Avaz is the third album by the Turkish band Replikas.
Spending a lot of their early career in dingy backstreet venues of Istanbul, Replikas - âÂÂgreat Beyoglu hopesâ (the Wire, UK) â have never taken much notice of the mainstream making so much noise around them or tried to make themselves easy to classify. In a country where popular musicians face challenges when trying to stand out, Replikas have made a unique name for themselves.
Taking inspiration from Avant- and Kraut-Rock, and adding Turkish elements with bits of traditional or cultures spices, their new album Avaz has a new bounce and, compared with their previous two post-punk/noise albums, a return-to-roots feel. Perhaps this is best seen in the raw reworking of ÃÂmür Sayacñ, a song which appears on their previous album [Dadaruhi].
Producer Wharton Tiers (Sonic Youth, Glenn Branca, Dinosaur JR and White Zombie) has taken their material born in those crowded cellar bars and helped shape and guide their back-to-basics direction: guitars sound like guitars, electronics gain personality, and vocals are perfectly placed in a design where carefully constructed sound allows for wide open musical spaces.
Cult, alternative, underground, Avaz presents a myriad of new sounds which will be enjoyed not only by fans, but by a wider audience ready to seek out the cutting-edge creative voices of Istanbul.