The Sound Vault

The Sound Vault

World Music

Arooj Aftab | Aey Nehin
A Grammy winner found her favorite song on Night Reign through an Instagram video of a Pakistani actress reciting an impromptu poem about waiting for a…
 • The Sound Vault
Janet & Jak Esim Ensemble | Yo Era Ninya
A five-century-old Sephardic love song about betrayal became Istanbul's most haunting preservation of Ladino culture through a fretless guitar virtuoso…
 • The Sound Vault
What Is World Music? Your Gateway to Global Sounds
What is world music? Beyond the problematic label lies a universe of authentic cultural sounds. Discover how to navigate global music traditions beyond…
 • The Sound Vault and Murat Esmer
Minor Empire | Dostum Dostum
Minor Empire's "Dostum Dostum" - how Istanbul's electronic music collective blended Turkish folk traditions with downtempo beats to create their…
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Le Trio Joubran | Masar 🇵🇸
Three Palestinian brothers built the first oud trio and created a track that stopped listeners mid-scroll, inspired by Mahmoud Darwish's poetry on their…
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#88 - Fungistanbul - Fungis
Fungistanbul’s “Fungis” - Three Istanbul musicians created a meditation on nature’s decomposition cycle using professional instruments in 2016.
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#86 - Erkan Oğur - Gnossienne No.1
Erkan Oğur transformed Erik Satie’s 1890 minimalist masterpiece into a microtonal meditation bridging French impressionism and Turkish maqam traditions.
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Essential Albums: Makis Ablianitis - Bahar
The Mediterranean album that proved world music could be both deeply rooted and completely borderless
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#65 - Hakan Türkürer & Ali Sural - Dem
Dive into “Dem,” a track where Hakan Türkürer’s production meets Ali Sural’s rhythmic bass in a poetic exploration of Istanbul’s electronic-world sound.
 • The Sound Vault and Murat Esmer
#55 - Makis Ablianitis - Bahar
A soulful composition that captures the essence of spring through enchanting melodies and intricate arrangements.
 • The Sound Vault
Estas Tonne | Message From the Stars
Estas Tonne’s “Message From the Stars, how a spontaneous soundcheck in Dublin during the 2022 Envision tour became a philosophical meditation asking…
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Yasmin Levy | Mal de L’amor
Yasmin Levy's "Mal de L'amor" - how a Jerusalem-born singer keeps 500 years of Sephardic tradition alive through a song of heartbreak and cultural…
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