Essential Albums: Moğollar - Anadolu Pop
Moğollar’s “Anadolu Pop” (1971) - the Turkish psychedelic rock masterpiece that won France’s Grand Prix du Disque and invented an entire genre.
The album that literally named a genre—how five Turkish musicians in Paris created the blueprint for Anatolian psychedelic rock.
Moğollar didn’t just make an album in 1971. They coined a term that would define Turkish rock music for the next fifty years.
Formed in Istanbul in 1967, the band spent their first few years releasing singles, trying to figure out how traditional Anatolian folk melodies could coexist with Western rock and psychedelia. They weren’t the only ones experimenting—Erkin Koray, Barış Manço, and others were all pushing in similar directions—but Moğollar were the first to make it work on album scale.
In August 1970, they left for Paris. Secured a deal with French label Guild International du Disques. Recorded their first major statement: Danses et Rythmes de la Turquie d’Hier à Aujourd’hui (Dances and Rhythms of Turkey from Yesterday to Today).
The album won the Grand Prix du Disque from L’Académie Charles Cros—the same honor previously given to Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, and Soft Machine. When it was released in Turkey, it had a different name: Anadolu Pop.
That name stuck. The genre was born.
The Story Behind Anadolu Pop
Formed at the end of 1967 with five young musicians, Moğollar were the original Anadolu psych originators. They were the first Turkish pop band who tried to blend the microtonal folklore and traditional instruments of rural Anatolia with Western pop and rock.
The band was founded by Aziz Azmet, Murat Ses, Cahit Berkay, Hasan Sel and Engin Yörükoğlu. In 1970, Hasan Sel was replaced by Taner Öngür, previously a member of Meteorlar (Meteors) and the Erkin Koray Quartet.
The label “Anatolian pop” was coined by Taner Öngür, the bass player of Moğollar. This wasn’t marketing speak—it was an accurate description of what they were trying to achieve. The synthesis of traditional Turkish folk music with Western rock structures, psychedelic production techniques, and modern instrumentation.
In 1971, having already released numerous singles, they secured an album deal with French label Guild International du Disques. Travelling to Paris that year, they recorded their first major statement, Danses Et Rythmes de la Turquie d’Hier à Aujourd’hui, a set later released in Turkey as Anadolu Pop.
The album was completely instrumental—thirteen tracks of delicately psychedelic folk instrumentals. Far less heavy than those of contemporaries like Erkin Koray, preferring gurgling hammond organs over Koray’s loud, fuzzy guitars. This approach made the album more accessible while maintaining its experimental edge.
The album won a prestigious French award – the Grand Prix du Disque from the L’Académie Charles Cros, an honour that had been won in the past by Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Soft Machine. Moğollar, and Anadolu psychedelic pop, had arrived on the international scene.
The Sound of Anadolu Psychedelia
Anadolu Pop works because it doesn’t sound like Turkish musicians trying to copy Western rock. It sounds like what happens when ancient Anatolian melodies meet modern production without either tradition dominating the other.
Essential Tracks:
“Haliç’te Güneşin Batışı” (Sunset on the Golden Horn) (Approximately 3:30) - An Anadolu psych classic which was first issued as the b-side to the ‘Ternek’ single in 1970, before being recorded again for the Danses Et Rythmes de la Turquie d’Hier à Aujourd’hui LP in 1971. A tense slab of roughneck psychedelia, the final breakdown of the original recording was sampled by none other than J. Dilla for the ‘Intro’ cut on Welcome To Detroit.
“Garip Çoban” (Lonesome Shepherd) (Approximately 3:00) - Written by Murat Ses, this track became one of Moğollar’s most enduring compositions, eventually being used in Sony’s PlayStation 3 “This is Living” advertisement campaign in 2007, proving the timeless quality of their sound.
“To a Clear Mind” (Approximately 4:00) - One of the album’s most overtly psychedelic moments, where traditional instrumentation meets effects and production techniques that put it in conversation with Western psych rock while maintaining its Turkish identity.
The album contains 13 delicately psychedelic folk instrumentals, which are far less heavy than those of contemporaries like Erkin Koray, preferring gurgling hammond organs over Koray’s loud, fuzzy guitars. While some of their other records do veer towards heavier psychedelic rock, “Danses et rythmes de la Turquie d’hier à aujourd’hui” is far more traditional and acoustic.
The production captures the microtonal nuances of Turkish folk instruments—the bağlama, the kanun—while integrating them with electric guitars, Hammond organs, and Western drum kits. It’s a delicate balance that Moğollar achieved better than anyone else at the time.
Cultural Context in 1971
Anadolu Pop arrived during a crucial period for Turkish identity and culture. Turkish society began to undergo significant cultural changes, including the growth of multi-party democracy. Young Turks were caught between tradition and modernity, East and West, and music became a way to negotiate that tension.
Turkish musicians regularly performed at competitive European music festivals. In 1964, Tülay German performed the song “Burçak Tarlası” at the Balkan Music Festival, in a bossa nova style, and became immediately popular. This success led to the newspaper Hürriyet organizing a “Golden Microphone” (Altın Mikrofon) competition, to encourage the development of new songs in Turkish blending folk tunes and Western style music.
Moğollar competed in this competition in 1968, coming in third with their song “Ilgaz.” But their real breakthrough came with the French album and the international recognition it brought.
The blend of modern rhythms and Turkish tradition was a hit, and the band actually achieved the top spot in the Turkish Hit Parade. More importantly, Moğollar remained at the center of the Turkish rock scene for decades (they even reunited in the 1990s), and played with stars like Selda Bağcan, Barış Manço, Cem Karaca, and Erkin Koray, and had an incalculable impact on the development of Anatolian rock.
The album’s success proved that Turkish music could compete on the international stage without abandoning its roots.
Why Anadolu Pop Is Essential
First, Anadolu Pop literally created a genre. The label “Anatolian pop” was coined by Taner Öngür, the bass player of Moğollar, one of the key bands of the movement. This wasn’t just an album—it was a manifesto that dozens of Turkish bands would follow throughout the 1970s.
Second, it established the template for how traditional music could modernize without losing authenticity. Anatolian rock, or Turkish psychedelic rock, is a fusion of Turkish folk music and rock. It emerged during the mid-1960s, soon after rock groups became popular in Turkey. But Moğollar were the first to achieve it at album length with international recognition.
Finally, the album’s influence extends far beyond Turkey. Through a discography analysis, it can be concluded that Turkish psychedelic became an umbrella term for Turkish popular music of the 1970s. When Western crate-diggers and DJs discovered Turkish psych in the 2000s, they weren’t just discovering great music—they were discovering a parallel rock history that had been happening simultaneously with Western psych, but completely independently.
The fact that J. Dilla sampled “Haliç’te Güneşin Batışı” for the ‘Intro’ cut on Welcome To Detroit proves the album’s reach across genres and decades. After a petition from their fanbase asked them to reform, they agreed to play a comeback concert in 1993. It was a huge success, and reunited, they went on to record some of their greatest work.
Essential Info:
• Release Date: 1971
• Label: Guild International du Disques (France), later Turkish releases on various labels
• Genre: Anatolian Pop, Anatolian Rock, Turkish Psychedelic Rock, Folk Rock
• Length: 13 tracks (instrumental)
• Key Tracks: “Haliç’te Güneşin Batışı,” “Garip Çoban,” “To a Clear Mind”
Musicians (1971 lineup):
• Cahit Berkay - Bağlama, guitar, kamancheh, mandolin, yaylı tanbur
• Taner Öngür - Bass
• Murat Ses - Keyboards, Hammond organ
• Engin Yörükoğlu - Drums
• Aziz Azmet - Vocals (departed before Paris recording)
• Note: The album was recorded as an instrumental work after vocalist Aziz Azmet left the band
Where to Listen:
• Bandcamp - Various reissue labels
• Spotify - Available under both “Danses et Rythmes” and “Anadolu Pop” titles
• Apple Music - Complete album available
• YouTube - Full album and individual tracks
• Physical: Original 1971 French pressing highly collectible, Turkish reissues available, Night Dreamer Direct-to-Disc vinyl (2020) features re-recorded versions • Discogs - Original and reissue pressings available
• Note: More than fifty years after first forming, Moğollar materialised in the Artone Studios to give a masterclass in fuzzed-out folklore and Turkish psychedelic roots for Night Dreamer’s Direct-to-Disc series
The Sound Vault Verdict
Anadolu Pop is that rare album that literally named a movement. At a time when cultural fusion often meant one tradition dominating another, Moğollar created something that treated Turkish folk and Western rock as equals in conversation.
This is essential listening not just because it’s great Turkish psych rock, but because it represents a parallel rock history that happened simultaneously with Western psychedelia but followed its own logic and aesthetics. When you listen to Anadolu Pop, you’re not hearing Turkish musicians imitating the West—you’re hearing what happens when rock and roll arrives in a place with thousands of years of musical tradition.
Led today by original member Cahit Berkay alongside original bass player Taner Öngür, and joined by Cem Karaca’s son Emrah, Moğollar continue to push their uniquely original brand of fuzz-scorched folk-rock and crackling Anadolu psychedelia forward into a new millennium.
Fifty-three years after its release, Anadolu Pop still sounds like a glimpse into an alternate timeline where psychedelic rock grew from Anatolian soil rather than California sunshine. That’s exactly what makes it essential.
Explore Further:
If Anadolu Pop resonates with you:
Erkin Koray - Elektronik Türküler (The heavier, fuzzier side of Anatolian psych)
Altin Gün - On (Modern Dutch/Turkish band reviving the Anadolu Pop tradition)
Selda Bağcan - Selda (Political folk-rock that defined Turkish protest music)
Thank you for bringing this to my attention — I’ve added *Anadolu Pop* to my playlist. I’ve recently started exploring the wealth of progressive and psychedelic rock that emerged across Europe and South America, and this fits perfectly into that journey. Your write-up opened another door into how deeply those regional scenes reinterpreted the genre rather than imitating it.
great read, great timing! you make this place beautiful, tebrikler!