Erkin Koray biographyA key figure in development in Rock (not just psychedelic or progressive rock) music in Turkey: Erkin Koray was born in June 25th, 1941 in Istanbul. His mother Vehice Koray was a tutor in Municipality Conservatory, in other words, Koray started music in his mother's womb.
Classical music developed the entire living at his home. He started to take piano lessons at 5, then he moves to guitar, probably because it is a more lively and active instrument. He and his brother Korkut Koray (who played drums in Erkin's various recordings, as well as a brief solo career, also in mainstream psychedelic style...) went through an intense musical training.
Koray meets Rock during his years in German High School. They start to play well-known rock 'n roll tunes with his friends. In this period, the one and only band making this kind of music in Turkey was Deniz Harp Okulu Orkestrasi (The Naval College Orchestra) ! While Koray and his friends had been carrying on their work, they come across a great opportunity: to have a gig in Galatasaray High School in 1957.
setlist of the concert:
1) Ain't That a Shame - Fats Domino
2) Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On - Jerry Lee Lewis
3) Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
4) I'm Walkin' - Fats Domino
5) Don't Be Cruel - Elvis Presley
The audience included Baris Manco (another important figure in history of Turkish rock music), who was a junior-high sophomore. Quite impressed by Erkin Koray and his friends, Manco dreams of the future times when he himself would give such gigs and goes on his musical studies. This gig also starts Erkin Koray's musical life.
His first single Bir Eylül Aksami (A September evening)/ It's So Long was recorded and released in 1962, while he was still studying in conservatory. After the school finishes, he gets drafted and serves in Hava Kuvvetleri Caz Orkestrası (Air Force Jazz Orchestra) in Eskisehir (a big city in central Anatolia). During this time he gets to know the Turkish folk ballads better and starts to interpret them with Western tunes.
After another single in the classic Rock & Roll vein two years later, released during his military service period, Koray went to Europe to investigate their culture and know their music better. When he returns three years later, he released Kizlari da Alin Askere (Draft girls to the army)/ Ask Oyunu (Love game), his first musical work incorporating Turkish themes, as well as hints of then-newly emerging psychedelia. The record, as well as his new physical look (with long hair, being among the first men in Turkey to wear it) reflected his interest in the hippie movement. Among his singles released during this time are a psychedelic interpretation of a Turkish instrumental folk tune, and a cover of Moody Blues' Tuesday Afternoon with Turkish lyrics. A year later he founded his band, which would accompany him for the next four years, and also gave evidence of the roots Erkin was trying to associate himself with. Even the band's name suggested Koray's and his friends' interests clearly: Yeralti Dörtlüsü (The Underground Four)! This band has always been his most famous band, having produced the most striking examples of psychedelic music in Turkey. The 8 singles he recorded with this band included Sana Birseyler Olmus (cover of Land of a Thousand Dances with Turkish lyrics), Ilahi Morluk (Divine purpleness), Senden Ayri (Away from you), Mechul (Unknown) and Gel Bak Ne Söylicem (Come, and I'll tell you something), all of which are psychedelic classics, and some of which are included in his concert setlist to this day.
After the dissolving of Yeralti Dörtlüsü, he brought together another band called Süper Grup (meaning supergroup, obviously!), which dug more into the psychedelic vein. The band included at least one ex member of Yeralti Dörtlüsü, and released only two singles, both of which featured tunes of two Turkish folk-arabesque songwriters, with whom Erkin Koray was very good friends at the time. Yagmur (Rain) had already been sung by the songwriter's then-girlfriend and was a major hit, but Koray's version made it a cult among Turkish rock music lovers. The composer of the other single Goca Dünya (Big World), Orhan Gencebay is probably the greatest name in the so-called arabesque music scene in Turkey. Right after dissolving Süper Grup, Koray set out yet another short lived band Ter with the ex-members of Bunalim, another important band in Turkish psychedelic-underground music scene. Despite the high hopes he had with this band, they could cut only one single, including another Gencebay song Hor Görme Garibi (and unlike the former one, already made a hit by Gencebay himself). Both tracks, despite being covers of folk-arabesque tunes, featured a heavy sound along with psychedelic influences. In fact, these tracks are probably the heaviest song produced in the entire '70's in Turkey!
Right after the release of Hor Görme Garibi, Ter and Koray split up and Koray's last single from Istanbul label was published (most probably because of a recording deal controversy, and out of outtakes from earlier periods). Side A of this single Mesafeler (Distances) is considered a psychedelic masterpiece to this day, and Koray usually included this one in his concert setlist, extending the duration by ten to fifteen minutes.
His next single (released in 1974) would be a very surprising one, actually hinted on its cover by a statement of him: Music is the nature itself, restricting it is a total mistake. Saskin (Slaphappy), set to the tune of a traditional Egyptian folk song Dabke, featured no rock instruments at all (not even Koray's signature guitar playing), and was in a folk-arabesque direction. Among the confusion of his fans and the music press, he released 4 more singles more or less in the same style, sometimes featuring little guitar & drum work bringing the song closer to rock. Right in the middle of these arabesque-folk records, he produced another heavy-psychedelic single, Krallar (Kings) featuring some musicians from Yeralti Dörtlüsü days. Also, during this time he produced his first non-compilation LP Elektronik Türküler (Electronic Ballads).
The album featured Erkin Koray in almost all melody instruments (guitar, baglama, piano, organ), Ahmet Güvenç, with who he worked in Ter, on bass, and his brother Korkut on drums. (Ahmet Güvenç would go on to join Baris Manco's band Kurtalan Ekspres shortly after this album, remaining until Manco's death in 1999, and keeping the band until recently) Despite the title, no electronic instruments as we know today were used, he probably meant electro guitar or electronic organ by that... The album was a very successful combination of European styled rock, specifically psychedelic & progressive rock (Elektronik) with Turkish folk (Türküler). It is considered a masterpiece to this day, and saw many legitimate and illegitimate releases (including a vinyl re-release made in late '90's, despite the fact that vinyl is no more a common music medium in Turkey).
After another handful of singles (all of which attempted to combine traditional Turkish music styles with rock, and mostly successful), he founded another band, Erkin Koray Ve, including another guitarist. This band also lasted only enough to make one album Erkin Koray Tutkusu (Erkin Koray Passion), another fan favorite. Featuring different musicians on most of the tracks (only two tracks featured the same line up with the previous album), the style moved closer to mainstream hard rock with a prominent psychedelic edge, but not totally abandoning Turkish folk sensibilities (in fact, one of the instrumental tracks was psychedelicized version of a very famous dance melody, mostly played in weddings). It also included two amazing improvisations, one with only drums & bass, the other with the entire band.
After the release of this album in 1977, Koray gave a long hiatus, going on to live abroad for five years, and rarely dealing with music. Only a demo tape including different versions of some of his earlier hits, along with unfinished versions of some tracks from his then-upcoming album exists from this time. This next album, Benden Sana (From Me to You), released in 1982, saw Erkin Koray experimenting with Indian music this time. It was recorded in Germany and Istanbul, with the help of Turkish and Indian musicians (with Erkin playing all melody instruments, along with bass), and included remakes of two of his earlier hits (he would continue this remake tradition in the years to come).
Mid eighties saw Erkin Koray moving into more mainstream territory (like many of his musical contemporaries), and there's hardly anything worthy of attention after 1983's Illa ki (a Turkish expression meaning absolutely, in any case). This album also included two remakes from his pre-Yeralti Dörtlüsü early psychedelic period, the songs being fuller with rich arrangements (including vocoder and harmony vocals). Again, playing almost all melody instruments himself (with the exception of baglama, played by a master of the instrument this time), he moved one step forward to the one-man-band format, which would be his trademark in the '90's.
After releasing less than mediocre albums in mid to late '80's, and a one-man-band live album in 1991, he made a comeback with Gün Ola Harman Ola (a Turkish idiom roughly meaning Tomorrow is another day) in 1996. The line up featured his old friends from Yeralti Dörtlüsü and Ter days. There is little progressiveness, but musicianship is top notch.
Along with the ongoing concerts (sometimes all by himself, with the help of a synthesizer having a rhythm-box, sometimes with backing musicians on bass & drums), he went on to produce yet another album in 1999, which remains his latest to this day. Devlerin Nefesi (Breath of the Giants) is his ultimate remake album, more than half of the tracks being new versions of old hits or obscure classics. The arrangements are in a more progressive vein, though, so prog enthusiasts will definitely find something to like (even some ambient soundscapes, a very unlikely style for Erkin Koray).
Since then, there have been rumors of a new album, but unfortunately nothing materialized yet. He's still active, making gigs every now and then, but all fans are waiting for yet another comeback from him.
Suggested albums:
Erkin Koray (singles compilation made by his former record company in 1973. Re-released with bonus tracks, also culled out from singles of the same period, by World Psychedelia in 2006)
Elektronik Türküler (1974)
Erkin Koray Tutkusu (1977)
Benden Sana (1982)
Illa ki (1983)
Tek Basina Konser (live - 1991)
Devlerin Nefesi (1999)
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