Ruya / Dream for Anatolia

The album Rüya is the next step on a journey that began in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, over 3,000 kilometres from cosmopolitan London. To paraphrase the opening song Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım, an excerpt from Âşık Veysel Şatıroğlu, one of Anatolia’s most revered ashiks: “I am on a long road, between two doors. I walk all day, I walk all night”. A reference to the Alevi metaphor for life, from birth to afterlife, the parallels with Olcay’s journey are clear.

Reviews for Olcay Bayır:

“a real treat for the ears” Rootsworld;
“enchanting” Inside World Music;
“exquisite” The Guardian.