CULTURE / FEATURE
By İpek Özerim
Described as
“art-anarchists”, BaBa ZuLa have carved out a name as fine purveyors of
alternative Anatolian music, a hip psychedelic blend of electro, dub, funk,
rock ‘n’ folk. Lyrically conscious, their other-worldly Oriental dance beats,
playful dress sense, and surreal live performances have gained them a huge
global following.
They
featured in Fatih Akın’s seminal film Crossing
the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2005), and
the band remains an international reference point for those wanting to dig
deeper into the progressive politics and sounds of contemporary Turkey.
Their
origins date back to their student days at Boğaziçi University
in the late 1980s, when founder members Osman Murat Ertel, Levent Akman and
Emre Onel were all part of a musical collective called Zen. They started out playing
psychedelic rock, but quickly decided improvising was more fun.
 |
| The 1996 film that gave birth to BaBa ZuLa |
In
1996, a chance film project resulted in the need for a second band. A university
friend, Turkish Cypriot film director Derviş Zaim, wanted Zen to do the
soundtrack for his new movie Tabutta
Rövaşata (Somersault in the Coffin).
After watching it, most of Zen refused to be involved, but Ertel, Akman and
Onel liked the film and so formed a mini band they called BaBa ZuLa (the name
means ‘Big Secret’) to do the music.
Following
its release, the film won multiple awards, pushing the trio into the spotlight.
A live concert led to even more invites, prompting them to co-opt American
bassist William MacBeath and, through him, saxophonist Ralph Carney for their
performances. Guest musicians have been a regular feature of the band ever
since.
Over
the past two decades, their collaborators have included London dub master Mad Professor, Jamaican
reggae stars Sly and Robbie, and Dr. Das (Asian Dub Foundation), as well as Turkish
Romani clarinet virtuoso Selim Sesler and iconic actor Tuncel Kurtiz, whose
distinctive vocals appear on several BaBa ZuLa tracks.
Like
the band’s line-up, their musical journey has also been fluid. They have
released eight studio albums to date, with Ruhani
Oyun Havaları / Psychebelly Dance Music (2003), produced by Mad Professor,
and Kökler / Roots (2008) among their
best known internationally. The band’s knack of harmonising traditional Turkish
instruments with western beats without ever diluting their Anatolian identity
has made them firm favourites at home, while propelling them onto the global
stage as one of Turkey’s most successful musical exports.
 |
| Sly & Robbie: one of BaBa ZuLa's many collaborators |
Their
current album, 34 Oto Sanayi,
released last November, is their most political. It’s named after the location
of their music studios on an industrial estate full of garages and a few artists’
studios, dwarfed by the newly-appearing skyscrapers that threaten to consume the
whole of old Istanbul. The album’s eight short tracks cover everything from bigotry
to women, minorities, and a song titled Epic
Resistance / Direniş Destanı.
Not
surprisingly, the Turkish government is not keen, but BaBa ZuLa remain
undeterred. Their fans regard them as ‘kent
âşıkları’ – modern city minstrels whose musical poetry brings the problems
of ordinary folk to the fore, while helping to spread the love of life, God and
people.
BaBa ZuLa live in London on 22 Nov.
This
Sunday, 22 November, BaBa ZuLa will be playing at Epic in Dalston, east London, as part of their
20th anniversary world tour. We asked Murat Ertel about his inspirations and
what’s next for Istanbul’s
finest psychedelics.
Did BaBa ZuLa set out to be
radically different when the band was first formed in 1996?
I
always want to do what I really want. Realising dreams is one of the best parts
of life. Being different has never been a priority. If you decide to stay as
your original self and try not to follow success formulas, then you find
yourself tagged as different for sure.
Who are your musical idols?
Great
troubadour musicians visiting our family home, like Ruhi Su and Aşık İhsani,
were my early Turkish heroes. Then I began listening to Turkish psychedelia,
[artists] like Barış Manço and Fikret Kızılok. When I started going to high
school, Santana, Hendrix and The Doors were among my idols.
 |
Murat Ertel’s musical idols include Jimi Hendrix (left) & Barış Manço
|
And your biggest inspiration?
My
family. They [father Mengü Ertel, mother Ülfet Selçuk, uncles İlhan and Turhan
Selçuk] were very well known in my country and pretty successful
internationally, and had many similar friends, so I didn't have to decide to be
an artist. I immediately began creating. They also made no compromise for fame
or fortune till the end of their lives, which deeply inspired me.
So who are the current band members
and where are you all from?
I
sing, and play the electric saz, Cura, synthesiser, percussion, and Theremin. Levent Akman plays spoons,
cymbals, gongs, and percussion. Özgür Çakırlar plays the darbuka, drums, bender,
[frame drum], and percussion. Melike Şahin sings. And Periklis Tsoukalas plays
the electric oud, vocals and synth.
Everyone
except Özgür lives in Istanbul.
I think only me and Melike were born here. Our families are originally from Istanbul, though Levent's family is also from Istanbul.
Describe BaBa ZuLa’s sound?
The
21st century sound of Istanbul.
We have so many influences, like dub, punk, funk, rock etc. mingled with our
geographic culture. In the past, it was always me writing the lyrics and
melodies, and Levent producing the rhythms, but since the last album, there's
more lyrical input from Melike and melodies from Periklis.
Which of your albums gave you the
most satisfaction?
I
would say our last album [34 Oto Sanayi]
because it is our first vinyl, and lyrically and musically it's very different
from our previous albums.
Do crowds in Turkey respond
differently to your music to those abroad?
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| Live at Mekan, Taksim, Nov. 2013 Photo: Alper Ertug |
Yes,
they tend to dance more and understand the lyrics easily. But if we are around
the Balkans, Greece,
Mediterranean or North Africa, then dancing is
no problem. There are fantastic responses elsewhere too: some Shamanic rituals,
catharsis and ecstasy [occur] with no concept of borders.
For those who’ve never been to one
of your concerts, what they can expect from BaBa ZuLa live?
A
strong, deep connection with a specific Oriental culture and geography, that’s
also familiar. Lots of effects to stimulate different senses, and a psychic
experience if our performance is good.
How involved are you with the band’s
visuals?
My
father was a well-known graphic designer, so I learnt about the inter-discipline
of contemporary arts from him. I designed our logo and I am the sole art
director for all our album covers. I always consult Levent, but mostly the
concert projections are my ideas too. Sometimes we work with special artists of
course, but conceptually we have to be in control.
 |
| The band are renowned for their cool album covers, all designed by Murat Ertel |
BaBa ZuLa is currently celebrating
its 20th year. How have you evolved? What have been your highs and
lows?
20
years is too long [to describe]. I think it's getting better and better. We
became a group that can perform and is known around the world, having produced
8 albums. We give about 90 concerts a year and spend around 200 days on the
road.
[Over
the years] we have more things than we need, and [won] many awards for best
film score or best theatre music band of the year etc. We are very modest, just
wishing to play the music we want, and still we do it: that's the high point of my career. And
now we can do it around the world.
 |
Levent Akman at Festivalul Plai, Romania, Sept. 2013. Photo: Bogdan Comanescu
|
Best international festivals you have
performed at?
We’ve
played Roskilde
in Denmark, Memphis in May in the US,
and the Spirit of Tengri Festival in Kazakhstan,
the Cannes Film Festival, the Taormina Film Festival – hundreds of
festivals! I love festivals.
In
the UK
we performed a few times at festivals too. The one I can not forget was the Festival of the Dying and the Dead in London.
Your music’s always had a politically
conscious element to it. Has it become more difficult to earn a living in Turkey?
Now
our country is in a civil war and this makes things worse than before. Many
gigs are cancelled and people are getting killed. Because of our lyrics, we
have been banned from lots of TV and radio channels and today's conditions do
not help, but we won't compromise.
Are BaBa ZuLa still scoring
soundtracks?
Yes.
We have done music for many movies, documentaries and theatres since [Tabutta Rövaşata]. We also do live music
for silent movies.
How many countries will you be
visiting on this tour and is it your biggest-ever world tour?
 |
| Antarctica: the only continent where BaBa ZuLa has yet to perform |
Yes
I think so. It's the biggest since we were formed back in 1996. We cannot count
countries, but counting the continents, there’s five of them. Speaking of two where
we might not be able to perform [on this tour]: I really hope we can play again
in South America and we have never performed in Antarctica
– that would really be something.
What else will you be doing for your
anniversary?
We
are planning a compilation album of old and new unreleased stuff, remixes and
collaborations.
Which new artists would you like to
work with?
Artists
from the Argentinean Nu Cumbia label
ZZK RECORDS – we love their releases and always dance to them.
What music are you currently
listening to?
ZZK
mostly, and the new wave of African Dub is also very appealing. As always, the
old funk blues and psychedelia of 1960s and 1970s. Turkish records from this
period have been a favourite and it feels so good that the world is finally
catching up with them. Everybody seems to know and dig Selda [Bağcan] for
instance. It's a great feeling.
Favourite things about London?
Swinging
60s of course. I also love the late 70s period, when punk and reggae come
together. I really wish I could have seen Syd Barrett at the UFO club, and
Hendrix coming to London
and rising to fame. And
the legendary Can performing in London.
