Altan Urag (; mn, Алтан Ураг, ; "
Golden Lineage") is a
Mongolian folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...
band. Formed in 2002, the band's musical style combines traditional Mongolian and contemporary influences. They're considered to be the pioneers of mongolian folk-rock.
Their music has featured in the 2006 film ''
Khadak'',
the 2007 film ''
Mongol
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of ...
''
and the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
television series ''
Marco Polo
Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...
''.
The members of the band have all been trained in classical Mongolian music. Their performances typically include the ''
morin khuur
The ''morin khuur'' ( mn, морин хуур, morin khuur), also known as the horsehead fiddle, is a traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument. It is one of the most important musical instruments of the Mongol people, and is considered a ...
'' (horse head fiddle), ''ikh khuur'' (grand horse head fiddle), ''bishguur'' (traditional horn) and ''yoochin'' (a type of
hammered dulcimer
The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion-stringed instrument which consists of strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set before the musician, who in more trad ...
),
''khöömii'' (throat singing) and
long song
The long song ( mn, , ''Urtyn duu'') is one of the central elements of the traditional music of Mongolia. This genre is called "Long song" not only because the songs are long, but also because each syllable of text is extended for a long duration ...
vocals.
The band's horsehead fiddles were custom made for the band, and the heads were made to resemble goats, as the band's members believe that the goat is the symbolic "mother of rock music".
Although they make use of electrified instruments, some are explicitly acoustic to maintain what they consider the folk sound, such as the ''bishguur.'' Besides alluding to the "basic pitches, melodic structures and timbre" of Mongolian music tradition, they also integrate traditional themes, such as paternal love, the natural landscape, and horses into their songs.
Lhagvasuren Bavuu, is credited as the father of Altan Urag, for supporting them with free studio space at the National Puppet Theatre, as well as advising them to use the monster head design of their ''morin khuur;'' different from the traditional style, but Mongolian in origin, as Inderma is fiddle-playing monster from legend.
Film collaborations
According to Erdenebat Bataar, the band's leader, their music used in the scene of ''Kadak'' highlighted "social problems facing Mongolians today", as it was set apart from the music used in the rest of the film, emphasizing the issues as distinctively Mongolian.
Contrasting to the music in ''Mongol,'' which was produced to have wider commercial appeal, was criticized for using various non-Mongolian elements. In an interview, P. Oyunbileg pointed out that Mongolians weren't happy with how they were portrayed in the film, and Erdenebat pointed out that Mongolians object to the inaccuracies of international portrayals.
The group has toured abroad, including the US.
Members
, the band's lineup consisted of:
* Erdenebat Baatar (Erka),leader of band, composer, producer, yoochin, piano,
* M. Chimedtogtokh (Chimdee), pipe, vocals (throat singing)
* Ts. Gangaa (Gangaa), great fiddle, bass
* P. Oyunbileg (Oyunaa), moriin khuur, vocals (throat singing)
* B. Bolortungalag (Tungaa), drums, percussion
* B. Burentogs (Burnee) moriin khuur, vocals (throat singing)
* Kh. Erdenetsetseg (Erka), vocals (long song)
Discography
* ''Foal's Been Born'' (2004)
* ''Made in Altan Urag'' (2006)
* ''Hypnotism'' (2008)
* ''Blood'' (2009)
* ''Nation'' (2010)
* ''Once Upon a Time in Mongolia'' (2010)
* ''Mongol'' (2010)
See also
*
Music of Mongolia
Music is an integral part of Mongolian culture. Among the unique contributions of Mongolia to the world's musical culture are the long songs, overtone singing and morin khuur, the horse-headed fiddle. The music of Mongolia is also rich with vari ...
References
External links
Facebook page
Mongolian traditional music groups
Mongolian rock music groups
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