Kalan Music was established in 1991 by Hasan Saltık. The mission of the
establishment of Kalan Music could be summarized as an effort is to protect little
known cultures and their music, to gather these in an archive and to create a market
for this accumulation within the music industry. What distinguishes Kalan Music from
other labels is this very difference in its mission.

Inspired by this mission Kalan Music was the first music company in Turkey to
clean up and re-release 78 rpm records of late Ottoman music, the legendary
voices of Armenian and Greek minority singers, and of old great recordings
of rebetika and klezmer music. The release of Seyyan Hanım which presented the
long forgotten historical Turkish Tango to today’s audience was the first of this series
and was followed later on by many other treasures in the Turkish music; Tanburi
Cemil Bey, Şükrü Tunar, Udi Hrant, Yorgo Bacanos, Gazeller, İstanbul'un Hanımları
and many others.

As Kalan Music’s archiving progressed a new mission was adopted to complete
the integrity of the label. Many other forgotten recordings considered historically
important and that has drawn the attention of the academic circles and of
international ethno musical research have been cleaned up and re-released. In doing
so, many specialists and musicologists have been included in the process. This is
how the archive series was formed. From Pomak Refugees to Saadettin Kaynak, from
Münir Nurettin Selçuk to Hacı Taşan a vast archive was presented to music lovers.

Besides old values Kalan Music recognizes the importance of providing recent
valuable music with an equal opportunity. Erkan Oğur, İsmail Hakkı Demircioğlu,
Tolga Çandar, Yansımalar, Grup Yorum, Kardeş Türküler, Fenomen, Sevval Sam are
only a few names to mention among many others who are still being presented to
the music lovers by Kalan Music.

Hasan Saltık

Hasan Saltık has played a central role in the rescue, rediscovery and documentation
of the cultural diversity of Turkish music. In the remote areas of Turkey and the
neighboring regions, despite political repression of minority cultures, confiscation
of equipment and even arrest, Hasan Saltik has spent years in dedicated research,
travelling, gathering information, making recordings and documenting different
minority musical traditions.

Working with the best exponents of every form, he has recorded authentic village
ceremonial music, Gypsy melodies from Thrace, polyphonic Laz music from northeast
Turkey, Zaza songs from Dersim, the music of Slavonic Muslims originating from
Bulgaria, Alevi Bektashi religious songs and the music of traditional rituals from all
parts of the region.

Among his works are reissues of late Ottoman music and the legendary voices of
Armenian and Greek minority singers, as well as reissues of old great recordings of
rebetika and klezmer music. He has been called an archaeologist of music but he

also works with modern masters and student groups who are reinventing Turkish
music in contemporary idioms.

Saltik founded a Kalan first as a small company to produce recordings of the highest
quality which have been the catalyst for the revival of musical traditions and led to
their dissemination worldwide. He has conserved and promoted the musical heritage
of the area though establishing a label which produces unparalleled recordings. In
2003, Saltık's work through Kalan made him a laureate of the international Price
Claus Awards.