Kervan Plak

Kervan Plak is a Turkish record label founded in 1972 by the musician Orhan Gencebay together with Yaşar Kekeva. According to Turkish Wikipedia's article on Orhan Gencebay, Gencebay became a partner in İstanbul Plak in 1971 and then, in 1972, founded Kervan Plak with Yaşar Kekeva and served as the company's manager. The same source states that Kervan Plak was Turkey's first record company with domestic capital. The label quickly became one of the strongest companies in the Turkish record market of its era. Its roster is described as having included major stars such as Erkin Koray, Ajda Pekkan, Muazzez Abacı, Mustafa Sağyaşar, Ahmet Özhan, Kamuran Akkor, Semiha Yankı, Samime Sanay, Neşe Karaböcek, Bedia Akartürk, Nil Burak, Ziya Taşkent, Semiramis Pekkan, Ferdi Özbeğen, Gönül Yazar and Sezen Aksu. This breadth positioned Kervan Plak at the center of Turkish popular music during the 1970s, spanning arabesk, Turkish art music, folk-influenced pop and other genres. Kervan Plak is closely associated with Orhan Gencebay, one of the creators and pioneers of the Turkish music style commonly called arabesk, a term he himself rejected as "wrong and incomplete," preferring descriptions such as free Turkish music or Gencebay music. Gencebay was born in Samsun in 1944 and built a career as composer, singer, poet, instrumentalist, arranger, music producer, music director and actor. His founding of Kervan Plak was part of a broader effort to control his own output and to build an independent Turkish record enterprise. The label's commercial significance is tied to the vinyl era of Turkish music. Gencebay's own recordings and compositions, including widely known songs such as "Bir Teselli Ver" and "Batsın Bu Dünya," circulated through the Turkish record market in which Kervan Plak was a leading player. The company's official web presence is at kervanplakcilik.com.tr. Today Kervan Plak is remembered as a historically important Turkish independent label and as a vehicle for Orhan Gencebay's production activities. Its legacy is bound up with the broader story of Turkish popular music in the 1970s and with the career of one of its most influential figures.

Kervan Plak was founded in 1972 by Orhan Gencebay and Yaşar Kekeva. The Turkish Wikipedia article on Orhan Gencebay states that Gencebay became a partner in İstanbul Plak in 1971 and then founded Kervan Plak with Yaşar Kekeva in 1972, becoming the company's manager. The same source describes Kervan Plak as Turkey's first record company with domestic capital. The label's formation was part of a dynamic period in Turkish music. Orhan Gencebay, born in Samsun in 1944, had by the late 1960s become known as a composer, bağlama virtuoso and recording artist. After releasing folk-oriented records and then his first "free works" record in 1968, he issued a series of records through Topkapı Plak and İstanbul Plak. His 1969 45 rpm release "Bir Teselli Ver – Yorgun Gözler" brought him nationwide fame. In 1971 he became a partner in İstanbul Plak, and in 1972 he and Yaşar Kekeva established Kervan Plak. Kervan Plak assembled a broad roster of leading Turkish performers. According to the source, the label took on stars including Erkin Koray, Ajda Pekkan, Muazzez Abacı, Mustafa Sağyaşar, Ahmet Özhan, Kamuran Akkor, Semiha Yankı, Samime Sanay, Neşe Karaböcek, Bedia Akartürk, Nil Burak, Ziya Taşkent, Semiramis Pekkan, Ferdi Özbeğen, Gönül Yazar and Sezen Aksu. With this roster, Kervan Plak became one of the most powerful companies in the record market of the period. The label operated during the era when vinyl records and, later, cassettes dominated Turkish music consumption. Orhan Gencebay's own output was central to the Turkish popular music scene; the source notes that he has more than 1,000 compositions, nearly 300 of which he performed himself, and that his legal record and cassette circulation was around 67 million, with estimates of around 200 million when unauthorized production is included. Kervan Plak was a key vehicle for releasing and managing such repertoire. Kervan Plak is also tied to the broader cultural debates of the time. Gencebay's music was labeled "arabesk" by TRT's inspection board, a term he rejected as "wrong and incomplete." The label thus participated in the commercial and cultural expansion of a style that became central to modern Turkish popular music. The company's official website is kervanplakcilik.com.tr. Kervan Plak remains known as a historically significant independent Turkish label and as part of Orhan Gencebay's business and artistic legacy.

• 1972

  Orhan Gencebay and Yaşar Kekeva found Kervan Plak; Gencebay becomes its manager.

• 1972

  Kervan Plak is described as Turkey's first record company with domestic capital.

• 1971

  Orhan Gencebay becomes a partner in İstanbul Plak.

Independent Turkish record label; described as Turkey's first domestically capitalized record company and one of the strongest companies in the 1970s Turkish record market.

• Vinyl records (45 rpm singles and LPs)

  The label's core physical format during the 1970s Turkish record market.

• Cassette releases

  Cassette was a major format in the Turkish music market alongside vinyl.

1. 1Kervan Plak - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Orhan Gencebay - Wikipedia (Turkish)tr.wikipedia.org