In 1961, an agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and Turkey brought not only guest workers to Germany, but also new music. Together with their children and grandchildren, they laid the building blocks for a unique subculture.

In the early 1960s, large groups of guest workers from Anatolia and other parts of Turkey were brought to West Germany. Far removed from their homeland, music was the best way for them to feel good in a new and foreign country. Fueled by homesickness, boredom and racism, new styles emerged that helped shape contemporary music in Germany.

"The untold story of Germany's biggest musical underground." The result is an exciting film packed with music and never-before-seen archive footage. With passages from musical greats Cem Karaca, Yüksel Özkasap, King Size Terror and more, record companies of the past and music collectors of today.

Director Cem Kaya . Production Germany 2022 . Version original version . 
Language Turkish, German, English . Subtitles Dutch and French . Duration 1h 36min

Zeynep Göktepe studied family sciences. She started as an intercultural employee at the City of Ghent in 1989 and is still working there today as a policy officer. She also founded vzw Adrenaline and vzw Compactuna and this year wrote the book 'Sluierzwemmen: 50 years of making the bridge in 50 stories'.

Duygu Karataşlı is a public administrator. She works on the 'Federal Action Plan for mental well-being at work' as a project leader for the self-employed section. She expresses her passion for education and equal opportunities as a voluntary board member of the study guidance center Actief. In her spare time you can find her at home cooking or gardening, with Turkish Anadolu rock from the 70's in the background.

Ali Can Ünal is a theater maker and actor. He obtained his master's degree in drama/directing at RITCS in 2019. Ali Can was a member of the Montignards and Camping Sunset and has played with Walpurgis, Opera La Monnaie and Het Zuidelijk Toneel (NL), among others. He works as an artistic supervisor at Jong Gewei. He also plays the role of Aziz in Zonder Afspraak, now on Canvas and VRT Max.

Kadir Ölmez is an enthusiastic software developer with a passion for entrepreneurship. He fills his days solving complex problems, currently focused on the cybersecurity industry. He is a proud Ghentian who is addicted to coffee, traveling and volunteering. He is currently chairman of vzw Rede and is a board member of Burgerplicht.

Neslihan Doğan is a historian with a passion for migration and gender history. She is a volunteer at the Culture Group of Burgerplicht.  She supervises the Ghent-Turkish heritage project (STAM/Erfgoedcel Gent), in which young people are working on a Ghent-Turkish heritage collection. Recently she also moderates conversations and spreads unsolicited film tips to friends and acquaintances.

When he was five, Kenan Erer from Brussels learned to play darbuka with the Roma. Since then, their exuberant party music has not let go of him. He plays wherever the wind takes him. His equally colorful musicians add a solid portion of rock 'n' roll to his music, seasoned with spicy rock rhythms, a bit of East and inspiration from the West. Kenan Erer masterfully connects these different cultures, somewhere between rousing indie rock and spicy psychedelics.

Kenan is a welcome guest at De Centrale. He has been on stage several times with, among other things, his Bosporus Beats and at Istanbul Ekspres. Once again, he dives deep into the retro archive of Turkish pop and rock history.

The evening will be festively concluded together with the masterful DJ trio Raşit, Bülent & Yilmaz. Tomorrowland is calling!

Org. De Centrale, Sphinx, Burgerplicht & Erfgoedcel Gent