Music Voyager: Turkey: Mystical Cappadocia

On this episode of Music Voyager we explore Turkey’s mystical side, from trance-inducing whirling dervishes and surreal landscapes to trippy Turkish Psychedelic Rock. Murat Ertel of the band Baba Zula describes their sound as “modern Istanbul space music” and he takes us on a road trip up the Bosphorus and back to the group’s explosively colorful studio located in a quirky artist’s community. Inspired by the influential Turkish Psych Rock sound of the 1960s, Baba Zula’s electric folk grooves underlay a visit to an Istanbul hookah bar and a trip down the rabbit hole to Cappadocia, home to some of the world’s most unusual geological formations. There we meet innovative clarinet player Serkan Çagri, experience a sensual belly dance demonstration, and dine on delicious local cuisine. We end our mind-altering journey soaring above Cappadocia’s legendary “fairy chimneys” in a hot air balloon.