Kardeş Turkuler (Songs of Fraternity) came into being in 1993 as a concert project by the Boğazici University Folklore Club. The concert which aimed to interpret Anatolian folk songs based on their own cultural structure and in their original languages was comprised of four sections: Turkish, Kurdish, Azerbaijani and Armenian.
The project based on the ideal of living together in fraternity also took a stand against the polarization and tensions which had been created among different peoples in a multicultural land. Later on the Kardeş Turkuler project began broadening its repertoire performing songs from such cultures as Laz, Georgian, Circassian, Roma, Macedonian and Alevi among others. These were arranged in accordance with the philosophy of the ensemble.
The project took its place within the musical division of Boğazici Performing Arts Ensemble (BGST) formed in 1995 and went on to be performed at a variety of arts events cultural evenings festivals and celebrations. In June of 1997 ‘Kardeş Turkuler’-an album with various examples from the musical traditions of the Anatolian/Mesopotamian landscape- was released by Kalan Music. In 1998 Kardeş Turkuler was voted ‘Group of the Year’ in a survey by a private radio station broadcasting in Turkey.
The second album was based on a project with a more local and specific focus: ‘Doğu’ (East) (Kalan 1999). In February 2 two of the songs interpreted by the ensemble were included in the CD accompanying Jerome Cler’s book ‘Musiques de Turquie’ (Cite de la Musiques Actes Sud France).
One piece from ‘Doğu’ was also included in a miscellaneous album accompanying the October issue of Songlines which was devoted to Anatolian music. Folk Roots in its January-February 21 issue included another of the ensemble’s songs.
The ensemble also undertook to bring the multiculturalism and multi-ethnic makeup of its own land in a music video in Turkish and Kurdish as an example of cultural give-and-take in the musical realm. Though the video as a ‘first’ was reported in the main news programs it did not receive wide coverage by the self-censoring national channels. Still it received positive feedback from circles devoted to fraternity and peace.
Kardeş Turkuler performed the musical direction and arrangement of the famous Kurdish singer Sivan Perwer’s album ‘Roj Heyv’ (Sun and Moon) . It then prepared the music for the eastern-themed film ‘Vizontele’. This work also published as a soundtrack (Kalan) received the award for ‘Best Film Music’ at the 38th Annual Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival in October 2001. It received the same award from the Cinema Writer’s Association.
In 2002 being prepared again with the concept of multiculturalism the ‘Hemavaz’ album (Kalan) also reached the international audience with its release (Connecting Cultures) in Europe. The next album which was made up of the musics of the movie ‘Vizontele Tuuba’ released by Kalan Music in January 2004.
The album Bahar (Spring) was released by Kalan Music in May 2005. As in earlier albums this album too is comprised of songs and compositions in the many different languages of Anatolia and expressing the variety of religious beliefs there.
Discography:
Hardasan – Songs of Azerbaijan (1996)
Kardeş Turkuler (1997)
Doğu – The East (1999)
Kardeş Turkuler (2000)
Vizontele soundtrack (2001)
Hemâvâz (2002)
Vizontele Tuuba soundtrack (2004)
Bahar (2005)
Çocuk ‘H’Akli (2011)
Tencere Tava Havas – Sound of Pots and Pans (2013)
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.
