-
Minor Empire - Fırat Türküsü
-
Minor Empire - Selânik Türküsü
-
Minor Empire - Bülbülüm Altın Kafeste
-
Minor Empire - Yüksek Yüksek Tepelere
Minor Empire
An electrifying new sound has exploded onto the Canadian world music scene. Toronto-based ensemble Minor Empire has released a debut album, Second Nature, that is deservedly creating a major buzz. The group has forged a style that is simultaneously contemporary and traditional, adventurous yet accessible.
Minor Empire is the brainchild of guitarist/composer/producer Ozan Boz and vocalist Ozgu Ozman. After mining modern, Western accented music in their earlier group, the trip-hop inflected Auxetic Pulse, this dynamic duo turned to the music of their homeland for fresh inspiration. Minor Empire and Second Nature is the superb outcome.
Ozan stresses that their style isn’t a fusion of Turkish and Western music, but the result of both a collision and confluence of these disparate elements. “I see them as coexisting together while keeping their original shapes,” he explains. “We definitely kept the original vocal melodies while fitting them into modern song forms we composed.”
The bulk of the compositions on Second Nature are based on traditional Turkish folk tunes. This material is given new and contemporary life by Boz and Ozman’s adventurous arrangements, Ozgu’s enchanting vocals, and the empathetic accompaniment of a stellar cast of supporting players. Montreal-based musicians Ismail Hakki Fencioglu (oud) and Didem Basar (kanun) and Torontonians Debashis Sinha (co-founder of noted indo-jazz band Autorickshaw, he plays darbuka, bendir, and asma davul) and Sidar Demirer (saz) excel on these traditional Turkish instruments, while internationally acclaimed Turkish-based clarinet player Selim Sesler guests on four songs.
Adding more contemporary sounds on, respectively, guitar and bass are Michael Occhipinti (NOJO, Sicilian Jazz Project) and Chris Gartner (TASA, Loreena McKennitt), two of the most respected Canadian jazz and world music players. The resulting album takes you on a fascinating musical journey, full of scenic sonic detours. Contributing to the record’s rich diversity is the fact that the music traditions revisited here come from all the different regions of Turkey.
The pair’s style as Minor Empire has evolved organically. Michael Occhipinti, a longtime friend, observes that “I think they have a great partnership in knowing what suits Ozgu’s voice and choosing the material around that beautiful instrument.” The gestation of the Minor Empire sound took place in Ozan’s own High Park Studios in Toronto. Boz had no hesitation in allowing these elite players creative freedom, and the results on Second Nature are warm and spontaneous sounding.
Reaction to Second Nature since its release has been wildly enthusiastic, beginning with the official CD launch with a full house at Toronto world music hub Lula Lounge. Alan Davis, head of Small World Music Society, wrote that “Minor Empire’s CD release concert was an impressive affair all around. Musically sophisticated and well-played, they also demonstrated their ability to draw the community and a broader audience together.” “I love how their sound blurs the lines between electronic and traditional Turkish music,” declared Errol Nazareth.Exclaim’s David Dacks called the record “a slinky, dub-y Turkish soup of knotty rhythms,” while The Whole Note reviewer Tiina Kiik called Minor Empire “a smart band creating intriguing sounds and melodies set to a backdrop of funky beats.”
Second Nature has received impressive airplay on CBC and college radio, and reached the No. 1 spot on world music radio charts earlier this year. Performances at such notable festivals as Luminato in Toronto, Sunfest in London, and The Markham Jazz Festival have shown them to be a simply dazzling ensemble onstage.
The freshness of the Minor Empire sound in part stems from the differing influences and inspirations of the two principals. Ozan cites ’70s jazz-rock fusion and Pink Floyd as early loves, while Ozgu names Ella Fitzgerald as her idol. “I loved how earthy she sounded. Turkish singers tend to sing from the head, but for me it had to be a chest voice, coming from the soul.” That voice suits the concept of Minor Empire perfectly, imbuing their material with real emotional resonance on such tracks as the mesmerising opener, “Yuksek Yuksek Tepeler” and “Divane Asik Gibi.”
Kerry Doole, 2011
Source: http://www.minorempire.net/page-1/
