mondo pop 5

Our cover star this month is the utterly fabulous Gaye Su Akyol, the breakout artist from a clutch of really exciting new Turkish singers and bands. Like many of her compatriots, Gaye mixes vintage Western psych-rock influences with contemporary Turkish folk sounds, in what is a very 21st Century musical melting pot.

Described as the ‘most courageous artist in Turkey’ in the Guardian, she uses her creative platform to question the authoritarian Erdogan government, and she’s had lyrics questioned by the police for her political content. But she remains unbowed, the standard-bearer for a movement for change. All this, and some fantastic tunes to boot. It’s no wonder she’s getting noticed in the Anglo-American press and breaking out beyond her homeland.

This month’s Mondo Moment features an amazing new release on the Habibi Funk label, a lost folk-rock album from Lebanese artist, Issam Hajali. As well as that, we’ve got some Congolese rap, some Creole language indie-rock and an incredible Mariachi band Beatles cover!