Boom Shinga Ling

Oojami is making Londoners dance to a new beat Forgetting Neighbours star Holly Valance covering Turkish love god Tarkan’s Simarik (renamed Kiss Kiss), Oojami is the best-known Turkish hybrid act in the UK. Other acts, such as sufi experimentalist Mercan Dede, trip-hoppers Orientation, virtuoso percussionist Burhan Ocal, and techno-driven percussion collective Harem, have appeared on a few hip compilations and been championed by various members of the world music Press, but Oojami is the very visible Turkish presence on London’s vibrant multicultural scene. Oojami is the project of one man, Necmi Cavli, supported by his partner Nicola Taylor and a constantly evolving cast of great musicians. Making a name for himself on the underground global beats scene in North London, Cavli’s rise to prominence is down to hard work and a chance meeting with ex-Police and Sting manager Miles Copeland, who saw the band perform at their celebrated Hubble Bubble nights in Union Chapel, Islington, and quickly signed them up to his Ark 21 label (also the home of Rachid Taha at the time). He helped shape Oojami’s first album proper (there were a couple of low-key releases before) Bellydancing Breakbeats, which spawned the hugely popular track Chicky, a hit among bellydancers. Gorgeous actress Audrey Tatou (Amelie) gyrated to its hip-swaying rhythms in the cult British film Dirty Pretty Things. continue