Buzz’ Ayaz: The Cypriot psychedelic band defying political divisions
Within the world of rock, psychedelia is invariably viewed within the context of 1960s America. The trailblazing work of musicians like Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, alongside artists such as Roger Dean, changed the lineage of music and artistic expression indefinitely. Although the flower power years are, by now, resigned largely to the history books, the spirit of that movement lives on through a generation of up-and-coming young artists attempting to capture a slice of that revolutionary psychedelic power. Enter Buzz’ Ayaz.
Rising from Nicosia, the divided capital city of Cyprus, Buzz’ Ayaz began releasing music at the beginning of 2024, adopting a mind-bending and distinctly Mediterranean sound. Drawing upon the rich history of Anatolian psychedelia, in addition to the sounds of Cyprus, the group offer one of the most original and refreshing takes on psychedelic rock in recent memory. However, the establishment of a group like Buzz’ Ayaz goes so much deeper than musical exploration and expression; their very existence is an act of political defiance and unity within a landscape that has been ruthlessly divided for decades.
The political history of Cyprus is incredibly complex, but in the modern age, the island has been divided into two warring factions since 1974. Officially, Cyprus had been a British colony until 1960, when it became largely controlled by the Greek Cypriot community. However, a coup d’état in 1974 caused Turkish forces to invade the island, where they have remained ever since, occupying the northern part of the island as a puppet state under the title Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
As you can imagine, the invasion and subsequent division of the island and its capital city, Nicosia, has inspired a colossal level of hatred and conflict within the nation. In an effort to combat this reputation of divisiveness, Buzz’ Ayaz, led by Antonis Antoniou, features members from both sides of the divide. Not only does this mixed membership inspire audiences to look past their nationalistic divisions and find unity within music, but it also means that the band’s musical output is incredibly diverse and captivating in its quality.
The rich history of Anatolian psychedelia is particularly prevalent on the band but, unlike many other disciples of that movement, the material of Buzz’ Ayaz rarely feels dated. It might hark back to the psychedelic golden age of the 1960s at points, as something of a tribute, but the Cypriot band are unmistakably modern.
Their willingness to adopt such an original sound, and relentlessly propel it forward into the modern age, speaks to the artistic dedication of the group, in addition to their overarching aims to create something entirely new and radically different from the rest of the rock scene in Cyprus.
Creating a band so dedicated to a common cause was certainly no picnic, particularly within the divided land of Cyprus. As bandleader Antoniou once shared: “This is a very small country, so it was hard to form a band with the right musicians. We had to be able to communicate and have the right chemistry. Everyone had to believe, to have a similar aesthetic and political views.”
The songwriter also explained, “The guys didn’t know each other from before and we started an online communication exchanging ideas even before we all met in person.”
Buzz’ Ayaz are an inherently political outfit, but those radical aims of unity across borders certainly do not detract or distract from the musical brilliance of the band’s material. If anything, their political aims add an infectious layer of passion to proceedings, backing up their compelling, improvisational style to create something truly organic and utterly captivating. They might hail from a small Mediterranean island, but the message and music of Buzz’ Ayaz are universal.
