Simurg

Simurg is the third album from Belgian psychedelic collective Compro Oro. The album is a collaboration between the group and Turkish musicians Murat Ertel and Esma Ertel. This partnership began in 2016 when the group's guitarist performed with Murat at Istanbul Express. The album is, they say, ‘entirely based on improvisation’ between the group and both collaborators. Though its conception is different to their last album, Suburban Exotica, they initiate a similar sonic pallet, comprising of fuzz guitars, marimba, drums, synths and electronics, but with the addition of Murat providing electric saz and Esma performing spoken word passages. It swings between guitar and saz driven psych-rock (‘Ben’), moody dub-esque moments (‘Murwur’) and avant-garde abstractions (‘Valley of Gossip’).

The album takes its name, Simurg, from an mythological Iranian bird, which is used as the conceptual framework for this project. It shows how the group still don't mind pilfering the folklore of cultures they are trying to evoke in an attempt to create their own mysticism. Murat and Esma provide the most memorable and captivating parts of the record. Their distinct musical voices enable narratives to be born – if the group were to allow them more space, these stories could be fully realised.