Turkish music | World Music Central

The album cover shows a stylized, cartoon-like dancer adorned with jewelry, moving behind a curtain of colorful beads. The title “Oriental Soul” appears at the top in bold yellow lettering, while the artist’s name, “Chettini and the Turkish Trio,” is displayed in a decorative box at the bottom.

Album reviews

East Meets Best: Chettini’s ‘Oriental Soul’ Returns on Vinyl

Chettini and the Turkish Trio – Oriental Soul (Ironhand Records, 2025 reissue) Oriental Soul, the 1972 album by Turkish multi-instrumentalist Çetin Bükey, credited here as…

Artist Profiles

Denmark’s AySay Builds A Borderless Village

Angel Romero September 7, 2025 No Comments Aske Døssing Bendixen AySay Carl West Hosbond Danish music Kurdish music Luna Ersahin Turkish music world fusion world music

(headline image: AySay – Photo by Sebastian Vistisen) AySay tells a migration story in three tongues. Luna Ersahin’s voice moves like a compass needle between…

Derya Türkan & Sokratis Sinopoulos - Soundplaces cover artwork. a photo of the two artists side by side, looking to the right, holding their musical instrument.

Album reviews

Soundplaces Weaves a Bowed Dialogue Across the Aegean

Tyler Bennet June 23, 2025 No Comments Greek music kamancha lyra Turkish music world fusion world music

Derya Türkan & Sokratis Sinopoulos – Soundplaces (Seyir Muzik, 2020) Soundplaces, the 2020 release by Derya Türkan and Sokratis Sinopoulos, offers a contemplative, transcultural conversation…

Cumali Bulduk sitting next to a Turkish saz (long necked lute)

Music videos Single reviews

Turkish Delight

Tom Orr May 4, 2025 No Comments Cumali Bulduk Turkish music world music

Cumali Bulduk, a Belgian musician of Turkish heritage, uses a variety of instruments and textures to create “Bulamadın Mı (Moğol),” a lovely blend of Anatolian…

The album cover for Tel ve Ten by Ozan Baysal features a folk-inspired design with a symmetrical arrangement of four ornate, circular patterns resembling traditional Turkish motifs. Each circle contains petal-like shapes in green or blue, surrounded by intricate details in red, yellow, and white. A delicate white crane stands at the center. The background transitions between deep green and warm red hues, divided by fine golden lines that create a structured, geometric layout.

Album reviews

Ozan Baysal Recreates Şelpe in Tel ve Ten

Madison Quinn April 27, 2025 No Comments baglama Ozan Baysal şelpe Turkish music world music

Ozan Baysal – Tel ve Ten (ARC Music EUCD2976, 2025) Ozan Baysal’s debut album, Tel ve Ten (String and Skin), spotlights the ancient Anatolian baglama…

professional Arabic ney, 7 flutes, Ahmad Abd El Ghani)

Articles

The Ney: A Charming Middle Eastern Reed Flute

Angel Romero March 23, 2025 No Comments Iranian music ney Persian music Turkish music world music

(headline image: professional Arabic ney, 7 flutes, Ahmad Abd El Ghani) The ney (also spelled nay) is an ancient end-blown flute made from reed, widely…

The cover art for "Ceylan" by Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek features a background with vertical, irregular teal lines dripping down into a deep black base. The album title, "Ceylan," is displayed in large, off-white, bold serif typography. A small, circular emblem with a stylized crown in purple is positioned in the upper right corner.

Music videos

Deerly Beloved: Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek Reimagine ‘Ceylan’

World Music Central News Room February 22, 2025 No Comments Anatolia baglama Derya Yıldırım Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek Turkish music world fusion world music

Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek’s latest single, “Ceylan”, released via Big Crown Records, offers a fresh interpretation of the Neşet Ertaş classic, originally written by…

Feyzullah Çinar Eserleri 2 album cover. a black and white phoo of Feyzullah Çinar.

Music videos

“Feyzullah Çınar Eserli 2” Honors a Turkish Folk Legend

World Music Central News Room February 12, 2025 No Comments Erkan Oğur Erol Mutlu Feyzullah Çınar Mehmet Akbaş Murat Çorak Salman Tin Turkish music world music Yeliz Aykaç

The second installment of the Feyzullah Çınar Eserleri project, dedicated to the revered Turkish folk poet Feyzullah Çınar, has been released under the Kalan Music…

This image extracted from the AI generated video of the song Ela Gözlerini Sevdiği Dilber depicts a serene autumn landscape featuring a golden-hued valley with colorful trees surrounding a calm stream. Rolling hills and majestic mountains frame the background under a clear blue sky.

Music videos

Turkish Folk Music Presented with Modern Digital Innovation

World Music Central News Room January 7, 2025 No Comments Anatolian music Burakhan Nur Erdem Erkul Muhlis Berberoğlu Turkish music world music

Turkish label Kalan Music has rolled out a music video that integrates the rich heritage of Turkish folk music with modern digital innovations. In their…

Aylin's Soulgarden - Bu Bir Demdir cover artwork. Aylin holding an enlarged photo of her band over a red background.

Album reviews

Aylin’s Soulgarden Unites Alevi Tradition with Modern Genres on Debut Album

Sonia Keller October 20, 2024 No Comments Alevi music Anatolian music Aylin's Soulgarden Kurdish music Middle Eastern music Turkish music world fusion world music

Aylin’s Soulgarden – Bu Bir Demdir (CPL Music, 2024) Aylin’s Soulgarden, an innovative German band that fuses deeply grounded Alevi music with the modern sounds…