vurgunum Ama Acelesi Yok are breathtaking, while Sen Benim Mağaramsın channels the White Stripes with a shuddering insistence.
Altın Gün – On
With members from the Netherlands and Indonesia, Altın Gün embody both the breadth of the Turkish diaspora and the global expansion of the Anatolian rock sound. The band was formed in 2016, after Dutch bassist Jasper Verhulst placed an ad looking for musicians to explore his love of Turkish psychedelia. Since then, they have released five albums that blend Turkish folk songs with heavy funk and synthpop. While the group picked up a 2019 Grammy nomination for their second album Gece, it’s On, their debut from the previous year, that packs the most emphatic punch, putting a unique spin on a range of covers of Turkish pop classics.
Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek – Yarin Yoksa
German-Turkish singer Derya Yıldırım’s interpretation of the genre is a languorous one, revelling in hazy guitar reverb and longingly echoing melodies. Yıldırım and the Hamburg-based Grup Şimşek — with drummer Helen Wells, keyboardist Axel Oliveres and bassist Antonin Le Gargasson — have released two soulful downtempo albums including 2019’s debut Kar Yağar and 2022’s Dost 2. Their forthcoming third LP, Yarin Yoksa, released on 14 March, is the most luscious yet, spanning meandering folk melodies on tracks such as Misket and the hand-clapped rhythms of the old Anatolian standard Hop Bico. Original compositions such as Cool Hand, meanwhile, slip into an easy, breezy funk. A detailed and enveloping treat.
Topics
Get the Hyphen weekly
Subscribe to Hyphen’s weekly round-up for insightful reportage, commentary and the latest arts and lifestyle coverage, from across the UK and Europe
This form may not be visible due to adblockers, or JavaScript not being enabled.