Ghetto

Back in the day, the part of Istanbul now known as Beyoglu was covered with fig orchards. Although those have disappeared, the fertile soil hasn’t lost its nurturing quality. For Beyoglu has become the cultural centre of Istanbul, the only city in the world to reside on two continents. This is also where we find Ghetto, a churchlike music lounge set in a former bakery - and even though you can still get some finger licking Baklava in the upstairs area, those aren’t the only sweets passing through. Ghetto has been dishing up a wide range of musical nourishment since 2007, assembling music connoisseurs from all different backgrounds and lifestyles for a mix of local and international sounds. Guests have included Jay-Jay Johanson, the Amsterdam Klezmer Band, Transglobal Underground and master of the Hammond organ, Dr Lonnie Smith. World-famous saxophonist Ilhan Ersahin is running the kitchen, and amongst Ghetto’s partners we find fellow architectural delight Paradiso (Amsterdam) and the Red Bull Music Academy. While Istanbul is the fusing point of Europe and Asia, and the 2010 European Capital of Culture, it’s in Ghetto where the traditional and the experimental come together.

Address

Ghetto Istanbul
Kalyoncu Kulluk Caddesi, 10
Beyoglu 34440
Istanbul

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