Turkish band nominated for Independent Music Award

ISTANBUL-Hürriyet Daily News

The Toronto-based Turkey-inspired group Minor Empire, which is the brainchild of Turkish guitarist, composer and producer Ozan Boz and vocalist Özgü Özman, has been nominated for Independent Music Awards in the World Group category. The group is known for its unique blend of traditional Turkish music with psychedelic rock, electronic and jazz.

Minor Empire was launched in 2010 and released its debut recording “Second Nature” in early 2011. The album has been called “deeply exotic, bold, expertly worked and voluptuous.”

The bulk of the compositions on “Second Nature” are based on traditional Turkish folk tunes.

The album has received impressive airplay on CBC and college radio and reached the No. 1 spot on world music radio charts earlier this year. Performances at such notable festivals as Luminato in Toronto, Sunfest in London and the Markham Jazz Festival have shown the group to be a simply dazzling ensemble onstage.

The band’s first album garnered glowing reviews from international publications such as Songlines Magazine (United Kingdom) and World Music Central (United States). Last December the band received the World Group Award from Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Minor Empire will tour Canada this summer.