| Hurd / Хурд | |
|---|---|
Hurd at Grand Khan pub in 2009. From left to right : D.Otgonbayar, D.Otgonbaatar, D.Tömörtsog, N.Naranbaatar. |
|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Erel-Hurd / Эрэл-Хурд |
| Origin | Ulan Bator, Mongolia |
| Genres | Heavy metal, Hard rock, Rock n' roll |
| Years active | Since 1993 |
| Labels | Independent |
| Associated acts | Kharanga, Chono |
| Website | http://www.hurdrock.com |
| Members | |
| Dambyn Ganbayar Dambyn Tömörtsog Dambyn Otgonbayar Dambyn Otgonbaatar Namsraijavyn Naranbaatar |
|
| Past members | |
| T.Naranbaatar | |
Hurd (Mongolian: Хурд, /xʊrt/, "speed") is a Mongolian heavy metal band. Formed in 1993 by drummer Dambyn Ganbayar in the wake of the democratic revolution in Mongolia, Hurd is considered the first band to have introduced the heavy metal genre into the mongolian music landscape. Along with Chingis Khaan, Kharanga or Niciton, they are considered "veterans" of the mongolian pop rock scene, and, as such, they have greatly contributed to its diversification and encouraged the emergence of many new rock acts. [1]
Hurd has released six studio albums, three live albums, and one compilation album. The band has won numerous Pentatonic Awards (Mongolia's equivalent of the Grammy Award) and Golden Microphone Awards. Guitarist Dambyn Otgonbayar is a member of the Pentatonic Academy. [2] Drummer Dambyn Ganbayar is a board member of the Mongolian Drummers Association. [3]
In November 2009, singer Dambyn Tömörtsog and bassist Namsraijavyn Naranbaatar were respectively awarded with the Merited Artist of Mongolia and the Polar Star awards. [4]
Contents |
In 1987, drummer D.Ganbayar founds his first rock band with his fellow workers of Ulan Bator's train depot. The formation was dubbed Skorost' (Russian: Скорость, "speed") by the depot's director. As the members didn't really get along, this first line-up didn't last. [5] In 1991, lead guitarist D.Otgonbayar joins the band after having finished secondary school. He is followed the next year by bassist N.Naranbaatar. With the arrival of singer D.Tömörtsog in 1993, this second formation is complete and thus was born Hurd that we know today.
Rhythm guitarist T.Naranbaatar has joined Hurd at some point between 1993 and 1995.
The first major concert by Hurd, called Khar salkhi (Mongolian: Хар салхи, "black wind"), was held at the State Circus in March 1995. For this reason, Hurd is considered to be officially founded in 1995, although they were active since 1993.
Hurd starts to be famous among music listeners, especially with the song Tsergiin bodol, which quickly becomes a hit. From 1996 to 1997, Hurd made the Kharankhui (Mongolian: Харанхуй, "darkness") tour and released their first two albums - The Best Collection I and The Best Collection II. These albums are out of print today and have become rarities. Also in 1997, the band made their first tour outside of Mongolia, traveling to China's Inner Mongolia region.
Prior to 1997, the drummer's duties were filled by Ganbayar, until D.Otgonbaatar has joined the band. From that point on, Ganbayar concentrated more on the band's management and playing secondary instruments.
In another never-been-done move, in May 1998, Hurd held a series of acoustic concerts, later released on CD as Unplugged. The best of Hurd's songs were re-arranged for this event and performed accompanied by a string ensemble, a saxophonist, a morin khuur player and a pianist.
From 1999 to 2007, the band was under the patronage of Erel (a Mongolian mining company) and its owner B.Erdenebat. The founder of the Motherland Party provided the band with new equipment and a rehearsal space, in exchange for their electoral support and participation in the party campaigns. For the release of their 1999 album Ödör Shönö, the band used a new name - "Erel-Hurd" (Mongolian: Эрэл-Хурд), although it remains the sole occurrence.
In July 2007, as the band had just returned from a 4 month stay in the United States, Erel's managers have abruptly ordered the band to leave the rehearsal space and ceased any further cooperation. [6] The reasons that led the company management to proceed in that manner remain still unclear today.
Both sides have come out of this 8-year partnership with their reputations damaged - the company for having exploited the band to achieve their political goals before rejecting them, and the band for having fraternized with politicians by interest.
Rhythm guitarist T.Naranbaatar has left Hurd at some point in late 2008 for reasons undisclosed yet.
Influenced by heavy metal and hard rock bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, WASP, Judas Priest or Guns N' Roses, Hurd's earlier material was classic heavy metal. As their career unfolded, they kept on exploring rock music genres. Nu metal material was written for Myangan Jild Gants, whereas in Mongold Törsön the band displayed more rock and roll and hard rock influences. Züirlekh Argagüi saw the band's return to their heavy metal roots with a shade of industrial metal.
Some songs are reminiscent of traditional mongolian music, using pentatonic scales, traditional melody styles and instruments, most notably morin khuur. Also characteristic are ballads, which often revolve around the theme of love, respect for parents or national pride. [7] The band's roots in tradition and a focus on national pride make them especially popular in rural areas of Mongolia, as well as with Mongolian migrant workers abroad, such as in South Korea. [8] They are also popular in China's Inner Mongolia province, and their sales figures for tapes and CDs are higher there than at home. When they first tried to enter into the Chinese market, they faced various problems: officials asked them to translate their lyrics from Mongolian into Chinese, and then banned some of them. [9]
Hurd usually writes songs by composing music around proses and poems coming from either regular contributors or anonymous people.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||