Bosphorific!! Turkish Star Ersen compiled on Finder Keepers!

If you are somebody on the lookout for new things to hear, Andy Votel's Finders Keepers label never fails to come through. Whether it be obscure movie soundtracks, or psychedelic folk or pop music from around the world, these guys do the work of digging through the music bins so we can be conveniently introduced to exciting sounds that most of us would never run across on our own.

Ersen Dinleten is a perfect example. A popular performer in his native Turkey, but probably not too well known in the U.S., maybe a handful of songs found on Turkish Psychedelic compilations, maybe some beats sampled by rappers/Djs. Though there is some great musicianship to be found on this album, funky beats, psychedelic breaks, this is for the most part a collection of pop songs. Most of the songs are under 4 minutes. Just as many Western psychedelic bands have been influenced by music from the Mid-East, there is Western rock influence to be found here, most notably in the fuzz guitar incorporated in some of the songs. But to a great degree I hear traditional Middle Eastern pop informed by rock music. Sometimes it is amazing how quickly cultural trends can spread. I did a post a while back on Dara Puspita an Indonesian rock group inspired by The Beatles. They were putting out music in the mid-Sixties! I guess I shouldn't be that surprised, judging by the number of punk bands that suddenly sprang up in the wake of the Sex Pistols.



Ersen is a bit of a crooner. I don't know why but in his delivery, he reminds me a little of Colin Blunstone of the Zombies. His voice does not resemble his in any way, but he has a certain style that reminds me of latter period Zombies. Actually some of the songs even have some of that "Time of the Season" vocal effects. There is a definite sad sensitivity to his vocals. Guzan Mubarek Olsun is a particularly soulful example here. One of the nice things is that the songs aren't samey sounding at all---there is a lot of diversity to be found in this collection. From funky organ, to acoustic jamming, to more harder rocking tunes, the music doesn't get boring. And the tunes are originals as far as I can tell.
No versions of "Get Back" or "Get Off of My Cloud" in Turkish here.



Ersen is definitely an entertaining album, ideal for people who get tired of repetition in their music.
Probably not a bad place to start for anybody interested in Turkish rock music. Once you hear this you will probably want to get your paws on more.

This Monkey's Gone To Anadolu--Mustafa Okzent Orkestrasi's Genclik Ile Elele--

Operators Are Standing By

This is an interesting 70's album from Turkey, reissued on the amazing collectors label Finders Keepers. If you are looking to hear exotic and eccentric music from all over the world, this is a great label to investigate. They have been reissuing a lot of things like rare psychedelic soundtracks and samplers of obscure music from places like Spain, Hungary and Wales. Check out the website and you'll probably find something to pique your curiosity.

The album I am featuring today is an instrumental album by the Mustafa Ozkent Orkestrasi. When I saw the monkey featured on the cover I knew I had to own this. My rule of thumb is usually if a monkey is on the cover, it's gotta be good. In this case it paid off; I wasn't as lucky with the Grandma's Boy Dvd. Actually the movie was a decent comedy, but when I saw the movie trailer with the kung fu chimpanzee I was pretty stoked. Unfortunately the movie turned out to be a bit of a letdown in the monkey department. Hopefully there will more chimp karate action in the directors cut of the film. But back to Finders Keepers.

There are liner notes, but there isn't a lot to say. The music is like a mix of Booker T and the MGs and a Blaxploitation movie soundtrack, with jazzy organ, clipped rhythm guitar, fuzzed out leads, and a lot of funk. The bass playing is phenomenal. Great breaks to sample for hip hop. It sounds great to me: if I close my eyes when I listen to this I imagine that a 70's detective show like Barretta will be on television when I open them. Definitely a good sound track for a road trip. Apparently prior to this reissue this album was a very rare item. But now it is easily available for you, thanks to the dogged determination of the Finders Keepers group.

For a lot of Americans, Turkish music is not well known. I am listening to some Turkish artists right now like Ersen, Selda, Baris Manco, Edip Bakaryan, Mogollar, Erkin Koray, Bunalim and Fikret Kizilok and I mostly like what I am hearing. There are also comps of 60's and 70's material like Have Narghile and Turkish Freakout. I also have the DVD Crossing The Bridge: The Sound Of Istanbul which is a nice introduction. I would not be surprised if Turkish rock becomes a lot more popular, just as Brazilian music did in the US a while back. While there are elements familiar to the ear, there is definitely a lot going on that is coming from their own cultural heritage. They definitely bring the funk plus a lot of traditional middle eastern song stylings. I can't say I really know very much about the current musical scene there right now. Duman seems like they might be a pretty good alternative band.

But if you like funky instrumental music, Genclik Ile Ellele may be just what you are looking for. For god's sake, there's a monkey on the cover!!!!