XX cover
Released

The political turmoil and violence of the late 1970s and the coup of 1980 all but stifled Turkey’s vibrant rock scene. Decades later bands like Altin Gün and Grup Şimşek would pick up the reins, but first among the all were Baba Zula, who were founded in 1996 by electric saz player Osman Murat Ertel and percussionist Levent Akman (previously of Zen). Picking up where Anatolian psych pioneers like Moğollar or Erkin Koray left off, they incorporated even more influences into their sound, from dark electronics to Krautrock and of course Turkish folk. XX is a 20 year retrospective that includes reinterpretations or live versions rather than the originals, and comes with some deliciously deep, spacey dub versions.

Megan Iacobini de Fazio

Recommended by

Suggestions
Rise Again cover

Rise Again

Bill Laswell, Lee "Scratch" Perry
Right Now cover

Right Now

Barry Brown
Riding High cover

Riding High

Tubby Isiah
The Name Of The Dub cover

The Name Of The Dub

Various Artists, Umberto Echo
Bibel in Dub cover

Bibel in Dub

Babylon 23
Manara cover

Manara

Alsarah and the Nubatones
Too Big to Fail cover

Too Big to Fail

Dub Spencer & Trance Hill, Umberto Echo
Spaceship to Mars cover

Spaceship to Mars

Lee "Scratch" Perry, Youth