Babylon Bar Vol.III, the latest double CD compilation album release of Lola’s World Records label features 34 songs culled out by DJ Gülbahar Kültür from a musical climate where the East and the West flirt to create top notch songs. Composed of two CDs called 1001 Feelings and 1001 Mirrors, Babylon Bar Vol.III is a heavenly travel with excellent music through 1001 feelings of the heart and 1001 reflections of the truth.
1001 Feelings, the first CD opens with the sublimely beautiful title Rain from Stephan Micus, the musician and composer whose transcultural music vision develops fresh musical possibilities with traditional instruments and musical techniques, many of which are unknown in the Western world. The second track is an amazing interpretation of Erik Satie’s Gnosienne No.1, inspired by the charming city of Istanbul: La Flor de Estambul by Javier Rubial, the Spanish musician and songwriter highly considered for his vocal talents and for blending different music styles of Flamenco, Jazz and Maghreb. Mich Gerber, the man who changed the role of double-bass moving it from its place at the back of the stage to up front playing it as a lead instrument while forming a solo acoustic 'bass orchestra' with a sense of fusion that excels over the bridges of classical music, avant-garde experiences and the contemporary, takes part in the album with his title Siren’s Call arranged by DJ Arkin Allen aka Mercan Dede, the famous fusion-maker of traditional acoustic Turkish and other oriental styles with electronic sounds. Blindnote, constituting of six Belgian based musicians who take their audience on a musical trip with unique sounds of traditional instruments and inspiring rich vocals that are stripped of visual stimuli enchant with the hauntingly beautiful sounds of “the duduk”, an ancient woodwind instrument, in the title Chiraki Par. Nancy Ajram, the multi-platinum Lebanese singer and Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF of many chart-topping titles plays her part in Babylon Bar Vol.III with an impressive, sentimental song: Enta Eih.
Cibelle, the Brazilian singer and songwriter celebrated for her angelic singing, is the first performer of 1001 Mirrors, the second CD of Babylon Bar Vol. III; in an ultimately neat fashion, she sings Tom Waits’ tender song Green Grass for the album. Kari Bremnes, the moving voice and great musician from Norway caresses the souls with her title Birds while Marina Celeste, the lead singer of the famous French collective Nouvelle Vague, goes cheeky in Accroc aux Bimbos with her idyllic voice coming from a far-away dreamland. Fatoumata Diawara, the Malian musician particularly noted for her distinct sensuous voice sings a soothing, truly beautiful love song: Kanou. Many more surprises follow with artists like Sussan Deyhim, the Iranian artist standing at the forefront of experimental music internationally for more than two decades; musician and tabla player Talvin Singh known for creating an innovative fusion of Indian classical music and drum’n’bass, and Marc Almond who will make you smile with his nostalgic, enigmatic song.
In Babylon Bar Vol.III DJ Gülbahar Kültür discovers new names from Turkey like Çiğdem Erken, Mabel Matiz and Bilal Kahraman, all three of which are promising musicians of remarkable talent. Two tracks come with lyrics written by Gülbahar Kültür, the compiler DJ herself: Elde Var 0 performed by Tansiyon Sequenz @ 1001 Feelings and Tricolor performed by Alexandro Fernandez Lecce @ 1001 Mirrors.
The album is a symbol of a universal dream-come-true: perfect harmony full of inspiration between the peoples of the world.
