Hosted by Kolektif Istanbul: Balkan Wedding Party at Babylon on the night of 1st February, Saturday!

Get ready to lose control and forget all the belly dances you’ve ever performed! Aunties, sisters, brothers, neck dancers, and moustache-twisters... Everyone meets on the dance floor, accompanied by a fusion of progressive wedding music mixed with punk, jazz, and electronic sounds.

Blending Anatolian and Balkan music with a fresh perspective inspired by jazz and funk beats, Kolektif Istanbul has released four albums: “Balkanatolia”, “Krivoto”, “Kerevet”, and “Pastırma Yazı” since 2006. Continuing to bring their energetic performances to audiences, the band released their fifth studio album, “Kısmet”, simultaneously in Europe and Turkey in the spring of 2021.

Refusing to be confined to a single genre, Kolektif Istanbul prefers to experiment with various musical forms. They have performed successfully at international festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, The Flow Festival, and Fira Mediterrania. Known for their authentic and creative music videos, the band consists of Richard Laniepce on saxophone, Aslı Doğan on vocals, Batuhan Baraç on drums, Ertan Şahin on sousaphone, Tamer Karaoğlu on keys, and Talat Karaoğlu on clarinet.