İstanbul’u Dinliyorum

London-based trio ZELT bear more than a passing stylistic resemblance to Istanbul’s Lalalar, crafting tunes with a strong Turkish and North African influence presented through a brooding, electronic post-punk aesthetic. Drummer and electronicist Phil Seddon sets the mood with complex folk-dance rhythms and cavernous atmospherics, Dave Adams adds wonky quartertone-fretted electric guitar, and Turkish singer and darbuka player Semra Bulut provides wafting vocals both ethereal and urgent. They’ve been gaining a following in the capital through their boisterous live shows – and some of this energy burns through on the album. ‘Asfur’ starts off as a dreamy Anatolian ballad before mutating into sweaty drum’n’bass, and ‘Heydar’ has an infectious 3am acid house squelch. But there’s mystery too. ‘Budak’ has a deliciously Lynchian vibe with dreamtime, wafting guitar, sighing cymbals and mysterious, pleading vocals. This album would make a highly entertaining soundtrack to a late-night taxi ride around the city.