Turkish psychedelia meets dub experimentations on Baba ZuLa's new album

“Psychedelic Istanbul rock ’n’ roll.”

Turkish band BaBa ZuLa are releasing a new album, titled Hayvan Gibi, via Night Dreamer this October.

Read more: Discovering Turkish psych cassettes with Grup Ses

Led by electric saz player Osman Murat Ertel, BaBa ZuLa was established in 1996 after experimental band ZeN broke up. Describing their sound as “psychedelic Istanbul rock ’n roll,” the group mix Anadolu psychedelia sounds with modern electronics and dub-inspired experimentations.

The album’s title – Hayvan Gibi – means ‘to act with the natural grace of an animal’, with each track named for a different creature and drawing on stories from both the past and BaBa ZuLa’s own history.

Hayvan Gibi was recorded direct-to-disk, and marks the sixth installment in Night Dreamer’s direct-to-disk sessions, following Emma-Jean Thackray’s Um Yang 음 양.

Head here to pre-order a copy in advance of Hayvan Gibi’s 2nd October release, check out the artwork and tracklist below.

Tracklist:

Side A

1. Kücük Kurbaga

Side B

1. Sipa (dub)

Side C

1. Kelebekler Kuslar
2. 4 Nal

Side D

1. Tavus Havasi
2. Çöl Aslanlari

Photo by: Elaine Groenestein