A London-based Anglo-Turkish collective consisting of singer and darbuka player Semra Bulut, electronic arranger and drummer Phil Seddon, and quarter tone electric guitar player Dave Adams, Zelt are new to our blog thanks to their album, Istanbul’u Dinliyorum.
By Graeme Smith
2024 was a big year for Zelt, seeing them opening for Sheherazaad in London on her debut European tour after being personally invited by her. They also released their debut album as a trio, Istanbul’u Dinliyorum.
The album features original compositions and radical reworkings of Turkish, Palestinian, and Georgian folk songs, inspired by the unique collision of cultures where Europe and Asia meet, particularly the city of Istanbul.
You get an immediate sense that you’re in for something different through album opener Heydar. Semra’s vocal delivery is almost rap-like in the verse before become soaring and expressive in the chorus. The track is Zelt’s take on a traditional Kurdish Alevi mystical folk song with by 17th century poet, Kul Nesimi, but that’s the only thing traditional about it. An electronic arrangement gives it a modern, almost futuristic, edge.
Ben Gidermin Batum’a takes us to Georgia with its reworking of the tale of love and war. There’s a wonderfully militaristic feel to its driving percussion, and tight, tense instrumental arrangement. Asfur is thematically linked, as it’s a track written by Lebanese musician Marcel Khalife about the imprisonment of the Palestinian people. It’s a slow and soulful lament.
Buduk, sees the tempo slowed during a contemplative moment. Written by Semra’s friend and writer Mustafa Küz, it was gifted to her on a piece of wood. Ayva Çiçek Açmış takes lyrics from a traditional folk song from Semra’s home region of Thrace to give us a lively moment that would fit nicely on a Tarantino soundtrack. Uzun Ince Bin Yoldayim is a classic Turkish poem by Aşık Veysel. Zelt’s take sits nicely alongside Ayva Çiçek Açmış with its film-noir and spaghetti western instrumental elements.
Finally, İstanbul sees us travel to the heart of Turkey, with Semra reciting a poem by Orhan Veli Kanık. It’s a slow-burning number that will really transport you, bringing in some last minute elements of post rock.
I’ve never seen traditional folk of any kind given this sort of treatment, and reworking these folk songs and poems from Europe’s east and Asia’s west really shines light on a region that’s often overlooked by us here in the UK. As educational as it is an album, it’s also a vibrant wonder which will get you moving. I’m so glad to have discovered it.
Istanbul’u Dinliyorum is out now, available on limited edition 180g vinyl via Bandcamp. You can give it a listen below.
