Erkin Koray: Arap Saci Vinyl 2LP

There’s so much to get into when it comes to Turkish music and Erkin Koray couldn’t be a better jumping off point. The celebrated guitarist and singer songwriter was elemental in bring rock and electrified sounds to Turkey. He was one of the first musicians to play rock music in the country, playing covers of Elvis Presley and Fats Domino in the late 1950s. Along with all that, Koray was an early adopter of electric guitar and modern amplification in Turkey. Turkish psyche and Anatolian rock would probably taken a different course without his influence. Arap Sa is a collection of singles that was originally compiled and released in Turkey in 1976. Much of Koray’s 60s and 70s output was released on 7″ singles, so Arap Sa was the first time that much of his psychedelic output was available together. There are more than twenty tracks in all, many of them combine the snaky folk melodies of Turkey with the electrified sounds of 60s and 70s rock. This was seriously groundbreaking material when the music was initially released. The record labels were not prepared for it, but Koray’s audience ate it up. Essential material for any self respecting psyche collector.

• music label: Pharaway Sounds 2013

reviewed by Seor Sueo Latino 03/2015