Rüya

Olcay Bayir's father was an aşik, a musical bard of Anatolia, and seems to have made a strong impression on his daughter. On this album the London-based Bayir combines her musical heritage with more outward looking influences and creates a blend that seems simultaneously rooted and unrooted, evocative yet not bound by ethnic cliché. We'll hear the traditional Turkish sounds of the saz (long-necked lute) and duduk (double-reed wind instrument), and Bayir sings in beautifully stylistic Turkish and Kurdish throughout. However there are many diverse influences present here, and the whole record is underpinned by a Western-style rhythm section that provides a backdrop of rock and jazz tonality, creating a truly international sound.

This worldly timbre perfectly supports and complements Bayir's songwriting, which is similarly far-reaching. The title, Rüya, means ‘Dream’ and on the title-track Bayir explores this idea in more detail, yearning for ‘lands without war.’ Other songs, such as the opening track, ‘Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım’, speak of travelling the road of life, while others like ‘Elif’ or ‘Hawar E’ deal with lost love and grief: themes we can all identify with, no matter who sings them.