Baba Zula was founded in 1996 by Levent Akman (percussion, rhythm machines, toys), Murat Ertel (saz and other strings, vocal) and Emre Onel (darbuka, sampler, vocal) in Istanbul, was joined by Oya Erkaya (bass guitar, vocal) in 2003.
With its specifically unique sound created by melding traditional Turkish musical instruments with electronic elements, Baba Zula has brought a brand-new dimension to Turkish Folk Music. Baba Zula’s music is basically an amalgamation of recorded natural sounds with both traditional and modern acoustic and electronic musical instruments, a culmination of disparate electronic effects. Starting out by improvisations, later fixed into musical elements which make up their music such as theme, tune, style and sound, reached through recordings and rehearsals, the group has carried this method of ‘defined improvisation’ into concerts, movies, theatrical plays, use of video, slides and films, prepared by the additional members who have joined forces with the core group in its live performances.
The group, which from the very beginning has shown great interest in featuring guest musicians and players in concerts and albums, has been accompanied by stars such as the Thracian Selim Sesler (clarinet master), the Canadian singer Brenna McCrimmon (specialized in Balkan folk music), Fahrettin Aykut (drummer), Tuncel Kurtiz (movie star and player), Ahmet Uğurlu (movie star and player), Ralph Carney from San Francisco (saxophonist) and the diva Semiha Berksoy (first Turkish opera singer and painter).
Baba Zula’s debut album, ‘ Tabutta Rovasata = Somersault in the Coffin’ (Ada Music), including the original soundtrack for dervis Zaim’s first movie with the same title about a car thief who returned the cars he stole to their owners and fell in love with a peacock, was released in 1996. The album also includes four songs in which the movie stars Ahmet Ugurlu, Tuncel Kurtiz and Aysel Aydemir contribute in vocals.
Their album, 3 Oyundan 17 Muzik (Doublemoon) comprising music created for the plays ‘ The Little Prince’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, ‘ Frog Tales’ by Arnold Lobel and ‘ Kitchen Accidents’ by Perihan Mağden, was released in 1999. Apart from a number of other artists, Ralph Carney, Brenna McCrimmon and Selim Sesler have also taken part in this album as guest stars. Baba Zula also made the music for the film ‘ Renkli Turkye = Colored and in Turkish’, about a movie mechanic falling in love with an ex-porn star.
Levent Akman and Murat Ertel of Baba Zula were invited to Cologne, Germany to perform with two German musicians Gerard Doeke and Norbert Torzik at the Mediteranneen Film Festival on the 6th and 8th of December
In April 2003, Baba Zula did a concert at the Festival of ‘Printemps de Bourges’ in front of fifty thousand spectators.
Zen, Baba Zula members former band (Levent Akman and Murat Ertel) received the ‘best original score’ award for ‘Dokuz / Nine’ (Turkish Cinema Writers Association) and Ankara International Film Festival in January 2003.
Their third album Psychebelly Dance Music released in May 2003 was mixed and mastered by the British musician and producer Mad Professor who previously worked with Massive Attack , The Orb, Lee Perry and alike. Their fourth album Duble Oryantal which is released on Doublemoon Records by the end of May 2005, was again mixed and mastered by Mad Professor.
In 2019, the band released Derin Derin (Glitterbeat). The instrumental portion of the disc grew out of music BaBa ZuLa were asked to record for a documentary about falcons.
“We learned a lot about the birds while we were making the soundtrack,” Ertel explained. “After we’d completed it, we began to think about new layers and elements we could add.”
Ertel and his wife composed one of the pieces, and most of the words to “U Are the Swing” came from his young son.
BaBa ZuLa continued to use their unique mix of electric saz and electric oud to give that double fretboard attack that’s so markedly not Western.
“Both instruments are electrified,” Ertel explained, “but that’s all they have in common. They belong to different cultures. The oud is Middle Eastern and classical, while the saz comes from Turkish folk music. Nobody else has ever mixed electrified versions of these two instruments together, but it truly works. Even the frequencies of the instruments are well-balanced against each other.”
Discography:
Tabutta Rovasata – Somersault in the Coffin (Ada Music, 1996)
Uc Oyundan 17 Muzik (Doublemoon, 1999)
Psychebelly Dance Music (Doublemoon 2003)
Duble Oryantal (Doublemoon 2005)
Dondurmam Gaymak, soundtrack (Rh Pozitif, 2006)
Kökler (Doublemoon, 2007)
Gecekondu (Doublemoon, 2010)
34 Oto Sanayi/Do Not Obey (2014)
Derin Derin (Glitter Beat, 2019)
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.