It may seem that way at first. However, these new and sometimes quite different approaches were already preceded in mid-1990s by bands such as Replikas or Zen and their successor, the still highly active outfit Baba Zula. The new interpretations and reissues are also accompanied by a series of compilations which, like "Saz Power" and "The New Generation Of Turkish Psychedelic Volume I," cast a spotlight on contemporary approaches, while "Songs Of Gastarbeiter Vol. 1" documented the history of Anatolian music in the old FRG, re-presenting old music as much as highlighting historical continuities. The latter of these compilations puts a focus on an important and mostly overlooked turn in the history of Anadolu Pop, which in Turkey reached its nadir in the eighties and early nineties and was barely kept alive by big stars like Barış Manço and Ersen, but thrived in West Germany. Anadolu Pop lived on elsewhere. Also Yıldırım is certain: if the new interest for Anatolian music constitutes hype, then it's one that has actually never faded away. "Just because some hipster from Neukölln is now listening to Altın Gün doesn't mean it's becoming fashionable now. It's always been there," says the Hamburg-born artist.
Kristoffer Cornils
Berlin
Reportage spécial
A Journey Into Turkish Music - Anadolu Pop (HHV.de Mag) / English
Altın Gün, Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek or Gaye Su Akyol are usually mentioned in the same breath, even though the stylistic overlap between these bands and musicians is considerably small. This can be explained by their references to Anatolian folk music or the sound of the so-called Anadolu Pop, which formed in Turkey in the 1960s. Bağlama sounds, odd time signatures and Turkish lyrics in the tradition of the Aşıks, traveling folk singers, were fused with rock music and psychedelic echoes by groups and singers such as Selda, Barış Manço, Erkin Koray, Ersen or Moğollar to create a new sound aesthetic. While nowadays heaps of seminal records are being reissued, producers from Barış K to Grup Ses pick up on it as well and revive it in a dance or hip-hop context. Does that mean that we are facing a full-on revival?