Turkish Disco: The Intersection of Anatolian Pop, Groove and Psychedelia

Abstract

This article aims to examine the genre of Turkish disco, with its local and global connotations. Using the theory of glocalization, the genre will be discussed as a means to understand current dynamics in the music industry. This research is a product of a discography survey and fieldwork consisting of extended interviews with DJs and musicians who were a part of the scene. What is labeled as disco music in Turkey, and what is referred to as 'Turkish disco' in the global music industry are, in fact, two different music cultures. The term's local usage refers to specific Turkish recordings from the late 1970s, in which various forms of Turkish art and folk music were reinterpreted, usually with Moog synthesizers. On the other hand, more recent connotations of Turkish disco owe much to DJs, and the digging, editing, and remixing culture of the 2010s. Coming hand in hand with the term Turkish psychedelic, many of these recent edits and remixes by DJs and producers were selected from the LPs and singles of the 1970s, which drew inspiration from pop, soul, folk, jazz, psychedelic rock, funk, and Anatolian pop. Thus, Turkish disco in the past decade has become an umbrella term for contemporary edits and remixes of the Turkish popular music of the 1970s. The reinterpretation of the forms such as Oyun Havası and potpori within the subheading of disco will be analyzed to understand the cultural aesthetics of taste and the political background of musical fusion.