Âlem

While Amsterdam-based sextet Altin Gün are known as 21st-century purveyors of Turkish psych-folk, their last album, Yol, released in February this year, marked a decisive shift away from the classic 70s sound, incorporating synths and drum machines for a more luxuriant, 80s dream pop feel. With this follow-up, they've burrowed even further in that direction with a suite of catchy tunes that pay homage to electronic pop music from the 80s and early 90s.

A handful of original compositions clearly demonstrate the fun they're having: the gentle reggae lilt of ‘Kisasa Kisas’ feels like the quintessential Euro-pop soundtrack to an endless, imaginary summer holiday. But it's their imaginative interpretations of Turkish folk standards that really stand out. ‘Badi Sabah Olmadan’ wraps electric saz and microtonal synth squiggles around a hypnotic bass squelch that feels like a Kraftwerk-inspired cousin of Donna Summer's ‘I Feel Love’; while ‘Çarşambayi Sel Aldi’ smothers gorgeously languid pedal steel guitar and Erdinç Ecevit's yearning vocals over a sparse rhythm track that nods to Marvin Gaye's ‘Sexual Healing’. The fact that these traditional songs feel so fresh is testament to both Altin Gün's cheeky creativity and the eternal appeal of the source material.