oh hello, istanbul. really nice to meet you. you were utter chaos at times, whether through insane driving and motorcycles everywhere, even in the narrowest of cobblestone pedestrian streets, the music, the sound of people, you were intense. visually, it is absolutely crazy. this may sound like a weird comparison, so hear me out, but a lot of the streets reminded me of tokyo in japan. to those whove been to both, don’t those narrow streets around the grand bazaar or kadıköy remind you of those areas around sinjuku and shibuya or wards like shihimokitazawa? it’s the vibrant, overwhelming and colourful advertising, the life i saw in restaurants and bars, the football that was on tv, the chaotic energy on the busy streets, a lot of tourists included in that. which is a little surprising given the time of year. it was really cold and rainy too. i went between the 8th and 16th february. the wednesday that week was the absolute worst. soaked through all three layers i was wearing, the rain was non-stop. it’s not the most welcoming city in the world – some interactions i’ve had with locals have been a bit tense and weird at times, but i attribute that to it being a mentality thing. coming from eastern europe myself, i’ve been used to slightly more aggro behaviour – you can’t compare interactions to those in london, for instance. it’s miles different, and that was interesting to experience.

a few photos of the trip itself:

a lot of the time, just sightseeing and going to restaurants is enough for me to enjoy my time. i seek joy in the simple things and had a lot of fun being stimulated by all senses during the trip. the chants amplified from mosques gave me chills. it sounds so pure and soulful and was just so hypnotic to listen to as i was walking around. the sounds of cars, people, drivers, shouting, etc. the heartbeat of the city was very loud, and it was something i needed to get used to despite living in london.

in terms of music, i went to a few record shops including rainbow 45 records and outro record store, both located in kadıköy on the asian side of the city. in the former store, i got the following records:

from left to right:

miskinler – duy beni / kervansaray (tarla records / rainbow 45 records)
a cool 7″ 45 with two explosive singles that came out december 2024.

crystal waters – gypsy woman (la da dee) (a&m records)
1991 uk house classic, obviously not turkish but as soon as i saw it i thought, why the fuck not. will be one to dance to for years and years to come.

asena akan contempo – aşık (rainbow 45 records)
the guy at the record shop described this as a jazzy take on turkish folk songs, and it didn’t disappoint. sweet and soulful melodies that are often hypnotic and with an intensity to it that makes it incredible and engaging throughout. a real gem of a find, so thank you people at the record store! released 2024.

orhan gencebay – batsın bu dünya (kervan plakçılık)
incredibly groovy and funky 1975 turkish folk music from a turkish legend. this album is explosive incredibly soulful and beautiful, with some incredible engaging and fun moments. it’s something i’ll be playing on repeat for years to come i feel.

otherwise, i spent an evening at outro record store doing an nba quiz in turkish – something i just randomly became a part of not knowing about it in advance. and of course i did listen to some music as well, including the following:

oh and lastly, the cats! they were everywhere, and i had a few of them willingly come up to me to snuggle. a few images below:

so yeah, that’s pretty much it! it was an exhausting trip, i probably walked over 100km throughout the week, but it was so worth exploring such a massive and important city, both historically and culturally. i did get a chance to chill at a turkish hammam though, which relaxed my body in ways i haven’t felt in ages. it was like i had an edible, it was a proper body high for at least a few hours. 15-20 minute sauna, then a hair man foamed me to the top and scrubbed me like i’ve never been scrubbed before, and then another 15 minute cooling period, with snacks and tea afterwards. it was rewarding, but probably should have done that on the last day so i could feel somewhat refreshed for the week ahead.

until next time istanbul! thank you for the vibes! 🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷