SELDA by SELDA

The second release in the Turkish Anatolian Invasion series. Space age, Anatolian, electronic, progressive-protest, psych-folk-funk-rock from the Middle East. All of the above ingredients are presented immaculately with up-most authenticity and conviction to create a delectable hybrid which has never been replicated or equalled in the 3 decades since its recording.Released in 1976 to huge critical acclaim and scepticism in equal parts, the album smashed new boundaries both lyrically and musically. Sonically, the LP begs comparison to the second LP by post-folk, sibling three-piece Uc Hurel who used a balance of electronically treated saz and proto polyphonic synthesisers to similar effect (exemplified here on tracks such as 'Gitme' and 'Yaz Gazeteci Yaz'). But the fact that Selda was one of the few female voices to adopt the use of such cutting edge techniques put the LP in a league of its very own. Frowned on by the paranoid Turkish authorities, songs like Meydan Sizindir and Ince Ince were viewed as calls to revolt by the working classes - little did Selda know that now her songwriting was available to a wider market (and soon to be available to an unlimited audience via the introduction of the compact cassette) she would face the threat of imprisonment due to her unwaning desire for freedom of speech and a demand for a quality of human life. Selda would face future jail sentences and travel restrictions as her popularity spread amongst Turkish communities in Europe and America. Luckily the Turkuola label arranged the immediate release of a second which was released in late 1976 (some songs recorded in the same sessions are presented on this release as bonus tracks). Selda's second LP retained some of the psychedelic touches found on her debut, but the passing phase of Turkish electronica - which began to manifest in popular music such as disco and pop - was less prevalent.