Artists
Minor Empire
Winner of the Canadian Folk Music Awards
WORLD GROUP OF THE YEAR
Minor Empire - Major Impact. That is what this brilliantly accomplished Toronto-based world music ensemble is now achieving.
Earlier this year, the group released their debut album, Second Nature. The reviews for the record have been wildly enthusiastic. Errol Nazareth (CBC Radio, Toronto Sun) called it "an important way forward for Turkish and world music, in general...," while The Whole Note's Tiina Kiik called Minor Empire "a smart band creating intriguing sounds and melodies set to a backdrop of funky beats."
Minor Empire is the brainchild of guitarist/composer/producer Ozan Boz and vocalist Ozgu Ozman. Inspired by the traditional music of their homeland of Turkey, they've forged a sound that is simultaneously contemporary and traditional, adventurous yet accessible. It represents a confluence of Turkish and Western musical styles. "I see them as coexisting together while keeping their original shapes," Ozan explains. Fleshing out his sonic vision is a stellar cast of musicians, including Ismail Hakki Fencioglu (oud), Didem Basar (kanun), Debashis Sinha (darbuka, bendir, and asma davul), Sidar Demirer (saz), Selim Sesler (clarinet), Michael Occhipinti (guitar), and Chris Gartner (bass).
Second Nature reached the No. 1 spot on world music radio charts. The buzz that quickly grew around the album led the organizers of Toronto's prestigious annual Luminato festival to give Minor Empire a mainstage slot this past June. Performances at such other festivals as Sunfest in London, and The Markham Jazz Festival have again shown them to be a simply dazzling ensemble onstage.
Albums
Second Nature
Reviews
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