I barter in dreams". That's what I, at times, answer when people ask me what I do for a living. I could, of course, tell them that I occupy myself with collecting 78 rpm records and how I play them to audiences as a DJ who goes by the name of Blue Flamingo. That, however, is only the form. I love music. I know no other form of art that enters so directly, conveys emotions and performs. She is so powerful that she can make people laugh or cry, uncover hidden desires, stir the masses or, stronger, she can seduce even the most reserved among us to move on its pulses. The most exceptional is perhaps the fact that music has the ability to attach itself to our memories and dreams. Music is invisible, intangible and immaterial. I do not think we can imagine the utter amazement there must have been when Edison in 1877 discovered how to capture such an ungraspable thing as sound. The 78 rpm record is to me the most beautiful shape wherein that which is invisible is visualized, wherein that which is intangible is materialized. It is a little piece of art. Perhaps I am prejudiced. In a world increasingly focussed on comfort, collecting 78 rpm records is an exercise in immeasurable preparedness to make an effort in exchange for a wonderful experience. I hope that with this cd I can communicate all of this to you, dear listener." - ZIYA ERTEKIN a.k.a. BLUE FLAMINGO Record Label: Excelsior Style: Blues