Mustafa Özkent is a Turkish musician, composer and arranger. Best known for his 1973 album, Gençlik İle Elele, he also earned a reputation as an in-demand session player, arranger, and producer, "creating music that fused psychedelic and pop/rock influences with R&B grooves and jazz-influenced improvisations."[1] He was referred to by Andy Votel as the "Dr. Frankenstein of Anatolian pop".[2]

Mustafa Özkent
OriginAnkara, Turkey
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • composer
  • arranger
  • producer
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1960–present
LabelsEvren

Biography

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Özkent started his professional career in the band the Teenagers in 1960. Embarking a career as a session musician and arranger, Özkent signed with Evren Records which was known for its high production standards and audiophile recording techniques. He started recording Gençlik İle Elele with a hand-picked team of musicians and released it 1973.[1] In 1975, he went to Belgium and the Netherlands to study music.[3] Later, he stayed musically active in Turkey, releasing solo records and producing music.[1]

In 2006, Gençlik İle Elele was reissued by British Finders Keepers record label, achieving rave reviews and commercial success. Following the success of the reissue, Özkent embarked a tour, performing the songs off the record on festivals such as Le Guess Who? and Europalia.[3][4][5]

Discography

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Releases
  • Gençlik İle Elele (1973)
  • Elif (1975)
  • Günün Sevilen Şarkıları - 2 (1992)
  • Mazideki Şarkılar - 1 (1992)
  • Dijital Gitar (2005)
  • Dijital Piano (2006)
  • Funk Anatolian (2017)
  • Psychedelic sampling (2021)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Deming, Mark. "Mustafa Ozkent". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  2. ^ "Anadolu pop'un Dr. Frankestein'ı Mustafa Özkent Babylon'da!". Radikal (in Turkish). 8 March 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Uzun Soluklu Bir Hikaye: Mustafa Özkent" (in Turkish). Babylon. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  4. ^ Kerr, David (1 July 2015). "Viet Cong, Josh T. Pearson and Mikal Cronin with Strings & Horns join Utrecht's Le Guess Who? 2015". The Skinny. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  5. ^ İzci, İpek (4 March 2016). "Mustafa Özkent: 'Dünyanın her yerinde plaklarım satıyor, Türkiye hariç'". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 1 August 2016.
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