| Mogollar  1967, Mogollar was formed as a reaction to such stagnation by musicians who had decided that it was time to stop imitating the music of the western world. Mogollar incorporated Anatolian rhythms, harmonies, and instruments into their music, which they dubbed Anadolu Rock. In 1971 Mogollar won the French Academie Charles Cros Grand Prix Du Disque (previously bestowed upon Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd) for their album Danses et Rhythmes de la Turquie D'hier A'Aujourd'hui.Mogollar disbanded in 1976, and the ensuing years of political turnoil and military coups in this Middle-Eastern country appeared to all but thwart what had been a thriving Anadolu Rock scene.However, three years ago, a series of newspaper articles in a leading Turkish newspaper requesting the band to reform, and seeking to inspire a new generation of Turkish musicians, prompted Mogollar to regroup. Their subsequent CD, Mogollar'94 (Berkay Müzik) proves the group has lost none of its fire. When they performed atop a 35-foot-high concrete stage before a crowd of about 1, 000 at an amusement park surrounded by rollercoasters, cotton candy vendors and fireworks-the scene was suitably dramatic. And Mogollar did not disappoint;they rocked out on tunes written by asik Veysel (a legendery blind troubador) traditional folk songs and their own material, particulary"Kesisleme", a scorching instrumental featuring Cahit Berkay on saz.Berkay also playing bowed tanbur and guitar (an instrument that he picked up in the early 1960s after hearing Hank Marvin of the Shadows). Bandmate Engin Yörükoglu is a master of the drums and darbuka, while Taner Öngür plays bass. These original members have been joined by 24-year-old keboardist Serhat Ersöz. | | View Mogollar web site | 16 October 2000 | |
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