https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_muaN1jNbeN3_bMYDghUpVC_LJQm_KmS40

Veteran Turkish heads who act as a link between Erkin Koray, Can and Mad Professor.” – MOJO

This legendary Istanbul band remains the most experimental exponent of the hotly-tipped contemporary Turkish psych-rock scene. BaBa ZuLa are revered sonic trailblazers who have built a cult following in all corners of the globe and have counted members of Einstürzende Neubauten, Can and Nick Cave the Bad Seeds as their fans.

Pulsing, hypnotic tracks powered by Turkish percussion, glitched electronics, deep bass, electric saz and dual male/female vocals. İstanbul Sokakları (Streets of Istanbul) is a vivid sonic and political statement from a band that continues to show us the future.

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“We are embracing the past, and Turkish tradition,” says BaBa ZuLa co-founder and saz player, Murat Ertel. “But it’s not enough. We are living in the 21st century and we have all the world.”

It could stand as the group’s mission statement. Since first coming together in Istanbul in 1996, BaBa ZuLa have specialised in transporting, psychedelic jams that incorporate electronic sounds, deep beats and supremely heavy dub vibrations, while sitting firmly within a distinctly Turkish sound. Percussion instruments such as the clopping darbuka drum and clattering kaşıklar spoons summon traditional folk-dance rhythms, while Ertel’s electrified saz conjures profound Anatolian moods with a modern, amplified twist.

It’s a modus operandi that has marked them out as true iconoclasts. “Lots of Turkish musicians are fundamentalists,” says co-founder and multi-instrumentalist Levent Akman. “They want it acoustic, and they hate Murat because he plays electric. We are trying to break these kinds of borders.”

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