Grup Yorum
| Grup Yorum | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Genres | Folk rock, folk, protest music, left, political music, türkü |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | Kalan, Cem Müzik Yapım |
| Website | grupyorum.net |
| Past members | Metin Kahraman, Kemal Sahir Gürel, Hilmi Yarayıcı, İlkay Akkaya, Efkan Şeşen, Ufuk Lüker, İnan Altın |
| Notable instruments | |
| bağlama, davul, zurna, flute | |
Grup Yorum is a Turkish band known for their political songwriting. Grup Yorum (Yorum means interpretation or comment in Turkish) has released twenty albums since 1987. Some of the group's concerts and albums were banned over the years, and some of the group members were allegedly arrested or tortured. Yorum remains popular and their albums continue to sell well in Turkey and internationally. Yorum has also given concerts in Germany, Austria, Australia, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, Greece and Syria.
The group publishes an art, culture, literature, and music magazine entitled Tavir, sample issues of which are available on the group's official website, and several group members manage a cultural center in the Okmeydanı neighborhood of Istanbul called İdil Kültür Merkezi.
In 1985, 4 friends at Marmara University formed Grup Yorum. Influenced by the Latin American nueva cancion movement, they combined Turkish and Kurdish folk music and topical song with a left-wing often satirical perspective. While the government frequently asserts that the group is tied to the DHKP-C, and it is not uncommon for audience at their concerts to chant DHKP-C slogans, Grup Yorum is not formally affiliated with any other organization and its fans represent a broad range of Turkish and Kurdish left-wing orientations.
The group composition has been in a constant state of change since the group's inception, and its members have continuously experienced political oppression including over 400 arrests and trials (approximately 400). Their albums have been seized by police and their concerts banned, but despite this Grup Yorum has been one of the top selling groups in the history of Turkey. The band gave their 25th anniversary concert on 12 June 2010 in İnönü Stadium, home to sports club Beşiktaş J.K.. The concert was attended by 55,000 fans. Starting in 2011, Grup Yorum began an annual series of free concerts entitled Tam Bağımsız Türkiye, the first two of which attracted 150,000 and 250,000 fans respectively.
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Wikipedia