SONG OF THE DAY Selda Bağcan – İnce İnce Bir Kar Yağar

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“…..one of the most extraordinary hybrid folk albums you are ever likely to hear..”

My love for this song is nearly as intense as these absolutely stunning vocals you are listening to right now!….and it doesn’t even matter that I have no idea what she is singing about! The passion expressed in that spellbinding voice sends shivers every time I play this!!

Translated as “A Thin Snow Falls”, Ince İnce Bir Kar Yağar was one of many, many songs written by the Turkish folk/Psych folk artist, Selda Bağcan…and when I say ‘many’, I mean that! Her back catalogue is quite impressive and dates back from 1971, extending all the way to now!!!  Her creations took her into experimental realms where she fused rock and roll with synthetic and electronic sounds, whilst all the time her musical style remained firmly rooted in the folk tradition.

A lot of her songs were protest songs and these didn’t go unnoticed; in the 1980’s Selga was persecuted by her country’s military rulers because of her political lyrics! She was imprisoned three times between 1981 and 1984, her passport was confiscated and held by the authorities until 1987, which, among other things, prevented her from attending the first WOMAD Reading festival in 1986. Partly thanks to pressure from WOMAD, her passport was returned in 1987 and she immediately started a European tour, giving concerts in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom in the same year!

Selda released her debut LP in 1976, which was followed by the first of two confusingly eponymous titles released in the coming three years.  By this time she was becoming known as one of the most politically outspoken popular folk singers to hail from Turkey, with comparisons to Joan Baez a regular occurrence! The first of these self-titled albums was also issued in 1976 and offers 12 dazzling tracks, including today’s hypnotic treat! Released to huge critical acclaim and scepticism in equal parts, the album smashed new boundaries both lyrically and musically, and according to the sources I’ve read, uses “electronically treated saz and proto polyphonic synthesisers effects” (hear these in Gitme and Yaz Gazeteci).  Selda was one of the few female voices to adopt the use of such cutting edge techniques, which put the LP in a league of its very own! This record is something else and if you like today’s song, its worth checking out the whole album!!!   Listen above.