The best releases of 2022 in Turkish music
Let me tell you upfront, it’s been a poor year for Turkey — not only in terms of economy but also for record shelves… Last year, we listened to many good albums by Turkish rock, jazz, and hip-hop artists. This year saw significantly fewer good records, yet some diamond-like pieces still exist.
In this list, you’ll find some of the best 2022 releases of Turkish music scene…
Töz Trio & Hezarfen Ensemble — TÖZ II (Jazz) [Album]
Töz Trio (Tamer Temel, Ercüment Orkut, Cem Aksel) is one of Turkey’s most ingenious jazz bands. It is definitely not surprising that something special emerged when they came together with the Hezarfen Ensemble, a gifted contemporary music ensemble.
A sequel to Töz’s 2018 self-titled album, TÖZ II is an album of very subtle, well-designed tracks. Hezarfen Ensemble adds a heavenly atmosphere to the album. However, what really arouses admiration is the Töz Trio’s flawless craftsmanship… It makes the audience’s soul float somewhere between Earth and Extraterrestrial.
Key Tracks: “Dört”, “Altı”, “Aerosol”
Şevket Akıncı — Meskûn Mahal (Jazz) [EP]
Although he is best known as the guitarist of the free-improvisation band Islak Köpek, Şevket Akıncı is a versatile musician. Akıncı walked to the borders of rock music with his 2020 album Radyo Ekoton. He then visited the lands of Enoesque ambient with the last year’s Dünyada Saat Kaç?.
As a matter of fact, Akıncı never limited his music to a single genre. He has always mixed genres together and managed to create a refined order out of this chaos. Meskûn Mahal is another example of this free-minded craftsmanship.
Key Tracks: “Jimenez”, “Embraceable You”, “Ara Bölge”
Deniz Tekin, Geeva Flava, Dilan Balkay— Mana (Jazz) [EP]
Some of the most talented names of the Turkish alternative music scene met in this EP: Deniz Tekin, Geeva Flava, Dilan Balkay. Deniz Tekin is quite popular in Turkey with her solo works. Geeva Flava has slowly grown in popularity over the past few years. Last summer, they played at Montreux Jazz Festival. And Dilan Balkay is a talented young trumpet player who released a fabulous solo album last year.
Mana is a three-songs EP. “Bir Vahayı Deniz Sandım” is particularly striking with its catchy chorus and fresh trumpet solo.
Key Track: “Bir Vahayı Deniz Sandım”
Geeva Flava — Punkara (Rock, Jazz) [Single]
Okay, Geeva Flava again — but this song deserves to be on this list! It has everything: something from rap, something from rock, something from jazz, references to poetry and Turkish slang, and so on.
P.S.: The word “Punkara” is a reference to the pronunciation of Ankara, the capital of Turkey.
Ductape — Ruh (Dark-wave) [Album]
Thanks to She Past Away, the popularity of Turkish gothic rock and dark-wave bands has increased in recent years. Ductape, a duo fronted by a female singer, has something cool in its attitude. A band worth watching live.
And Ruh is one of the best dark-wave works released this year — not only in Turkey, but all over Europe.
Key Tracks: “Kesik”, “Gregor”
Bahr — cursed home pt.1 (Rock) [Album]
Founded in 2016, Bahr is a promising rock band from Istanbul, Turkey. This year, they started a two-part album series with cursed home pt.1. In the album, which has a very rich sound, the band is accompanied by names that produce music in different genres such as Şevket Akıncı, Glasxs, Asena Akan, Ozan Çoban.
There are also folk and country influences in their music. You can also hear a bit of the fairy sound of Donovan — how nice, how beautiful! Pay attention particularly to the song “Fable” they made with Ozan Çoban, a contemporary Turkish folk music artist!
If the group has only one problem, it may be that they insist on singing in English. The vocalist (Yusuf Bahar) is definitely a good singer, but his English pronunciation distracted me a bit. I wish they would accompany such wonderful music in their mother tongue. And I’m sure they’d write better songs in Turkish. I look forward to Bahr’s future works.
Key Tracks: “Papillon”, “Fable”
Gezemedim Evreni — Zamanla Yolculuk (Rock) [Album]
Turkish rock with some progressive and psychedelic elements. Gezemedim Evreni’s debut album definitely smashes you in the head! A hard groove, catchy melodies, deep lyrics, subtle wordplays… Especially the songs “Gezemedim Evreni”, “Herkes Virgül Sen Nokta” and “3:59” are very enjoyable.
Key Tracks: “Gezemedim Evreni”, “Herkes Virgül Sen Nokta”, “3:59”
Fuat — 50 Kalibre (Rap) [Album]
Turkish rap’s “panzer”, one and only Fuat Ergin, is on fire as usual! This album, which Fuat named “50 Caliber” in reference to his 50th birthday, is one of the peak points of his productivity in recent years.
In the album, Fuat is accompanied by some of today’s most popular Turkish rappers such as Eypio, Şanışer and Harun Adil, as well as his longtime comrade, master producer Boba Fett.
Key Tracks: “Rakibin Benim”, “You Gettin F’d Up”
3pillie, Fosil — BLACK HOODIE (Hip-hop Jazz) [Single]
3pillie (Doğa Ocak), who also worked with Geeva Flava for a while, is now appearing with her solo projects. A talented keyboardist and composer, he’s just as much a rapper. In this song, Fosil, the founder of Badmash Collective, accompanies him.
“BLACK HOODIE” caught me with its aggressive rapping and dark atmosphere.
