Baul culture is a mix of the devotional Bhakti streams in Islamic and Hindu cultures in the Indian subcontinent. It has had strong presence in Bengal since ancient times. Baul philosophy comes from our conscious knowledge, built through several generations who observed life with great compassion. The inner tranquility is achieved once you have gone beyond music. The tradition of the poetry seeks its inspiration in texts that proclaim the unification of the divine with human love.

Like most mystic traditions in the world – among which Alevis from Turkey – the Bauls have their own unique set of metaphors and allegories. The saz is a long-necked lute very common in Turkey, but is also found – in various forms and under different names – in all Middle East and Central Asia. In Turkey, saz is the generic term given to a large family of instruments, from the small üçtelli to the big divan. From centuries the saz has been accompanying the Anatolian bards called aşık, renowned for their metaphoric poems celebrating the sacred part lying in each one of us.

In the year 2016, Emre Gültekin met Malabika Brahma & Sanjay Khyapa, an outstanding traditional musicians duo, who perpetuates the tradition of Baul music. During a recording session of the duo in Brussels, Emre (Saz and vocals), Malabika (vocals) and Sanjay Khyapa (dubki, dotara) felt immediately the possible connections between the saz and Baul repertoires both musically and spiritually. They found similarities between the cultures they were born in : a nomadic way of life, metaphoric poetry and the importance given to love and humanity which lead to Baul Meets Saz. Since then the trio haven’t stopped playing together, in Europe and in India. The repertoire features traditional Baul and Asik songs over which they’ve been improvising. The similarities between the communities to which they belong and echoes they found in their poetries and philosophies lead to the album Namaz, released in summer of 2018. The album was a tribute to the values shared by these two cultures, questioning the meaning of borders, travel, wealth, wisdom and love. The longing to express and spread the unification of two ancient traditions and culture inspires them to overcome the barriers of geo-political borders and to reach out to the world which initiated the seed of the next album Banjara released in the fall of 2022.