Albums on Display

Attilâ Atasoy was one of the most interesting characters of the 70s, with his fringed leather vest, gold chain necklace, tight blue jeans and cowboy boots reminiscent of country singers. He was a powerful baritone, far from the typical Turkish appearance, not only with his clothes but also with his colorful eyes, blond hair and beard and broad forehead reminiscent of Chuck Norris.

By the 1980s, he was one of the singers we watched most frequently on TRT. In 1984, he was chosen as the "sexiest man" by Kadınca Magazine. His fifth album, "İmkânsız (Dreams and Memories)," consisting of 11 songs, released in 1989, represented his mature period. His original profession was a pharmacist; he owned a pharmacy in our neighborhood, Pangaltı. Although he entered the 1990s with a somewhat reclusive spirit, his heart always beat for music. The first pressings of this album were released on cassette and CD. Now, 36 years later, it has been reissued on vinyl for the first time (but with a different cover).

Produced by Orhan Topçuoğlu and arranged by Garo Mafyan, the album featured contributions from Bülent Tezcan, Sevingül Bahadır, and Sibel Tüzün. From pop to classical music to tango... "İmkânsız (Dreams and Memories)" is a beautiful collection piece for our musical history.

'DISCO FOLK FASIL-2' (MSS/ŞAHİNLER PLAK)

After the second half of the 1970s, arrangements combining Western instruments and sounds with local tunes increased. Anonymous works were often reinterpreted with guitar or Moog synthesizers. The most popular genre of these records was disco. The majority were produced with a commercial focus. However, there were a handful of very good ones. One of these was "Bizim Pop Fasılcılar-Disco Folk Fasıl-2," recorded under the arrangement and direction of Zafer Dilek, a musician from Adana who had migrated to Istanbul.

Recorded by Sıtkı Acim at Studio Hayri in 1979, this record is one of the finest examples of Zafer Dilek's musical approach and inspired artists like Garo Mafyan, Turan Yükseler, Yurdaer Doğulu, Cengiz Coşkuner, and Metin Alkanlı. Featuring 19 arrangements, each instrument was played by the masters of the period, and this is partly where the album's beauty lies. Featuring baglama (Turkish baglama) by Hamdi Özbay, bassist Mehmet Horoz, cura (Turkish drums) by Zeki Adsız, drums by Aykan Karataş, piano by Doruk Onatkut, and synthesizer and bouzouki by Uğur Dikmen, the album features a variety of masterful interpretations that have remained etched in our memories for years to come. "Disco Folk Fasıl-2" was reissued years later, remastered from the original analog master tapes.