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Yat-Kha
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Yat-Kha

Albert Kuvezin formed the group Yat-Kha because he couldn’t bear to see the ancestral music of the Republic of Tuva made into a folkloric attraction, or have the lifeblood sucked out of it by the mafia of Soviet disco. Along with their modern approach and ethno-punk philosophy, Yat-Kha have the utmost respect for this music and the unique singing style. The throat singing technique inherited from the shamans allows the singer to produce very deep tones and high pitched melodies simultaneously. With Yat-Kha, the emphasis is not all focused on this spectacular aspect of Tuvan music, but on the strange and powerful emotion it provokes. Albert Kuvezin studied classical guitar and bass in Kytzyl, the capital of Tuva. This small country, squeezed between Mongolia, Siberia and China, gained its independence upon the breakup of the Soviet Union. Albert went on to work in music groups endorsed by the state. At the same time, he drew on ancient books and veteran singers to learn the different techniques of Tuvan singing.

In the 1980s, released from the institutional music programme, he joined the underground music circuit and founded his first group: a stunning fusion, which did not have the approval of the authorities, his music was driven by punk energy, saturated guitars, conscious lyrics, and Kargyra vocals. In 1989, he returned to Ekaterinburg, one of the hotspots for alternative music in the Yurals. There he recorded a solo album and participated in the Voice of Asia competition in Khasastan, winning an award, which was presented to him by Brian Eno. The following year, he co-founds the traditional group Huun Huur Tu, which became, along with Shu-de, the best known group in the region.He then starts to experiment with electronic music with keyboard player Ivan Sokolovsky, from Moscow. This leads to the creation of Yat-Kha – the name comes from a traditional instrument which is like a lyre. Today the Yat-Kha trio embodies the most successful and respectful modernization of Tuva tradition. Their music does not have a formula, it’s essentially a perfect reflection of the extreme nature of this region.

Thanks to the strange alchemy of the arrangements, the traditional songs recall the enthusiasm, the magic and the original purity of this people which has always fought to preserve its identity in the face of the powerful forces surrounding it.

Musicians : Albert Kuvezin: Yat-Kha, guitars, shanzi, khomuz ; lead and backing vocals, Kanzat Aldyn-ool Sevek: morin-huur, syggt vocals, Khöömei and KargiraaZhenya Tkach'v : gong, percussion and Stikhi vocals.

(Translation by Jody Gillett)



Benjamin MiNiMuM




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