Albums on Display - August 24, 2025
Anıl Piyancı, a 1990s-era Izmir native, grew up in the meeting place called Kareler on the Karşıyaka coast. He's from the generation that became rappers after listening to Eminem in middle school. He's done graffiti, written lyrics, and developed his skills through studio recording. He's also a prolific brand builder.
A positive personality who loves duets. The female accompaniment on her latest album, "Paradigma," featuring Zeynep Yavuz, Anse, Eylül Piyancı, and Ceren Devrim, are all excellent choices.
This 14-track album marks a new chapter in Anıl's career. It's not strictly a rap album; its production is quite broad. It straddles the intersection between pop-rock and rap, even American Arena Rock, AOR, and pop-rap. Anıl loves hard-hitting guitar riffs and melodies, and he uses them extensively, while also making good use of quiet, gentle passages that breathe life into the songs. The tracks are dramatic, creative in their format, and instrumentally rich. The lyrics are narrative-driven, subtly drawing social lines into individual issues.
"Paradigm" is both a summary of what Anıl has left behind and a harbinger of a new path to follow. Stylish, bold, and with his sights set on the top...
The Yürüyen Merdiven duo, comprised of pianist Yiğit Özatalay and drummer Mustafa Kemal Emirel, has been steadily progressing for over 20 years. Their new album is a recording of a concert they gave two years ago, in 2023, at the Italian Cultural Institute.
In the concert, the duo is fronted by a magnificent soloist, Italian singer Mercedes Casali. The three musicians have performed extensively in Turkey and Italy since 2014. Naturally, their familiarity with each other means that the recordings don't sound like a concert with guests, but rather as if they were all members of the ensemble. They created the arrangements together. From Domenico Modugno to Eden Ahbez, Ennio Morricone to Silvio Rodriguez, Otis Redding to Vinicius de Moraes... The repertoire consists of Italian standards, South American songs, American jazz standards, and Yiğit's own compositions. The songs are in Italian, English, Turkish, and Spanish, as well as lyrics...
They interpret the tracks with even more passion and inner emotion than the originals. They add so much of themselves, giving them a completely different spirit and breath. There's no space between the Tetris pieces; they all fit together tightly. A pristine, sparkling recording; atmospheric and mysterious...
Cumhuriyet
