Hanggai is a Mongolian folk-style Indie band from Beijing that specializes in Punk Rock and Heavy Metal. Ethnically, most of the bros in this band are native Mongolians and that’s where they pull most of their musical inspiration from. But obviously they’re not immune to Western influences, and they credit bands like Rage Against The Machine and Pink Floyd as helping shape Hanggai’s unique Mongolian-style heavy metal.
I came across this performance above earlier when I was browsing around on Ye Olde Internets (/r/videos) and I was blown away by how badass these dudes are. This clip above came from the finale of some sort of Chinese talent show. From what I’ve gathered by searching for more of their YouTube videos it’s the Chinese version of The Voice. I can’t really say what it is about this badass music but it makes me want to mount a horse and invade Europe, what about you?
Here’s another track:
Here’s a little background on Hanggai via Wikipedia:
NPR radio states that in a country where genres such as c-pop dominate mainstream airwaves, Hanggai Band is making new inroads into the Chinese music industry with their unique and modern take on Mongolian folk music. Some of the members are ethnic Mongolians while the remaining are ethnic Han who specialize in Mongolian instruments. All of the members hail from Inner Mongolia and Beijing.
The term “Hanggai” itself is a Mongolian word referring to an idealized natural landscape of sprawling grasslands, mountains, rivers, trees, and blue skies.[6] The band was created when leader Ilchi, captivated by the sound of throat singing and wanting to rediscover his ethnic heritage, travelled to Inner Mongolia to learn the art. It was there that he met fellow band members Hugejiltu and Bagen. In an interview with NPR Ilchi stated that, “Most of our people have moved away from the old way of life…After moving to the cities, many of us have gradually been subjected to a very strong cultural invasion by an oppressive culture. So this traditional music has completely lost its space
Interestingly, Hanggai actually performed at Bonnaroo back in 2011. I haven’t been to the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival since like 2007 because, in general, the lineup has been complete garbage full of mainstream bullshit but after learning that Hanggai was there I’m suddenly rethinking my plans (or lack thereof) to attend Bonnaroo in the future.