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
Words of My Mouth cover

Words of My Mouth

Lee "Scratch" Perry
Spaceship to Mars cover

Spaceship to Mars

Lee "Scratch" Perry, Youth
Addis 1988 (Feat. Mulatu Astatke) cover

Addis 1988 (Feat. Mulatu Astatke)

Mulatu Astatke, Ethio Stars, Tukul Band
Walk With Me cover

Walk With Me

The Skatalites
Timeless cover

Timeless

Marcia Griffiths
Rude Boy Ska cover

Rude Boy Ska

Desmond Dekker
This Are Two Tone cover

This Are Two Tone

Various Artists