Kardaşlar

In 1969 Seyhan Karabay and Cem Karaca (one of the biggest voices in Anatolian rock, as well as a political activist who was forced to live in exile for decades) founded Kardaşlar, one of many bands they would play in (Karaca also briefly played with Moğollar). The lineup underwent several changes over the years, and their sound transformed from a more traditional dance orchestra style to the folk psych they’re known for. Probably the main factor behind the band’s trademark sound was the electrified iklig, a traditional bowed stringed instrument which Karabay modified and played with guitar pedals, resulting in some seriously funky grooves. The ney flute too appears in many of their tracks, searching and urgent — listen for example to the intro of Nem Kaldi, a cover of a much loved Aşık Mahzuni Şerif original, also covered by Selda Bağcan and Derya Yildirim and Grup Şimşek decades later.