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CVRTOON is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most interesting Turkish electronic music artists ever, able to revitalize even Ottoman melodies
Fundamental clarification
CVRTOON is an incredible artist and for this reason I wanted more than ever to let you know, however a fundamental clarification must be made to make you enjoy his music to the fullest: some songs may not be “always suitable”. In fact, CVRTOON mainly picks up songs with a strong nationalistic connotation and / or with a great military tradition in the Ottoman army before and in the Turkish army today, consequently, although there is no words, they are not the best for your Greek friend to listen to or Armenian. However, it should also be noted that Turkey is one of the countries with the most nationalistic history and setting ever and CVRTOON is not the one that exasperates this aspect the most, even if its artistic production takes full advantage of that cultural universe. However, I guarantee you that the rhythms and sounds are so beautiful and engaging that, with this premise, you can really enjoy them to the full.
CVRTOON history to date
Unfortunately, there is little information online about the artist himself: his real name is Abdullah Babayiğit, he comes from Ağrı, a town in the far east of Turkey, he has been making music since 2008 and, in addition to the CVRTOON project, he also founded Saruhan Music LLC . In addition to this there are no other details, but it is not necessary, his music speaks in need of words. Its sound in fact takes up the ancient popular melodies during the Ottoman Empire, revitalizing them with the new tools and possibilities provided by electronic music, providing the listener with an unparalleled journey within its extraordinary potential. Many of the songs of the past, such as those of music dabke, were in fact created with the precise aim of facilitating some kind of movement and, for this reason, under this new interpretation they can be extremely satisfying even for an audience more linked to the world of discos, rather than just fans of the Ottoman world. . The almost total absence of words, then, facilitates the enjoyment of the songs even more, simplifying listening even to those who want to understand what they are listening to.
CVRTOON’s journey (at least as regards the official contents uploaded to Spotify) begins in 2018 with the song “AK47“, published together with his fellow countryman Onur Koç, will also publish in the same year”Palace of Kings” with TCHUTCHU, “Kobra” and “Jalallah“. But 2019 will give him his first great success thanks to”Operasyon“, followed closely by”Kahraman V2“, “Üsküdar“and the other two great hits of that year, both reinterpretations of Turkish classics:”İzmir Marşı” and “Zahit bir tan eyleme “. The following year the first and to date only song album is released,”Yanki“, which goes back to the military sounds seen in” Operasyon “, present in the collection. In 2020 they also come out:”Cengi Harbi“, “Deniz üstü köpürür“, “Şeyh Şamil” and his greatest success, “Plevne“, a reworking of the famous” Plevne Marşı “, also known as” Osman Paşa Marşı “. In 2021 it has finally already published”Ankaranın taşına bak” and “Harb-i Umuniye“.
The revival of Ottoman-Turkish music
Those who follow me will have understood by now: when traditional music regenerates I am always happy and when everything is good I am even more so. CVRTOON has in fact the incredible merit of having brought back to life many melodies that we were used to hearing only during historical re-enactments or concerts of old Turkish music, giving them a new and decidedly more international look. Unlike many of the “starting tracks”, which are objectively too far from the present, these are perfect both as a soundtrack during your solo walks and for having a nice background while enjoying a bit of Turkish çay.
If you are passionate about the Ottoman world, then, it can be a brilliant stimulus to take your mind to travel far, trying to imagine yourself in the presence of one of the greatest empires in history. Finally, if you are passionate about Turkish music, you could try to go back to the original songs, thus expanding your knowledge of Turkish music and people.
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