Folk 286 Items

Sezen Aksu's 13th studio album, originally released in 1996 on CD + cassette and released on LP in 2018. Pop Music Diva Sezen Aksu dedicated the album to her best friend,composer and arranger Onno Tunç, who recently passed away. There are many hit songs on the album. Some of them are "Seni Yerler", "Kaçın Kurası", "Rakkas", "Bile Bile", "Zalim" and "Onursuz Olmasın Aşk".

It is the 5th studio album of the artist's oeuvre and was originally released in 1982 on cassette. The track "Firuze" is a ballad that can be considered an anthem in Turkish pop music.Sezen Aksu, who has a very special voice, strengthened her place in the Turkish Pop Music scene with this album. Other important tracks on the album are "Ayrılıklar Bitmez", "İkinci Bahar", "Beni Unutma" and "Dümtek".

Neşet Ertaş is a Turkish folk poet, the last great representative of Turkish culture and musical tradition. He is also known as the "Bozkırın Tezenesi ". On the albums he released from the 1950’s onwards, he recorded Central Anatolian folk songs and dance tunes as well as the folk songs he learned from his father Muharrem Ertaş. Starting in the 1960’s, he began to write both lyrics and compositions. He used the pseudonym "Garip", and from the 1970’s onwards, his folk songs were interpreted by many artists of the period. In 2009, he was deemed worthy of being included in UNESCO's Living Human Treasure inventory. This album contains 10 songs performed by the great master in 1998. "Güzel Ne Güzel Olmuşsun", "Hapishanelere Güneş Doğmuyor", "Neredesin Sen" and "Zahide" are the most remarkable tracks on the album

This album was first released on CD and MC in 2000 and on LP in 2018. Turkish Arabesk king Müslüm Gürses approached the pop sound with songs like "Paramparça" and "Sonuna Kadar" on this album. Or if you want, he sang pop songs in a unique oriental tone.

Arabesk and Turkish folk music singer Müslüm Gürses released more than 70 albums, concert recordings and compilations between 1975 and 2014. Gürses starred in 38 movies between 1979 and 2011, reaching a wide audience as a popular cult figure from the 2000s onwards. The Mutlu Ol Yeter album, originally dated in 1981,is back on the shelves in 2017.The songs that stand out in the album are “Mutlu Ol Yeter” and “İtirazım Var”,which also give the album its title. Orhan Akdeniz and Burhan Bayar are the musical directors and producers of the album, who also wrote most of the tracks.

Travel back in time to the modern pre-Revolution Teheran and dig this wonderful, ear-catching album from 1976 by Iranian female singer Pari Zangeneh. Traditional Persian folk songs with a lovely, sweet psychedelic flavor with the use of beautiful strings, flutes, charming and tasty drumming, some organ and orchestration, percussions… imagine a Persian version of Mellow Candle or Vashti Bunyan and you’re there! Born in 1939 in Kermanshah (Iran), Pari Zangeneh is a Soprano singer that lost her sight after a car accident in 1972. Her work over the years on restoring traditional Persian music and regional folk songs is invaluable. In 1976 she recorded this very unique album commissioned by Kānoon (Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults), a social organization that produced many kinds of materials (books, films, records) for children in Iran. The arrangements were done by Varoujan (famous for his work with Googoosh, Dariush, etc…) *Sourced from the original masters *Hard cardboard sleeve + OBI

* Includes download card

Everything Returns reunites the original Black Ox Orkestar lineup following a 15-year hiatus. Arising from the fertile Montréal post-punk agit-prop scene of the early 2000s, the band comprises Scott Gilmore, Jessica Moss and Thierry Amar of Thee Silver Mt. Zion (Amar also continues to compose and play bass for Godspeed You! Black Emperor) and Gabriel Levine of Sackville. Black Ox made two acclaimed albums of roiling acoustic avant-folk in the mid-2000s, exploring Eastern European and North African folkways through the lens of a gritty, resonant indie rock sensibility, juxtaposing interpretations of instrumentals from various Jewish, Romani and Arabic traditions with originals led by Gilmore's politically-charged Yiddish vocals. These early albums have since become lodestars for many among a new generation of Yiddish, Klezmer and radical Jewish diasporic music practitioners and fans. First revealing its resurrection in February 2022 with a surprise flexi 7" single issued by left journal Jewish Currents as a gift to its thousands of subscribers, Black Ox has indeed fully and fruitfully reunited. Exquisitely recorded by Greg Norman (Jason Molina, Nina Nastasia, Electrical Audio), Everything Returns picks up right where the band left off: an incisively atmospheric, melancholic yet resolute album of uniquely modern Jewish folk music, with piano, violin, upright bass, clarinet and cymbalom making up the core instrumentation, and the vocal tunes sung primarily in Yiddish, alongside album centerpiece "Viderkol" and closer "Lamed-Vovnik" where English also features. This is not fusion music, but diaspora music: a cross-cultural call and response of musical lexicons, emerging from the history of Jewish persecution and displacement, the musicology of 19th century repertoire from Jewish shtetls , the improvisational traditions of nusakh in Jewish music and taqsim in Arabic music, and a wider polyglot dialogue of Jewish, Slavic, Arabic, and Central Asian musical traditions. Lyrically and stylistically, Everything Returns connects key current issues_from refugees forced to leave their homes, to the return of fascism and exclusionary nationalism_with the legacy of modernist Yiddish poetry and song. The new Black Ox Orkestar album is a sublime, poetic, politically-informed statement of re-energized diasporic musical intent, where Gilmore's voice and the band's simmering arrangements conjure an ardent, doleful balladry that echoes the sound and sensibility of artists like Tindersticks, The National, Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen. Everything Returns is a haunting, richly textured, darkly sparkling song cycle at once from a vanished world and very much of our time and place. Thanks for listening.

Completely unknown album by Salah Ragab's Cairo Jazz Band vocalist Maha, recorded in Cairo in 1979. Features productions by Hany Shenoda of Al Massrieen. Maha’s “Orkos,” originally released on cassette, is one of these standout musical diamonds that combines Jazz and Egyptian vocal traditions with Funk, Latin and Soul.

Maha’s “Orkos” immediately catches your ear as a unique album. A strong and energetic voice, equally grounded in jazz as well as Egyptian vocal traditions, Maha sings over instrumentals that offer a wide palette of influences, sonically emblematic of the cultural changes that were occurring in the country. The album features rich compositions and productions by renown Egyptian musician Hany Shenoda, who’s group, Al Massrieen, Habibi Funk worked with in 2017 (the release led to sync placements in Hulu’s “Ramy” TV Series).

At the time of its release, however, the “Orkos” cassette quickly faded away among the growing number of releases populating the Egyptian musical soundscape. For more than 40 years, it sat in near obscurity before being given new life in the form of a properly licensed vinyl release. Habibi Funk and Disco Arabesquo are honored to play a part in sharing Maha’s story. Below is a bit more context around the release as well as the campaign schedule.

The arrival of the cassette brought a seismic shift in how music was produced and consumed around the world. Smaller bands and labels were able to release music without the logistical and financial barrier present in vinyl manufacturing. At the same time, in Egypt, a new crop of musicians and composers made their way into the scene, seeking to bring something fresh to what was perceived as the widely monophonic musical traditions of Egypt. Hany Shenoda, Mohamed Mounir, Magdy El Hossainy, Omar Korshid, Salah Ragab and Hamid El Shaeri are some names that come to mind. Many built their sounds combining their own musical upbringing with influences coming from the outside. The success of these projects varied widely, but for each there were numerous lesser-known bands and singers. Many of these often-short-lived projects would release their music on cassettes on tiny labels only to fade into the musical ether.

Maha’s “Orkos” album fits this category. Put out in a small run of cassettes, it’s fair to say that the singer’s sole recording outing was not a financial success when it was originally released by Egyptian label Sout El Hob in 1979. While it may not have found an engaged and open-eared audience upon its release, the first few bars of the album indicate this is a special, timeless album that transcends the musical boundaries that many artists were seeking to break through at the time.

From the funk sounds of “Law Laffeina El Ard” (Single 1, out September 1 with Pre-Order announcement); the moody, mellow sounds of “Kabl Ma Nessallem We Nemshy” (Single 2, out September 23) or “We Mesheet;” to excursions into Latin sounds in the title track “Orkos,” and disco with “Ana Gaya” (Album Focus Track, out October 10) the album is an amalgamation of genres that stands out from the immense creativity present in Egypt at the time.

We connected Maha in late 2021 and she was clearly surprised to have someone call about music she recorded more than 40 years ago. She also seemed interested in the idea in bringing her music back to people’s attention. A few weeks later we were speaking with our friend Moataz, who runs the Disco Arabesquo project and showed him this great new album we found and to our surprise he knew the album, having found a copy of it a year or two before, in Cairo. It was then obvious to team up for a collaboration for this project. You can find Moataz’s story about Maha and her music, as well as extensive interviews with Maha herself, in the booklet accompanying the release.

First album by Selda Bagcan, originally released in 1976. A collection of well-known poems and folk-songs, recorded in cooperation with the most progressive Turkish musicians / arrangers of the 70s: Mogollar, Dadaslar, Zafer Dilek & Arif Sag, combining traditional instrumentation from Anatolia and Western psychedelic grooves.

Now available on a cool Picture Disc.

2019 Re-mastered, 180g black vinyl in gatefold cover. It was originally released in 1981. May be the last impressive album of Baris Manco and his band Kurtalan Ekspres which is giving a respect to 1970’s Golden Era of Turkish Rock. The album consists of funk and progressive rock elements from track to track just like their previous release. Hypnotic, cool and clear sound, will make this LP as a reference album.

2021 remaster, 180g black vinyl. Muslum Gurses was a phenomenon singer and then actor for 40 years in his career. Semi Kurdish / Turkish man who was born in south east region of Turkiye. His music was inspired by Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish influence. This album is a nice blend of middle east folk music. Melancholic sound of his voice will be haunting you. It is worth to take a listen.

This vinyl compilation consists of 26 tracks not 40. Selda is the most well-known Turkish female singer and folk guitarist in the world. Her voice is coming out of this world. You feel how deep, how soulful voice even though you don’t understand any single Turkish word. Her vibing vocals makes the song more dramatic. You may regret why you have not listened to this legendary vocal so far. This compilation will be an exciting experience for you.

Matir Gaan is a collaboration between young Bengali migrant, Mohammed After Hussain and Italian electronic artist, Andrea Rusconi (aka Paq). The resulting album delightfully combines the ancient folk songs of Md After's homeland with Paq's cosmic synth exotica.

Mohammed After Hussain escaped Bangladesh in 2015 and arrived in Italy in 2017 after a long and dangerous journey across the Mediterranean from the violence he found in Libya. In Italy he found safety and hospitality as an asylum seeker in Rimini's Associazione Ardea, where Andrea is involved with 'Ardea Recordings' - a project aiming to create an archive of songs, stories and sounds by some of the people who spent some time with Ardea's refugee programme.

Md After was invited to sing and play the folk and village songs he knew on the harmonium and pakhawaj (two headed drum) while Andrea immersed himself in the songs providing a bed of warm Crumar synth and Veena drones to create a finished album of totally uniquela renditions of the mystic Baul folk songs known so well by people across the Bangla speaking regions of India.

The Bauls are a famous group of wandering minstrels from the region of Bengal whose culture is derived from the teachings of the early Sufi mystics and Hindu Fakhirs. The Baul devotees are considered to be mad, or possessed, with the love of God. While transcending religion the Baul compositions celebrate celestial and earthly love and expound the key philosophy of “Deha tatta” or truth in the body, epitomised by the aphorism “whatever is in the universe is in the body”. They reach for divinity here in this world and they seek to access it through music and dance. They seek spirituality in the music, they live fo r the music, wandering from village to village offering ecstatic sound waves in exchange for sustenance. Their presence remains an important part of village life in Bangladesh, and this is why Md After knows the songs despite the fact he would not consider himself part of the Baul ascetic tradition.

We hope you'll enjoy this wonderfully psychedelic album, with its unique interpretations of these ancient mystic songs from the earth.

Comes with a printed inner sleeve featuring sleeve notes and lyric translations by Brian P. Heilman

Kate Bollinger's songs tend to linger well beyond their run times, filling the negative space of ordinary days with charming melodies and smart phrasings. She writes them at home in Richmond, Virginia, letting her subconscious lead, an open-ended process she likens to dreaming. From a chord progression appears a line, maybe a syllable will start to stick, enough to pursue, but she says sometimes the words don't feel likeher own, more like shapes that form in the mind's sky. Bollinger's musical universe is relaxed, tender, and unassuming; within lives a timeless sensibility, a songwriter's knack for noticing the little things and their counterpoints. Darkness and light, pain and pleasure, reality and escape. Her new EP, Look at it in the Light, her first project on Ghostly International, is collaborative; she shoots music videos with her friends and colors each of her folk-pop songs with musicians in her community. The title Look at it in the Light is a reference to the aspects of Bollinger's life that she knows need examining. For one, there's her persistent resistance to change _ she chooses to ignore it on the title track ("I try not to notice / I deny my fate"), as wiry strums sync with crisp drums. She surrenders to comfort on "Who Am I But Someone," a light and softly psychedelic number. "Yards / Gardens" finds Bollinger in full swing, skipping verses of uncertainty above a bright and nimble bassline and kick. Guitar riffs unravel across the bridge, trailing her lines like ellipses. The string-backed "Lady in the Darkest Hour" is the set's most luxuriant statement, recorded during a session at Matthew E. White's Spacebomb Studios with in-house arranger Trey Pollard (Natalie Prass, Helado Negro). Here her lines ring bittersweet yet reassuring, uplifted by swells of golden-hued instrumentation. From the hushed abstractions of "I Found Out" to the biting suspicions of closer "Connecting Dots," Kate Bollinger uses every inch of this dazzling EP to find her footing amidst the ever-present sways of life

Limited to 2700 copies.

Age of Miracles is now on vinyl for the first time outside of a limited German release in 2004. On this postmodern roots plunge, Chuck Prophet dove deeper into pastiche song structures, adding lighter strings, heavier guitar licks, and more restless romanticism. His beats, however, remained as thick as they were organic, his voice occluded in a raspy filter. Prophet continues to make records that sound like none other on the loosely defined alt-country scene--lush, elliptical, inventive, moody, and deeply, even eloquently, grooved. This limited edition release will be pressed on pink marbled vinyl. This release is being manufactured at MPO in France. Mastered for vinyl by Jason NeSmith - Chase Park. This release is limited to 4,000 copies worldwide.

Side A 1.) Automatic Blues 2.) Age of Miracles 3.) You Did (Bomp Shobby Dooby Bomp) 4.) Smallest Man In The World 5.) Just To See You Smile 6.) West Memphis Moon

Side B 1.) You've Got Me Where You Want Me 2.) Pin A Rose On Me 3.) Heavy Duty 4.) Monkey In The Middle 5.) Solid Gold

Superb collection of the best tracks by Turkish electro-saz legend Arif Sag, some tracks with arrangements by Zafer Dilek. Killer Turkish psych-folk-funk grooves from the golden era of Anatolian Rock, all housed in such a beautiful cover design!!!

Tinariwen cohorts Imarhan have announced their third album, Aboogi, which will be out January 28 via City Slang. It's the band's first record since building their own studio in their hometown of Tamanrasset in Southern Algeria, and it features contributions from Sudanese singer Sulafa Elyas and Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys, Tinariwen’s Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni and poet Mohamed Ag Itlale (aka Japonais). "'Aboogi' reflects the colors of Tamanrasset, what we experience in everyday life,” says bandleader Iyad Moussa Ben Abderahmane, also known as Sadam. “We give space to the wind and the natural energies, to the sun and the sand. We want to express their colors through music.”

This is a great album that originally recorded and released only in Germany, 1984. Turkish psych-folk sounds combining with electric-saz, fat bass, synths and percussions.

Originally releaed in 1971 the album is a milestone in modern Pop and Rock music and decorated with four Grammys.

Neil Young finally releases his 1975 album "Homegrown" which was shelved back then due to him feeling uncomfortable with it being to personal.