[Column] The circle of Turkish dance music: the history of music where tradition and club culture intersect
Column en Dance Electronic Turkey![[Column] The circle of Turkish dance music: the history of music where tradition and club culture intersect](/../assets/images/column-turkish-dance.webp)
Introduction｜What is “Turkish Dance Music Circle”?
Text: mmr｜Theme: The historical structure in which traditional dance music and electronic dance music in Türkiye are linked across cities and eras
Turkish dance music does not fit into a single genre or era. Anatolian folk dances, Ottoman court music, urban popular songs, pop music from immigrant societies, and even modern club music have circulated and influenced each other.
This cyclical structure is understood as a “ring” in this paper. It is not a linear evolution, but an iterative movement in which traditions are forgotten, rediscovered, and reconnected in different contexts.
The history of Turkish dance music has been understood as a cycle of repetition rather than a break.
Base of Anatolian folk dance and rhythm
Harai, Holon, Zeibek
Each region of Türkiye has its own unique dance music. Harai in eastern Anatolia, Holon on the western Black Sea coast, and Zeybek in the western Aegean region all have structures that emphasize groupness and rhythm.
The time signatures are diverse, including 2, 5, 7, and 9 beats, and this directly influenced later Turkish pop and dance music.
Instruments and physicality
Instruments such as the saz (barama), zurna, and daur clearly separate the melody and the blow, and play the role of directly driving the dancers’ physical movements.
This premise of ““music for moving the body’’ has remained consistent even after the introduction of electronic music.
Complex time signatures and repetitions were inherited by later generations of dance music.
Urban dance music of the Ottoman Empire
Intersection of court music and folk culture
In the Ottoman Empire, court music and urban popular culture were not completely separated. At festivals and banquets, there existed a form of performance that integrated dance and music.
Genealogy of 9 time signatures
In particular, the 9/8 time signature has functioned as a symbolic rhythm in Turkish dance music from the Ottoman period to the present day.
This time signature was reused in later club music as a symbol of ““Turkishness.’’
Rhythms were refined and shared within urban culture.
First half of the 20th century | Recording technology and popularization
The advent of records and radio
After the 1920s, with the spread of recording technology and radio broadcasting, regional music began to flow into cities. Dance music also changed to music that was listened to at home.
The germ of oriental pop
Dance music organized for cities incorporated popular elements and became the basis of later Turkish pop music.
Dancing music has been reorganized as listening music.
1960–70s | Anatolian rock and electrification
Fusion of folk and rock
In the late 1960s, a movement emerged to fuse Anatolian folk music and rock. Electric guitars and drums were used as devices to extend traditional dance rhythms.
Maintaining dance quality
The fusion music of this period was distinctive in that, although it was experimental, it did not lose its dance quality.
Electrification was accepted as an expansion rather than a rupture.
1980s｜Diaspora and reconstruction
Role of the German immigrant community
In the 1980s, traditional music and pop music were re-edited in Turkish immigrant communities, mainly in West Germany.
At weddings and community events, emphasized rhythms for dancing were preferred.
Cassette culture
Cassette tapes contributed to the spread of dance music as a low-cost and highly distributable medium.
Immigrant society has created a new musical circulation.
1990s｜Istanbul and club culture
Urbanization and nightlife
In the 1990s, club culture expanded in Istanbul. Songs with local rhythms began to be played alongside house and techno.
Traditional Rhythm Quotes
DJs and producers sampled nine-time signatures and folk melodies and reimagined them for the dance floor.
Clubs have become a new folk space.
Since the 2000s | Visualization of globalization and circulation
From world music to clubs
Turkish dance music becomes accepted in both world music and club contexts.
Recursive effects
A cycle was born in which the electronic version of Turkish rhythm influenced young domestic musicians.
The circle does not close and continues to expand.
Chronology｜Main trends of Turkish dance music
| Years | Events |
|---|---|
| Ancient times – | Regional dance music was established in various parts of Anatolia |
| 16th–19th century | Dance music established in Ottoman urban culture |
| 1920s | Popularization through recording and broadcasting |
| 1960s–70s | The emergence of Anatolian rock |
| 1980s | Re-editing in the diaspora |
| 1990s | Connection with club culture |
| 2000s – | Acceleration of global circulation |
Diagram｜Cyclic structure of Turkish dance music
Turkish dance music has always been updated by returning to its starting point.
Final chapter｜Music history as a circle
The history of Turkish dance music is neither a history of progress nor a history of decline. It is a record of circulation mediated by the body, city, and technology.
Traditions have survived not by being preserved, but by being danced.
As long as the music is danced, this wheel will continue to turn.
