New Zealand’s Longboss gets lost in Istanbul, and we reap the benefits.

In Turkey, following your nose seems to be a record digger’s prerequisite, as navigation is not easy. Signs in Cyrillic, old men nodding yes to turn left when they are really saying “wrong way son” and the labyrinthine side streets that record stores seem to be invariably be located all combine to make for an interesting experience and one not to undertake if you’re in a hurry.

Following your nose to find Istanbul’s Kurgu Books & Records means first locating the collection of pungent fish restaurants that street. The next step is to look for books, and lots of them. Finding Kurgu means traveling through Istanbul´s giant  book store arcade. Here, the volume of reading material  accumulated by owners literally spills out the doors of every stall. Obsessive compulsive collector types beware: you will get stuck here for a long time.

In amongst all this is the small but perfectly formed store of Yuksel Berksoy, Istanbul’s only serious stop for Anatolian musical treats.  Run by Yuksel and her two lovely daughters Bengi and Ozgu, Kurgu is an all woman musical operation. Combined with a hi-fi store (manned by the token bloke, Yuksel’s son) the Berksoy ladies have Istanbul’s second-hand music scene locked down.

I simply wanted to find the bin marked “Psychedelic Turkish rock 1976”  but it wasn´t until I got to Turkey that I realised the distinction between Anatolia and Antalya and understood there was much more than just the few names I’d heard of. Anatolia is basically the Turkish heartland, while the latter is the Mediterranean city. The music similarly had been a little misunderstood, but my subsequent travels and listening  revealed that 70s Turkish music spanned an incredibly diverse range, where traditional standards combine with Western covers, the pentatonic scales overlap with American funk and strange (to my ears) otherworldly Eastern instruments combine with fuzz boxes….awesome.

There was a nice selection of LPs however with Okay Temiz and Baris Manco’s prime LPs stocked at international prices it was 7”s in the tin box marked “Anatolian Rock” which grabbed me.  Over an afternoon of complimentary tea Yuksel and I worked our way through the music until I had around 15 pieces to  take back across the Bosphorus.

Worthy mentions should go to Defunkt music and others selling new and secondhand European releases, but if you are going to Constantinople for local flavours, head towards the books…

Kurgu Books & Records, Mesrutiyet Caddesi 18/38 Aslihan Pasaji, Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey

Within walking distance of Rare Groove, Revelation Time is a magical store that I’ll never forget. Its owner Eiji speaks fluent English, having previously lived in London and travels to Utrecht twice a year.

Eiji’s stock stands alone as being very Euro-centric but also accommodates a lot of US, Canadian, Bollywood and South American music. Whether it’s new age, Turkish, electronic, psych rock, Balearic or fusion, each category boasts deep knowledge. Even Theo Parrish, Harvey and the Idjut Boys have their own sections.

A quarter of the store specialises in roots, lovers’ rock and digital dancehall in bulk quantities of quality. Revelation Time sets the bar high, almost as if a board of directors had to rigorously judge each record before granting it entry. Just like in dreams, I found many long desired discs here as well as making many exciting new discoveries thanks to Eiji’s recommendations. Just ask him about Japanese new age, cosmic and psychedelic groove and again, allow lots of time for listening. Take a glimpse inside online with audio samples of choice cuts.

Revelation Time, NOA Bld, 4F-A, 4-9-5 Minamisenba, Tyuo-Ku Osaka-Shi, Osaka, Japan

Zzzzzoltan!! The best shop ever! This place was closed when I first got to Istanbul. When I came back two weeks later I checked again and lucky I did. I found everything I hoped for in the one crate. So happy. Was just pulling out stuff and quietly imploding with joy and elation. Okay Temiz, Özdemir Erdoğan, Mazhar ve Fuat, Elias Rahbani and more!

The dude who ran the place was so cool, very knowledgeable and has been the business for some time. Smoked cigarette after cigarette while popping on some crazy sounds. We just sat there and listened and chatted and smoked for ages. Think I was in the store for nearly 3 hours?! If I was there any longer I would have suggested getting some beers…

Zoltan Records, Caferaga Mahallesi, Sak ız Sokak 15/D Kadikoy Istanbul, Turkey

Whoa! Plakhane is a super nice store. Air conditioning, polished floor boards, great racks, listening table, sweet Turkish cuts! Thought I was never going to find it and had almost given up after a good half hour of fruitless laneway wandering, then I found it opposite a kind of car park.

The dude behind the jump was playing crazy records the whole time. He even picked out some funky Turkish jams for me after I asked him if he could recommend any.

Found a Turkish record here for a lovely price that was at the top of my wantlist. Happy customer! Recommended store.

Plakhane, Hocazade sokak 22, Beyoğlu Istanbul, Turkey

The guy at this store is so nice! He has been collecting and dealing for years and has many stories of his travels he’s willing to share over a complimentary tea.

I have fond memories of lying back on the steps in the store (that lead up to a small cafe), in awe of Baris Manco’s Sözüm Meclisten Dışarı LP as its next level jams tore through the killer sound system. A nice souvenir to take home and for a nice price and good condition – both rare features of Baris Manco records in Istanbul where the guy is a real legend.

Rainbow 45, Moda caddesi zuhal sokak 3/a Kadikoy Istanbul, Turkey

This one was tricky to find (though my internal compass is always off!) Apologies for the dud photos but I didn’t have my camera the first time I visited and when I came back, it was closed. At least we can show what the front looked like…

Nice set up in here. Well ordered, heaps of 7″s. Got that feeling where I knew there was hot stuff but I didn’t know how to locate it. There’s no actual listening station, just a booth set up behind the jump, a nice one actually. The guy asked if he could assist and I told him the things I was looking for.

He was happy to help and put records on while I kept looking. He was also more than happy to answer my questions about stuff. Limited English when it came to conversing but he let the music do the talking! Vintage Records is well worth a visit.

Vintage Records, Dr. Esat Isık Cd. 20 Kadikoy Istanbul, Turkey

Unfortunately the address for this shop is drawing blanks when I Google it. I stumbled upon this place so I didn’t have an address to reference in the first place. It’s near the other  record stores in Kadikoy so you could probably ask the staff for directions.

This shop really had everything. Killer stuff and all the classics. Only thing is, they knew what they had and a lot of the records were around $100. The store guys push stuff on you a bit and it’s like “oh nice, thanks but that’s a $200 record”. That said, I got a couple of nice ones for good prices and they have a lot of 7″s to go through. A really good store to go to if you know your Turkish stuff.

Plaçki Hamit, 45-33 Tas Plak, Kadikoy, Istanbul. (maybe)