2. Erkin KorayElektronik Turkler
I was playing a festival in Istanbul and asked Andy Votel and Dom Thomas if I should look out for any records while I was there. I got a bunch of records from shops, taking them to the counter where I was asked ‘do I want them with the picture sleeve or without?’ So I asked ‘what’s the difference?’ and it was half price without the sleeve! So I took them without the sleeves, which they removed and tried to chuck away into the bin, but I convinced them to keep the sleeves for themselves. Anyway, I got a bunch of records and many of them were incredible – I used to play and dance to them a lot. They’re really upbeat and vibrant with a brutal electric sass fizzing through them, with rhythms that were new to me and this whole new world opened up.
I got hold of this Koray album, which is really playful and has had a direct influence on me musically and maybe took me out of Anglo-American song writing [habits]. Although it engages with Anglo-American rock, it’s a unique album. It’s a parallel pop universe that we’re not exposed to. We’re more exposed to the music of the economic settlements of the post-second World War!
