Local Sound, Local Scene: Karga Art, Kadiköy Scene Case

Abstract

The term, “Local Sound”, has generally been used for cities and for ‘sub-cultural’ areas in the study of the term 'scene'. Local culture, identities and musical creations are cumulative and depend on socialization of communities. In this study, we will examine Kadikoy Karga Bar and artistic activities of the bar based on the term 'local sound'. We decided to study on local sound after reading Sara Cohen’s, 'Scenes'article. She examines, local musical cultures around her Liverpool scene study. Some conditions, which take place in the article are, production, organization, different identifications, communities and sub-cultural factors that affect local cultures and local sounds. We wondered, if it is possible to insert the same sound localization to Istanbul and see if it has a sound in rock culture or any local sound in Kadikoy within this culture. In 90's, Istanbul has been separated in terms of location and subcultural groups and today, two areas, Taksim and Kadikoy, are still used by these groups and by industry, actively. For this reason we will analyze local sound of Kadikoy and formed identities around the Karga Art example. Karga Art can be worth studying since they prepare a program like an art center every month. They have two concepts, bar and live, in the same building. Do these concepts feed the local sound? Do they create a characteristic sound in Kadikoy? We interviewed with seven people from Karga Art, four of them are musicians who play in the bar and two of them are directors in Karga Art. Additionally, We interviewed one more person, a tradesman who lives and works in Kadikoy. Furthermore, We observed performance, schedule, music magazines and festivals of bar. Our purpose is to show local sound's meaning does not only lie in musical and stylistic unity, but also in living together with communicational socialization and question what terms we should use instead of the term “sound”, at the end of this study.