Istanbul, Turkey – Strictly Mundial, the international world music showcase event has announced additional information of interest to participants and the world music community in general. The 2004 edition will take in Istanbul, Turkey, April 21-24).
HOTEL / TRANSFER
The organizers have an agreement with a well-known congress and tourism agency,
DEKON, for accommodations of accreditations. Good quality hotels which are in
the walking distance of the event places provide a 60% discount. On the web
site, if you take a look at the menu under ‘Register’, you will see alternative
hotel prices in two districts mentioned, one is ‘Beyoglu’ which is the area of
Night Concerts, the other is ‘Harbiye’, the Day Time Programs Area. Should you
state your criteria via the online questionnaire, then DEKON will book hotel
and/or your transfer as soon as possible with the best deal. DEKON also provides
a round transfer between hotel and airport with an extra charge of 20 EURO,
which is inexpensive and reliable as well.
BUSINESS FAIR STANDS
The application for the stands in the fair, which will be held in the Harbiye
district, has already been started. Till the 31st of January 2004, the
‘sunshine’ price list will be available under the first-come-first-serve basis.
PRESS ACCREDITATION
There is a special application form for Press Accreditation of Strictly Mundial
Istanbul 2004. Online application to get a FREE special press entrance card is
available on our web site under the menu ‘Register’. Press members who send
properly filled application forms will be able to join all of the events free of
charge.
Here is a rough description of Strictly Mundial Istanbul 2004:
Istanbul… The city of tales and dreams where blue and green meets…The land
over seven hills that blends the mystery of the east with the west… Now,
please close your eyes and and imagine that you are listening to all the voices
of the world by looking into the green eyes of this great lady whose blue body
connects Asia to Europe with peace and tender. Strictly Mundial 2004 invites you
to Istanbul to share this dream.
This magical journey in Istanbul will start with a gala concert in Aya Irini (Hagia
Irene), the city’s oldest Byzantine church, dating back to the Fourth Century
and located inside the city walls between Ayasofya (Haghia Sophia) and Topkapi
Palace.
The main body of day and evening concerts will take place at the “CRR – Cemal
Resit Rey”, Turkey’s most prestigious concert hall, and in the Military Museum.
Both, CRR and Military Museum, are located on opposite sides of one street in
the district of Harbiye. The Museum will also host the extensive conference and
seminar section (app. 35 sessions) and the trade-fair, giving space to some 300
stands.
And in the night… off to Beyoglu… or Pera…, just 15 minutes by foot,
right into the heart of Istanbul where fun and culture is alive for 24 hours a
day. We selected the most beautiful ones, more than a dozen, of the six thousand
night clubs in Beyolu for you: Babylon, Kemanci, Jazz Stop, Mojo, Shaman, Yaga …
To enable participants to enjoy all these activities even more, all SM hotels
are right in the center of Istanbul, and in walking distance to CRR / Military
Museum and the night club area. (Only Aya Irini is in a different part of town).
About 800 bands from 100 different countries have applied to perform at Strictly
Mundial Istanbul 2004. 15 of 60 bands have been already confirmed. These are:
A Sufi Celebration
with Faiz Ali Faiz / Pakistan and Galata Mevlevi Ensemble / Turkey
Aynur Dogan
Contemporary Kurdish songs; Turkey
Baba Zula
Psychebelly dance music; Turkey
Camut Band
Percussion, tap & dance; Spain
Dhruba Ghosh
Classical sarangi music from Northern India
First Vienna Vegetable Orchestra
A performance not only for vegetarians; Austria
Ihan Ersahin
World jazz; Turkey
Incesaz
“Tango Alla Turca”; Turkey
Kardes Türküler
The contemporary sound of Anatolia; Turkey
Kora-Jazz-Trio
Guinea / Senegal
Majorstuen
Violin music from Norway
“O Brasil da Sanfona”
Accordion music from four corners of Brasil, by Arlindo dos 8 baixos & Cesinha /
Renato Borghetti / Toninho Ferragutti / Dino Rocha
Oojami
Bellydancing Breakbeats from Bodrum in Northern London; Turkey / Great Britain
Yansimalar
New Turkish Acoustic Music; Turkey
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
