BaBa ZuLa release "İstanbul Sokakları" and tour this month

This legendary Istanbul band remains the most experimental exponent of the hotly-tipped contemporary Turkish psych-rock scene. BaBa ZuLa are revered sonic trailblazers who have built a cult following in all corners of the globe and have counted members of Einstürzende Neubauten, Can and Nick Cave the Bad Seeds as their fans.

Pulsing, hypnotic tracks powered by Turkish percussion, glitched electronics, deep bass, electric saz and dual male/female vocals. The new album İstanbul Sokakları (Streets of Istanbul) is a vivid sonic and political statement from a band that continues to show us the future.

Since first coming together in Istanbul in 1996, BaBa ZuLa have specialized in transporting, psychedelic jams that incorporate electronic sounds, deep beats and supremely heavy dub vibrations, while sitting firmly within a distinctly Turkish sound. Percussion instruments such as the clopping darbuka drum and clattering kaşıklar spoons summon traditional folk-dance rhythms, while electrified saz conjures profound Anatolian moods with a modern, amplified twist.

BaBa ZuLa features founding members Levent Akman (spoons, percussions, machines, toys), Murat Ertel (electric saz and other stringed instruments, vocals, theremin), as well as darbuka and percussion player Ümit Adakale and Esma Ertel on vocals and dancing. BaBa ZuLa go to great lengths to provide their fans with a unique live show experience. Their ritual like performances are a mixture of disciplines of art, often featuring belly dancers, elaborate costumes, poetry and theatre delivering viewers a tantalizing audio-visual feast. 

The unique electric saz designed specially by Ertel himself together with a wooden spoon can serve as musical compass to Turkish musical roots going as far back as pre-Islamic, shamanic times, through Anatolia and silk and spice road culture and legends reaches all the way up to present-day İstanbul to the future.

This month they'll be performing three times in the Netherlands:

14/11: Amsterdam, NL - Melkweg
15/11: Rotterdam, NL - Grounds
16/11: Tilburg, NL - Paradox