Album Notes

Since releasing its debut recording, “Second Nature,” in January, Toronto ensemble Minor Empire has been drawing raves for a scintillating soundscape of psychedelic rock, electronica, jazz & traditional Turkish music.

Not only has “Second Nature” reached number one on several world music radio charts, but CBC Radio and Toronto Sun music columnist Errol Nazareth noted that “the CD marks an important way forward for Turkish and world music, in general.”

What immediately captivates you is the voice of lead singer Ozgu Ozman, which has been described as “delicate and mysterious,” and “both sexy and serpentine, but never outlandishly so”. Then there are the guitars: “ominous and psychedelic”. Errol enthuses, “I love how their sound blurs the lines between electronic and traditional Turkish music. I like how textured and trippy it is.”

The sound on the CD belongs to Ozgu and fellow transplanted Turk Ozan Boz, who recruited some of Toronto’s top world music & jazz players (Michael Occhipinti, guitar; Chris Gartner, bass; Debashis Sinha, percussion) along with a couple of virtuoso Turkish-Canadian musicians from the Montreal area (Ismail Hakki Fencioglu, ud; Didem Basar, kanun). With such a stellar lineup, what you get is “a slinky, dub-y Turkish soup of knotty rhythms, largely unsweetened. The atmosphere is successfully dreamy without being wan and its sunny moods aren't cloying. Best of all, this disc makes you want to check them out live.” (David Dacks, Exclaim).

--- Sunfest