This Is An Amazing Music Documentary Film By The German Director Fatih Akin: "Crossing The Bridge: The Sound Of Istanbul" (2005\2006)

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Music played a huge role in Fatih Akin's startling Head-On, so it's no great surprise to see the Turkish-German helmer dedicate an entire film to the subject. Crossing The Bridge: The Sound Of Istanbul offers a whistlestop tour of one city's sonic heritage, journeying through rock, rap, avant-garde and folksong. With the keynote being diversity, this documentary arguably favours breadth over depth; but it's still an eye-opening portrait, capturing several fine musical performances. Location is a key issue: situated on the cusp of Europe and Asia, Istanbul has absorbed a great wealth of cultural influences. Thus, as one commentator explains, the city gives the lie to the East/West divide that certain world leaders base their philosophy upon.

But it's the playing that's central here, not the politics. Our host is Alexander Hacke (of experimental German outfit Einstuerzende Neubauten) who, after finding his hotel in the colourful Beyoglu district, lets the acts do most of the talking while he records. One standout is motormouth rapper Ceza, offering such poetry as "one look at me and you're an invalid". Another is actor-turned-composer Orhan Gencebay (check out the cheesy film clips), while there's a stunning solo from Kurdish songstress Aynur. The sheer variety on display helpfully distracts from the film's repetitive structure. As in Head-On, Akin takes it down for a reflective finish, with veteran singer Sezen Aksu crooning Memories Of Istanbul intercut with footage of the city from back in the day. Signing off, Hacke laments that we've only seen the iceberg-tip, but this is still an illuminating introduction.

Channel 4 Talk About...

Einstürzende Neubauten bassist Alexander Hacke explores the music of Istanbul in this documentary by Head-On director Fatih Akin

Head-On, Fatih Akin's 2003 drama about two German-Turks pushed to the margins of contemporary Hamburg and Istanbul, was a powerful and ambitious film that took in sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, as well as the strictures of Islam and the volatility of love. Underpinning it was a soundtrack supervised by Alexander Hacke, bassist with German avant-industrialists Einstürzende Neubauten, which combined The Sisters Of Mercy and The Birthday Party with traditional Turkish and Eastern Mediterranean folk. It was an experience that set Hacke on his own voyage of musical discovery, documented in Akin's ear-to-the-ground documentary Crossing The Bridge: The Sound Of Istanbul. Rough around the edges but intimate and impassioned, it's a film that dives down Istanbul's back streets in search of the elusive spirit that unites buskers, rappers, punks and traditional musicians, all of whom have formulated their own relationship with the city's uniquely Euro-Asian culture.

Checking into the Grand Hotel De Londres in Beyoglu, Hacke follows his nose and immerses himself in the local scene. There he finds kids inspired by Bob Marley, Public Enemy, Kurt Cobain and the Sex Pistols, and one musician is frank about that old 'East is East and West is West' line, on which so much debate currently hinges: "it's bullshit". Winding his way through the clubs and bars, Hacke joins neo-psychedelic outfit Baba Zula, whose languidly exotic album 'Dubble Oryental' he subsequently played on and produced with British dub maestro Mad Professor.