Hanggai is made up of young musicians from Beijing and from the Inner Mongolia Mongol Autonomous Region in modern day People's Republic of China. Satisfying the demand for the romanticized and mysticized Mongolian music in China, Hanggai presents Mongolian folk songs in conjunction with western and Chinese influenced drumming and other techniques (albeit with some sacrifice to lyrical clarity), hence makes the traditional Mongolian art more comprehensible to foreigners in China and the west.
"...The word ‘hanggai’ is Mongolian, describing an idealised grassland landscape of mountains, trees, rivers and blue skies.
Hanggai’s leader, Ilchi, was fronting a punk band until he experienced a conversion after hearing traditional overtone singing. He travelled to his father’s homeland of Inner Mongolia and started to learn the technique – rediscovering the music and the repertoire of songs that had faded but not disappeared during China’s turbulent past. There he met Hugejiltu and Bagen, both music students, who joined the group. Hugejiltu plays lead fiddle and Bagen sings deep bass using a technique of overtone singing, producing a note one octave below the note he is singing.
The songs on the album are adaptations of traditional songs from the grasslands, sung in Mongolian, many using hoomei, a throat-singing technique that has been handed down over hundreds of years. At the heart of the music are two traditional instruments – the morin khuur – the horse-hair fiddle and the tobshuur – a strummed two-stringed lute.
Some of the arrangements sound very simply traditional and others are more complex. ‘Five Heroes’, a song of vigilantes stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, includes jangly electric guitar, conjuring up cowboy movies – creating a connection between east and west. ‘Wuji’ is predominantly throatsinging, with the strong repetitive sound of the horsehair fiddle pushing the song forward. ‘Lullaby’ (Borulai) is a gorgeous mix of vocal harmonies – the familiar feel of a gentle lullaby with a strong atmosphere of the grasslands.
The penultimate track, ‘Drinking Song’, recorded during a drunken evening and spliced together in the studio, hits the spot. ‘Let our song never end, let our fortunes never decline, a cup for ever in our hands, a song for ever in our throats.’"
Their "Introducing Hanggai" album on the World Music Network got an excellent (8.0/10.0)
review in Pitchfork.
Excerpts from other reviews;
“distills everything powerful about Mongolian folk music and makes something new from the ingredients…transcendently powerful music that anyone from anywhere can understand.” PITCHFORK
“so entrancing or just downright enthralling that I just can’t imagine why the tradition ever fell out of fashion… charming, raucous, brilliantly jubilant and a breath of fresh Mongolian grassland.” World Music Central
"Hanggai have made the leap from folk phenomenon to crossover pioneers without losing their soul. Built from -- and meant for -- Mongolia's wide open spaces, this music will make you homesick for a place you've never been." Rhapsody
"Their debut album is a delight...'Flowers' is country and eastern, while 'Haar Hu' could be the grassland's 'Scarborough Fair'. While Beijing busts a vulgar gut to Westernise, Hanggai update tradition with elegance." Observer
It seems that they also have an album that was released in China but which can be had as
a digital download from Amazon. The album is called `Hanggai' and the band itself is called `Hanggai Band'.
Their second album proper, He Who Travels Far was released in 2010.
On their YouTube channel they are running a THROAT SINGING CONTEST.
http://www.myspace.com/hanggaiband
http://www.youtube.com/hanggaiband
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-official-Hanggai-fanpage/284024583225
Four Seasons
Hanggai Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When spring arrives,
And the grass shoots appear,
We move to the spring camp,
What a boundless earth,
Such a long, long journey.
When summer arrives,
We move to the summer camp,
What a boundless earth,
Such a long, long journey.
When autumn arrives,
Plants wither and dry,
We move to the autumn camp,
What a boundless earth,
Such a long, long journey.
When winter arrives,
Plants dead and gone,
We move to the winter camp,
What a boundless earth,
Such a long, long journey.
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The lyrics in Hanggai's song Four Seasons capture the nomadic lifestyle of the Mongolian people. The song speaks about the transitions that occur with the arrival of each season, and how the Mongolian people adapt and move to different camps for each season.
The song starts with the arrival of spring, and the grass shoots appearing, which signals the move to the spring camp. This is followed by summer and autumn, where the lyrics speak about the growth and subsequent withering of plants, which in turn signify the move to the summer and autumn camps respectively. Finally, the song speaks of winter, where the cold weather kills off the plants, and the Mongolian people move to the winter camp.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of movement and transition, with each season signifying the need to relocate and adapt to new surroundings. The lyrics also evoke a sense of wonder and awe towards the natural world, with descriptions of the boundless earth and the long journey.
Line by Line Meaning
When spring arrives,
At the onset of spring,
And the grass shoots appear,
As the grass begins to grow,
We move to the spring camp,
We relocate to our camp for the spring season,
What a boundless earth,
The Earth's expanse is awe-inspiring,
Such a long, long journey.
Our journey has been a lengthy one.
When summer arrives,
As summer approaches,
Lush grass grows,
The lush grass thrives,
We move to the summer camp,
We journey to our summer encampment,
What a boundless earth,
The vastness of the Earth is overwhelming,
Such a long, long journey.
We have journeyed for such a long time.
When autumn arrives,
When the autumn season sets in,
Plants wither and dry,
The plants start to wilt and lose vitality,
We move to the autumn camp,
We relocate to our camp for the autumn season,
What a boundless earth,
The Earth is extensive,
Such a long, long journey.
Our journey has been lengthy.
When winter arrives,
As winter arrives,
Plants dead and gone,
The plants have perished,
We move to the winter camp,
We proceed to our winter campsite,
What a boundless earth,
The vastness of the planet is astounding,
Such a long, long journey.
Our journey has been long and arduous.
Contributed by Leo E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ariegawgarcia9402
I am from Mongolia decent, coastal Eskimo, and I love this music. It speaks to my heart.
@nicolasignaciovillegasorti6498
Respect from Latinoamerica, Chile.
This feels right in the soul.
@USAMetalenEspanol
I don't have a clue what they saying but their music hits deep into the soul...
@tsedevmaadavaakhuu5393
About our nomadic lifestyle and about nature
@CeresOutpost
It's incredible to see these young guys playing with traditional music in such an evolutionary way. This is one of the many reasons I enjoy practicing Kung Fu. Being a part of something so steeped in tradition and being able to put it in modern context is a great feeling. Forget the mainstream. Follow your own path.
@saveriog6007
Fantastic job and great music. Thanks!
@johnnunya5428
Fuck yeah! Finding this band on stumble upon has made my day!
@NikkoYM
+john nunya Maybe check out the movie called Dharma Blues.
@54Bero
This music and the voices hits me deep inside! Thanks for this high emotional experience!!
@starbanana
Saw them twice at WOMAD in New Plymouth, NZ, in March this year. They were a stand-out group and I still get chills thinking of their performance. Fantastic energy and music.