TURKEY AND ROCK MUSIC
(SEPTEMBER 12TH 1980)
It was September 1980…..With the decision of the military at one
night,may people were arrested starting with the members of the
government. Military was going to be the government starting from
that night. The chaos in the country could be recognized in all
areas of life both socially and economically.To this date people are
not sure if this was good or not but in a country with military
service as still an obligatory today it seems that most people are
still comfortable with this happening.. Military was good as a force
of defending the country but they were not good enough to manage the
country instead of the government who were chosen by the people. To
go outside at night was forbidden and nearly everybody was
questioned about their lives,including musicians,artists of all type
and the moviemakers. 16.000 people made to be out of border,lawsuits
were prepared for more than 300.000 people and 200.000 of them were
sentenced.At the end of the military regime there was a new
goverment elected with the heavy control of military.This new
government did not allow the artists and the educated people of the
country to talk about the realities.These people had to be the
victims of terrible political games in those days. They needed
people who do not talk,who do not think,who do not ask about
anything .This was strongly limited freedom for everybody in every
way.The life in Turkey got back more than 20 years with these..The
mivie industry was only making very low-quality erotic films and the
music industry was full of music called “Arabesque” with full of
stupid lyrics that did not lead anybody to think about anything
really.Pirate records sector was growing fastly and no vinyls could
enter the country.The bands of the 70s were forgotten easily,they
could not make people listen to them anymore and some of them was
trying to change their styles unsuccesfully.Although our
represantatives were always in the last 5 in Eurvision,it was the
most exciting musical event for everyone strangely. A huge amount of
immigration started from the South-east parts of the country to the
bigger cities especially in the north-west.These immigrants started
to take role in the music industry one way or antoher putting their
strength in full.Laws were not prıotecting the artists so at the end
the the art in the whole country faced the biggest fall.Istanbul was
like the Hollywood of America.It’s beacuse that the population
İstanbul is more than 18 million peopleHard rock and heavy metals
bands started as some underground acts towards the end of this
decade.There were very few places to give concerts.Media also did
not pay attention to this.The world was listening the music or
living with the Technologies of the 80s at those dates,but in Turkey
it was stil like the early 70s.Only the second hand shops helped
some few people to learn what was going on around the world
including music sector by selling some not very new magazines. Today
İstanbul has more then 250 music studios,this number was less than
20 in the 80s.Until the 90s some undeground hard rock bands and
heavy metal bands were the minor acts as rock music in the country.
It was the 90s which would introduce Punk Rock to Turkey and real
music was going to take back what was stolen from it!!......To be
continued............."
