Postmodern Tuva

From the highlands of Tuva comes a group of musicians that bring the breath of the mountains to the Western audiences in a postmodern package, appealing to the soft ears of Westerners. The vast and rich Tuvan musical tradition is presented to us by four superb musicians, descendants of isolated Siberian herdsmen, who decided to transform their national cultural wealth into a universal music. Almost 25 years ago, Huun-Huur-Tu picked up their traditional instruments and together with their landmark overtone singing showed the world that any music could become popular if you have the right amount of imagination.

They were formed in 1992 under the name “Kunggurtug“ but soon decided to change their name to Huun-Huur-Tu, meaning "sunbeams" (literally "sun propeller"). Sasha Bapa, one of the group’s founders, explained the meaning of  ‘Huun-Huur-Tu’ as the vertical separation of light rays that one often sees out on the grasslands just after sunrise or just before sunset. It seems to be a metaphor for the band’s key element– throat-singing that “consists of producing a deep tone in such a way as to create one or two substantial harmonics. The first harmonic is a humming sound in the mid-range, and on top is a loud whistling tone that the singer raises and lowers to create a weird sort of melody by varying the embouchure” They recorded their first album “60 Horses In My Herd” the following year. The album was recorded at studios in London and Mill Valley, California. Their second album”The Orphan's Lament” was recorded in New York City and Moscow, and released in 1994. A third album, called “If I'd Been Born An Eagle,” recorded in the Netherlands, followed in 1997. This time, in addition to the traditional folk music, the group performed some rather more contemporary Tuvan songs, from the latter half of the 20th century. So far, the band has released ten official albums under their own name, and several more as a collaboration with other artists. They have also performed with Ry Cooder, Frank Zappa, The Chieftains, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Kronos Quartet and L. Shankar among the others.

For me, one of the most powerful pieces of music I have ever heard in my life is their two collaborative albums with the Bulgarian singing group “Angelite” (The Angels) - a true meeting of Heaven and Earth, very intense but meditative at the same time. I know some people that can’t listen to more than three minutes of those records and some that I know regard this music as the best thing they ever heard in their lives. Here are some links so that you can decide on your own. Enjoy!