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music from the grasslands
Hanggai
| China
Booking-Agent:
Frank Abraham
+49 30 261032920
fa@f-cat.de
Chinese youths discover their musical roots: Hanggai draw inspiration from the ample and rich musical sources from the Steppe of inner Mongolia. China has not always had a fine sense of hearing for its minorities, for the older generations the Cultural Revolution was not all that long ago. Still, this huge land is in a state of upheaval, and young musicians are newly discovering their sense of tradition.
When the punk-rocker from Peking, Ilchi heard throat singing for the first time, he was firmly decided to discover more of his Mongolian heritage. He travelled there, met two traditional musicians named Hugejiltu and Bagen, and soon after Hanggai was born. Founded in Peking but dedicated to traditional Mongolian songs, Hanggais rambling, indisputably brilliant music has found many fans.
Since 2009 the band have also been very successful abroad, the summer tour lead them to big festivals such as Roskilde, Lowlands, Sfinks, Womad and Sziget where they left enthused crowds in their wake. In October they performed an official Showcase at Womex.
Hanggai’s music is based on traditional music from the Grassland. It is played predominantly on the double sided lute and the “horse-head” violin, sung in Mongolian, also with the technique of the overtone singing. Both of the western producers, Matteo Scumaci and Robin Haller, were very modest with their work. The arrangements are carefully constructed and don’t infringe on the sound structure of songs from the Grassland. Moreover the overtone singing does not turn into artistic voice acrobatics.
Hanggai sing about mongolian Robin Hoods and mix throat singing with elements of rock. They dress like men from the Steppe, although they live in the buzzing metropolis of Peking. Of course, embodying contradictions comes naturally to ethnic minorities in China – only this time it’s different.
With their natural voices, elegantly arranged songs, first-class produced album and the oddly familiar melodies, Hanggai have successfully breached the gap from folk phenomenon to crossover pioneers – and without losing their souls. Made from – and meant for- the wide open lands of Mongolia, this music will make you homesick for a place you’ve never been.
