hayvanlar alemi: twisted souvenirs

Hayvanlar Alemi, led by Ozum Itez (guitar) and Isik Sarihan (percussion), are a group of contemporary musicians from the underground scene of the Turkish capital, Ankara. Their genres are extraordinary psychedelic, surf, and instrumental rock, flavored with an exotic twist. They released some domestic CDs in Turkey before their international debut came out on Alan Bishop's and Hisham Mayet's Sublime Frequencies label in 2009. Guarana Superpower sold out in only a few weeks. Twisted Souvenirs documents their fast-paced development into an elegant, highly complex, genuinely performed mélange of the most exotic possible influences. They position themselves close to their roots but open up at the same time to influences from the East and West and beyond. Reminiscent of Sun City Girls' Torch of the Mystics phase, influences from Cambodian retro-rock and electrified Thai Mor-Lam are as deeply anchored in their sound-carpet as the glittering guitars from the Sahara. Hybrid music galore. "Karecikler Dolmadan," once the intro to their recent live sets, becomes the centerpiece to this album. "Yekermo Sew," a careful new interpretation of the Mulatu Astakte classic, and "Geneva Incident" are highlights amongst an album where each and every song is unique and recognizable. With a steady hand, Hayvanlar Alemi put pieces together from global sounds to make this album a perfect entity. Limited edition pressing of 750 copies.