Compilations and classic songs that put you in mind of the city, from Traveler’s city playlist.
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Compilations:
Homegrown Istanbul by Various Artists
Ethnic compilation by celebrated musicians Burhan Öcal, Mercan Dede, Cahit Berkay, and others.
İstanbul Senfonisi by Various Artists
Nostalgic five-CD set featuring classical Ottoman and Sufi instruments: tanbur (lute), reed flute, zither.
Sevin Gayrı by Şükriye Tutkun
Şükriye Tutkun’s unforgettably pure vocals. Classic folk songs.
Bergama Gaydası by Laço Tayfa
Laço Tayfa's jazz renditions of Aegean, Thracian, and other regional folk songs.
Seyahatname by Mercan Dede
Sufi-techno fusionist music. Haunting ambient melodies in syncopated oriental break beat rhythms.
Dünya Yalan Söluyor by Mor ve Ötesi
Mor ve Ötesi’s dream-pop, alternative rock. Voted “Best Turkish Rock Album Ever” by Turkish music magazine Blue Jean.
Rapstar by Ceza
Top Turkish rapper Ceza. Ranges from breakneck verbal gymnastics to infectious 9/8 gypsy beats.
Ruhani Oyun Havaları/Psychebelly Dance Music by Baba Zula
Psychedelic oriental funk.
Kıvır by Sellam
Darbuka (goblet-shaped hand drum) rhythms for belly dancing.
Classic Songs:
From nostalgic ballads and rap to a jazz remix of a folk tune about an Istanbul neighborhood, the city’s indelible effect is captured in memorable melodies.
- “Istanbul” by Marc Aryan
- “Freeway to Üsküdar” by Brooklyn Funk Essentials with Laço Tayfa
- “The Gates of Istanbul” by Loreena McKennitt
- “Istanbul Uyurken” (“While Istanbul Sleeps”) by Agricantus
- “Bu Sabah Yağmur Var Istanbul'da” (“This Morning Istanbul is Rainy”) by MFÖ
- “Bana Bir Masal Anlat Baba” (“Father, Tell Me a Story”) by Yeni Türkü
- “Istanbul'da” (“In Istanbul”) by Mirkelam
- “Istanbul Hatırası” (“Istanbul Memory”) by Sezen Aksu
- “Istanbul Istanbul Olalı” (“Since It Became Istanbul”) by Hüsnü Şenlendirici
- “Istanbul” by Ömer Faruk Tekbilek











