Ahmet Kaya & Selda Bagcan Demokrasi Öncüleri

Selda & Ahmet Kaya –Demokrasinin Öncüleri (Pioneers of Democracy) After the coup de etat 12th September 1980; the left wing protest music in Turkey had a temporary decline between 1980-83. After 1984 a new wave left wing protest music called “özgün müzik” (funnny that the same term is used for “original motionpicture soundtrack” ) began and even became a mainstream music that no musician could resist to cover one of these “özgün” pieces. Singers of different genres such as arabesque, pop, rock and Anatolian rock covered these songs. Selda the folk psychedelic socialist diva was very active during 1980s after her short prison experience both as a singer, composer and producer. She founded her own label called “Major Music” and made extensive “özgün” productions. Ahmet Kaya was the most influential figure in 1980s in this genre. He created an eclectic music of folk (aşık tradition), revolutionary marches, arabesque and pop-rock. This album was originally released by Türküola Germany in MC and CD forms in 1995. It consists of pieces from the albums of Selda and Ahmet Kaya. It starts with an introduction of a narrator using the introduction of Ahmet Kaya’s “Alnında Dağ Ateşi” from LP “Yorgun Demokrat” (1987). As the second track we hear a duet of Ahmet and Selda in “Bırak Beni”. “Bırak Beni” is originally from “Ağlama Bebeğim” album of Ahmet from 1985. Selda overdubbed her vocals on a different mix or a version of the song where original lo-fi keyboard is removed and some percussion overdubs were made. Selda’s songs in this compilation are Yuh Yuh (original from 1976 with few overdubs), Dom Dom Kurşunu (original with few overdubs), Almanya Beyleri (Zülfü Livaneli’s composition with nice oboe partitions), Dostum (original with few overdubs), Güzellerin Duası (Great polyphonic arrangement of Esin Engin from 1982), Yaz Gazeteci (original version recorded by Dadaşlar in 1975 with few percussion overdubs). Ahmet Kaya’s songs are generally from 1987 album “Yorgun Demokrat” which was orchestrated by Osman İşmen who is famous with his disco folk medleys such as “Diskomatik Katibim”. The tracks from the referred album are “Yorgun Demokrat”, “Tut Ki Gecedir”, “Katlime Ferman” and “Hani Benim Gençliğim”. “Yorgun Demokrat” was sure the most rockable album of Ahmet Kaya which was performed live with Die Kanaken (ex-band of Cem Karaca in his years in exile, in Germany). The other two tracks of Ahmet Kaya are from 1985 “Ağlama bebeğim” album but with a different mix where the lo-fi keyboard is removed and re-recorded with clean sounds. One is “Aynı Daldaydık” with its nice slap bass and the other is “Geçmiyor Günler”. Thanks to Türküola that we reach its hard to find archieve by these vinyl reissues.