Taksim W/ Moontalk

This mixtape showcases Turkish rock from the 1970s to the 2010s, capturing the soundtrack of my teenage years in Istanbul and the nights spent in Taksim’s dingy dive bars in the early 2000s, which is where the name of the mix comes from. Though heavily influenced by Turkish folk music and Anatolian psych rock, every artist here is either from Istanbul or the band was formed there, making this, in a way, the sound of the city itself. Around the halfway mark, the sound shifts from “the roots” to the more “current,” reflecting the DIY/indie sound and the spirit of this era. Several tracks feature recognisable samples from Yeşilçam cinema (the golden era of Turkish film, circa 1960s), magnifying cultural and political discourse that resonated then and still resonates today. The tracklist features some of the 90s and early 00s most popular bands too, including Duman, Mor ve Ötesi and MFÖ, which formed the backdrop to my generation’s coming of age, blasting in beer gardens, played live in cramped metal bars, or covered by amateur high school bands at end-of-year festivals.