Biography

With singer Ozgu Ozman’s ethereal and evocative vocals leading the way, Minor Empire’s music takes listeners on an Anatolian inspired voyage of the imagination. It is a unique sound and style that largely defies categorization and stereotypes. Minor Empire’s both critically acclaimed records: Second Nature (2011) and Uprooted (2017) were produced by group's visionary lead Ozan Boz. Records feature some of Canada’s finest musicians: Michael Occhipinti, Chris Gartner, Ben Riley, Lina Allemano to name a few, as well as the world-renowned kanun virtuoso Tamer Pinarbasi. Second Nature and Uprooted both topped Canadian International Music Charts, received awards and nominations in Best World Album and Producer categories at Canadian Folk Music and Independent Music Awards. While most reviewers refer to Minor Empire’s sound as "trippy", "dreamy", "cinematic", "stylishly hip" and "deeply exotic", Exclaim praised the group for its “slinky, dub­y, knotty Turkish rhythms”. Le Devoir called their sound “refined” and said “Ozman weaves the most beautiful music from her Turkish roots”. Songlines UK praised “Ozman’s pure and sinuous vocals” and the “percussion that simmers with delicious intensity”. CBC Radio said, Minor Empire has “marked an important way forward for Turkish and world music”. Critic Milo Miles (NPR, Rolling Stone, NY Times) deemed their Uprooted album the “Best Release of 2018".