Fungistanbul – Phenology (Hits on Air Music, 2016)
Turkish ensemble Fungistanbul celebrates nature on its debut album titled Phenology. Fungistanbul’s project goes beyond music, incorporating other art forms. Phenology revolves around the natural life cycle of plants and animals.
The music on Phenology includes seven original compositions and the remaining three pieces are Turkoman, Kurdish and Armenian traditional songs. Fungistanbul’s style incorporates Turkish traditions as well as the sounds of nearby cultures, adding elements of jazz and western classical music. The ensemble uses a combination of traditional acoustic instruments with electric bass.
Throughout the album you’ll heard the mesmerizing sound of an end-blown flute. Without reading the credits, I assumed it was a Turkish ney, but in reality it’s a Bulgarian kaval, which has some similarities.
Fungistanbul also use a new string instrument called tarmoni. The CD booklet shows a picture and provides an extensive description. In essence, it is an improved saz.
The lineup on Phenology includes Roni Aran on tarmoni, setar, classical and fretless guitar; Herman Artuç on percussion and vocals; Yildirim Eldem on kaval and tenor block flute; and Ciwan Ayaz on electric bass, lavta, and vocals. Guest: Eren Turgut on acoustic bass.
The exquisitely-packaged CD includes original artwork by various professional, adult and child artists that illustrate each track.
Phenology is a finely-crafted work that brings together beautiful contemporary Turkish-rooted music and other art forms.
Phenology CD is available from Turkey
Buy the Phenology digital download version
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.
