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Hanggai - He Who Travels Far (2010) (8/10)
Genre: Folk
Label: Self-production
Playing time: 66:12
Band homepage: -
Tracklist:
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Gobi Road
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Uruumdush
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Yuan Ding Cap
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Hairan Hairan
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Zhang Dan
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Cha Har
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Xiger Xiger
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Borulai’s Lullaby
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Hanggai
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Ayrhindu
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Dorov Moraril
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Golden Bagle
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Yuan Zou De Ren / He Who Travels Far
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Toger Yin Mountain
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Brothers (Bonus Track)
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Beautiful Mongolian Horse (Bonus Track)
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Daya (Bonus Track)
This record we have hear has not much to do with Metal music but is nevertheless one of the most interesting records I’ve bought in 2012. I’ve first stumbled over this intriguing band with members of Mongolian and Chinese Han descendancy when I was working out three episodes about Chinese music and its recent evolution for my radio show “Culturama”. Qwhen I saw this record in Montreal, I remembered my first contact with the band and isntinctively bought it without regretting it at all.
Named after a famous mountain range, the Beijing based Folk Rock band HANGGAI plays a very vivid version of traditional Mongolian Folk music that has increased in popularity throughout the past years. This band even got some attention in the Western world and this is not only thanks to the exotic World Music factor but also because of the band’s dynamism and some modern Indie Rock elements. One can for example hear that the band’s singer has once fronted a Punk Rock band called T9 even though he does an amazing and diversified job with his traditional throat singing or overtone chanting.
The main attention though lies on the traditional elements such as the flute Tsuur, the Horsehead fiddles Batubagen Morin Khuur and Morin Khuur, the the two stringed lute Topshur, the four stringed spiked lute Dorvon Chikhtei Khuur, the mouth harp Amne Khuur, the zither Yatak and other exotic instruments such as Manda and Topshur. One can also hear more common but still very beautiful and fitting instruments such as acoustic and electric guitar, banjo, banjolin, bass guitar, drums, mandoline, percussions, piano and ukulele.
The band varies from cheerful and vivid songs such as “Zhang Dan” to more progressive songs with many breaks and changes of style like the atmospheric album highlight “Cha Har”. Simplistic pieces such as the calm and well entitled “Borulai’s Lullaby” meet faster stuff such as the regular album closer “Togger Jin Mountain”. The western release of this album even includes not less than three acoustic bonus tracks that simply put a smile on one’s face thanks to a very positive vibe as in “Brothers”. These songs are as strong as the rest and integrate very well on this very special record.
Any open-minded fan of World Music who might be interested in Asian culture should give this band a try and open up his or her mind. The People’s Republic of china is not only a raising force in economy, military or politics but has also a more and more diversified music scene that also includes great Metal bands such as LAST SUCCESSOR, SCREAMING SAVIOR or TERMINAL LOST that should get more attention in the years to come.(Online December 30, 2012)
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