Anatolian Rock
tagStarted 1967Peak 1970-1980Last big hit still activeFrom TurkeySung in Turkish
Located in 2 routes
Turkish 'Anadolu rock' fusing Western psychedelic and progressive rock with Anatolian folk - the bağlama/saz, microtonal modal melodies, davul rhythms and Turkish lyrics. Fuzzed-out electric saz, Eastern scales over rock backing and powerful folk-derived vocals. Mystical, heavy, and rhythmically intricate, often carrying social and political weight.
History
Coalesced in late-1960s Turkey as Erkin Koray, Cem Karaca, Barış Manço and Moğollar set Turkish folk melodies to electric psychedelic rock. Manço became its 'father'; Karaca's operatic baritone voiced leftist protest. The 1980 military coup suppressed the politically charged scene, but global crate-digging reissues revived its fuzz-soaked classics decades later.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Wikipedia: Anatolian rock
- AllMusic Turkish psych coverage
- The Quietus / Pitchfork reissue features
- Daily Sabah Cem Karaca profile