Regarded amongst hardened collectors of Anatolian rock as The Daddy of all Turkish rarities, Gençlick Ile Elele simply has to be heard to be believed and even then it's still literally unbelievable. Is this record for real? Either these guys had time-machines or DJ Kool Herc had secret Eastern connections. If a box of original copies of this seldom-sighted album had made its way to the South Bronx in the late seventies then Mustafa Ozkent would be sharing throne space with other ultimate breaks and beats such as Michael Viners 'Incredible Bongo Band', Funky Drummer and Johnny The Fox bringing modern record collectors new found Turkish obsession forward by some 20 years.

Gençlick Ile Elele was recorded in 1972 for one of Turkey's more obscure bespoke record labels, 'Evren' records, who were keen to experiment with new developments in stereo reproduction for a commercial market. Mustafa Ozkent had a good reputation amongst forward-thinking studio engineers and was respected for his work as an arranger with an open mind and wealth of unique musicians at his disposal. On request of Evren bosses, Ozkent embarked on his first self-penned LP which would test the boundaries of the new sonic medium by creating a lively and futuristic rhythmical pop sound.

When recording Gençlick Ile Elele, Ozkent enlisted the services of 'Evren' hammond organist Umit Aksu who would inject Hawkshaw style Champ-vamps throughout the LP while a young Cahit Oben would accompany Mustafa on a second guitar to secure some heavy Anatolian-psych interplay begging comparisons to that of Micky Karoli from Krautrockers 'Can' (albeit in a slightly less teutonic environment). The utilisation of twin drummers and a percussionist who would play long rhythmical passages without accompaniment would also explain a secure future audience amongst DJ's who were lucky enough to track down the original LP.

Remastered using the original stereo mastertapes, Gençlick Ile Elele is the one Turkish record with a Chimp on the sleeve that you need in your collection!

Packaging & Liner Notes
CD: Standard jewel case.

LP: Standard Sleeve. Limited Edition.