Hanggai: The Mongolian Steppe lives at Beijing Folk Party

December 8th 2008, by Tobias |

All through December, Beijing-based band Hanggai are taking their minimalistic and moody cocktail of Mongolian Roots music with Chinese influences, throat chants, ambient passages and hypnotic grooves to the stages of their home town. On December 26th, the multimember ensemble is set to perform at the hot and funky 2 Kolegas Bar, furthermore appearing at the Yugong Yishan on December 19th and at Jiangjinjiu Bar on the 6th. The most remarkable event, however, is the Folkparty staged by Hanggai and friends like Low Wormwood and Traveler at leading local event space D22. Heading this (relatively, that is) illustrous tripple bill line-up, the band will present pieces from their still fresh “Introducing Hanggai” album, which continues to rake up rave reviews all around the world, forcing publications as diverse as the BBC and Pitchfork Media into sweet submission on the strength of their endearingly soulful and intruigingly atmospheric blend of ritualistic soundscapes and rhythmic passages with a strong singer/songwriter touch.

The concert highlights a development which is slowly gaining strength on the Chinese underground: Groups and musicians discovering what makes their specific cultural heritage stand out from the rest and stumbling on the musical elemements exclusive to their locale. Even though these bands often operate within rock and punk circles, their approach can simultaneously be regarded as a conscious counterpoint to the quickly spreading influence of European and American art forms. Lyrics on “Introducing Hanggai”, for example, deal with riding on horseback, the “beloved grasslands” of the Mongolian steppe, “a young soldier named Hurnamjr” and pastoral life hundreds of years ago, thereby contrasting crassly with the garish neon-colour sounds of Beijing’s techno- and house-clubs and doom-ridden rock riffs of the emerging punk scene.

During their performance at the D22, Hanggai will again be wearing traditional Mongolian attire and combine traditional Mongolian instruments and contemporary “Rock instruments” into pieces which carefully walk the line between faithful renditions and daring re-interpretations. “Built from -- and meant for -- Mongolia's wide open spaces, this music will make you homesick for a place you've never been”, a quote says on the Hanggai webpage puts it – and makes you want to board that plane to Beijing right away.

Homepage: Hanggai
Homepage: Hanggai at MySpace
Homepage: D22