We are super-pleased to premiere this deadly slice of instantly catchy jazz-not-jazz from New York’s İlhan Erşahin's Istanbul Sessions. A longtime dynamic energy source in NYC and the founder of Club Nublu and Nublu Records, İlhan Erşahin and his band have taken the various districts of the cosmopolitan Turkish capital as inspiration for their forthcoming and sixth album, ‘Mahalle’. This particular single evokes the funky heart of Karaköy, one of the city’s oldest areas that has become a place where arty hipness and traditional stores live colourfully together. Read / Listen.
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2015-2025 Les Disques Bongo Joe: 10 Years of Sonic Explorations (Bongo Joe) - a review
The brilliant Geneva label Bongo Joe celebrate 10 years of releasing incredible music with a new compilation that really only scratches the surface of what they’ve achieved but includes some absolute beauties from their catalogue. Post-Franco Spanish industrial funk, Amazigh psyche, folky maloya, Turkish funk, contemporary post-punk, Malawian dancing joy or cinematic Indonesian grooves, there’s a wide world to explore on this record. Read / Listen.
Read MoreOzan Tekin 'Orange Jam' (Gülbaba Records) - SINGLE PREMIERE
PREMIERE! A poignant, spacey, minimalist piano piece pulled from Turkish composer and multi-instrumentalist Ozan Tekin’s new album on Gülbaba Records which will be released on 27th May. The sound of an immigrant’s journey back home, not really sure if the German home of his present or his home country truly belongs to him or him to them. Read / Listen here
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PHOTO CREDIT: Tatiana Gorilovsky
Aynur - Live at Barbican Centre (EFG London Jazz Festival 2021) - a review
Being invited to review this show by the great Kurdish-Turkish singer Aynur as part of the 2021 edition of the EFG London Jazz Festival turned out to be a gift for the ages as the great wood-panelled hall of the Barbican Centre became a triumphant celebration of Kurdish song and culture. Read our review of this spectacular event
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