Drawing their inspiration from the vast ocean of Turkish music, Melbourne based group Bashka are creating a new genre which slips between east and west with natural ease. 

Musically spanning two continents and many centuries Bashka is about the contrast between east and west, composed and improvised, original and traditional, acoustic and digital. Created late 2014 by Murat Yucel and Alisha Brooks (Unified Gecko, Baro Banda) both of whom have toured extensively throughout Turkey, Europe and Australia, Bashka recently joined forces with ELFTranzporter they are well armed to create dancefloor madness, all the while remaining colored with microtones and unique rhythms. 

Their live performances are energized with a truly new sound combined with the delicacy of traditional Turkish instruments and master players. Live samples and loops merge seamlessly with ancient acoustic and modern western instruments to create music which brings to life old folk songs, gypsy ballads and dance music from the dirt streets of old Turkey.

 “Exotic and infectiously danceable”  -PBS radio 

Debut album “Fihi Ma Fihi”

The difficulty of categorizing this album is reflected in its title ‘Fihi ma Fihi’ which means ‘It is what it is’.  It is anything and everything between very traditional Turkish sufi sounds to gypsy electronica and beyond.

‘Fihi ma Fihi’ is a journey stretching from Turkey to Australia.  Produced in Melbourne and mixed in Paris it features over 30 outstanding musicians from Australia, Turkey, France and the UK. The thread of ancient music weaves throughout a distinctly modern and original sound and conjures images of far-flung places and the bands’ local stomping ground of Melbourne.

"...blur the arbitrary borders between ancient and modern musical forms."

Christopher H James- The Music

The Band…

Murat Yucel - Guitars, vocals, electronic soundscapes and beats
Alisha Brooks - Saxophones, flute and percussion
Elf Tranzporter - Emcee, vocals, beatboxing
Iskender Ozan Toprak - Baglama, vocals, Yayli Tambur, Kabak Kemane
Matt Stonehouse - Darbuka, Daff, Dhaolla, Req, Davul and various other frame drums