The 2010s saw the coming together of a kind of “Istanbul noir” sound: the Bohemian dreams of a 21st century global city built on ancient foundations and beset by conservatism from all around. Tugce Senogul, Gevende, Ayyuka, kim ki o and Ah! Cosmos all created darkly seductive music in this milieu but perhaps the greatest of all was Gaye Su Akyol. Her songs and voice have an old-world glamour that anyone can catch on to regardless of any language barrier: the light and shadow of vintage cinema and cabaret flicker through every track. But there’s a more modern classicism — hints of David Lynch soundtracks, of Nick Cave, of Cocteau Twins — and a crispiness to the production that feels like cyberpunk LED lighting reflecting off glass surfaces, not candles or neon.

– Joe Muggs