"Music is an unrestricted culture. There's no difference between Greek, Rum or Istanbul music. They've all blended," says Ivi Dermanci. Dermanci is referring to Rebetiko, a musical style created by ethnic Greeks in the last years of the Ottoman Empire. When Istanbul was at the heart of the Ottoman Empire, it was one of the most ethnically diverse cities in history; Rebetiko was one of many cultural and musical variations. However, after the founding of Turkey in the early 20th century, most of the city's minorities slowly disappeared and were gradually replaced by Kurds and other economic migrants from Anatolia.
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