Doğu Ekspresi

The border town of Kars in the far north-east of Turkey holds a special allure in the Turkish imagination. The title of this album is taken from the legendary Orient Express that takes a reputed 26 hours to travel 1,001 miles from the capital Ankara to Kars, like a mythic machine of fairytale. Orhan Pamuk set his unnerving novel Kar (Snow) in the town, an end-of-the-line, remote and slightly unknowable place, hovering between cultures. The kind of place that creates people like musician Metin Demiral, who founded the band Café Türk in the early 80s after moving to Switzerland. Their 2020 self-titled double album on Zel Zele Records became a cult hit, mixing disco, rock, new wave and reggae with Turkish sounds. After a long hiatus, this new release from the group seethes with a hypnotic drive, reflective of a long-distance train journey, with effortlessness and an ear for the perfect hook, taking in electronic dance, jazz and epic psychedelic guitar breaks.