Inner Mongolian folk-rockers Hanggai return to Lincoln Center, fusing ancient throat singing with modern beats, Chen Nan reports.
Hanggai, an eight-member ensemble known for blending the old Mongolian art with contemporary musical influences, performs in Beijing on Dec 29, 2024, after releasing their album Wheel of Fortune. CHINA DAILY
When Hanggai returns to New York's Lincoln Center on Saturday, the acclaimed band from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region will bring far more than a concert. Its performance promises a musical journey that bridges ancient traditions, contemporary rock and nearly two decades of cultural exchange.
The eight-member ensemble, known for blending the old Mongolian art of khoomei, or throat singing, and folk musical instruments like the two-stringed tavshuur lute and the morin khuur (horse-headed fiddle), with contemporary musical influences, will perform as part of Lincoln Center's Chinese Arts Week. The weeklong festival showcases the richness of Chinese artistic traditions.
"For Hanggai, this is a very meaningful return since 2013," says lead vocalist and founder Ilchi. "It has been many years since we performed there. We are coming back with a new album and a new understanding of our music."
The 90-minute concert will spotlight the band's latest album, Wheel of Fortune, released in 2024 after six years in the making, alongside fan favorites spanning its career since Hanggai was founded in 2004.
Hanggai, an eight-member ensemble known for blending the old Mongolian art with contemporary musical influences, performs in Beijing on Dec 29, 2024, after releasing their album Wheel of Fortune. CHINA DAILY
The program has been arranged to reflect Hanggai's evolution – from traditional Mongolian folk music to modern rock, electronic textures, and new compositions that continue to expand Hanggai's creative horizons.
"Many times, when we play at festivals, we only have a short time," Ilchi says. "With 90 minutes, audiences can experience a fuller picture of Hanggai. They can hear the traditional instruments, the contemporary elements, the electronic sounds, and the rock energy."
The band's return also carries a sense of reunion.
"Last year when we performed in New York, we met many people we had not seen for a long time," Ilchi says. "This year feels like another reunion."
On July 15, Wheel of Fortune was also released in physical CD and vinyl editions. The album began taking shape during the uncertainty of the pandemic, when international touring came to a standstill.
"At that time, we didn't know when we would perform again," Ilchi recalls. "Sometimes several members of the band would travel to Inner Mongolia's pastoral areas to find inspiration."
The album developed gradually – from musical ideas and fragments into arrangements, and finally into completed compositions.
Hanggai, an eight-member ensemble known for blending the old Mongolian art with contemporary musical influences, performs in Beijing on Dec 29, 2024, after releasing their album Wheel of Fortune. CHINA DAILY
What began as scattered musical ideas gradually evolved into complete compositions. The title track, Wheel of Fortune, followed the same path. Initially nothing more than a working title, it had neither lyrics nor a clear concept.
"Later, we felt the name represented the whole album," Ilchi says. "After everything we experienced, we hoped life would move in a better direction. It became a blessing for the band and for the future."
The song features a specially created opening section by producer Song Yuzhe, combining grandeur with a sense of solitude and wildness. Throughout the album, traditional Mongolian ethnic musical instruments such as the morin khuur interact with electric guitars and modern arrangements.
"There is a lot of dialogue in this album," Ilchi says. "The guitar and the morin khuur are constantly responding to each other."
"The moment we received the album demos, both Ilchi and I arrived at the same conclusion – this had to be the lead single," Song says of the title track.
Together with tracks like Nature, Hero, and Brothers, it became one of the album's central pillars, while the other nine songs, each with their own distinct colors, gave the record its depth and texture, Song notes.
"We were committed to building the album around analog mixing and authentic, organic sounds, using real instruments and honest tones wherever possible," says Song, adding that the recording process stretched across Vancouver, Berlin, and Beijing, with each city leaving its own imprint on the music.
Hanggai, an eight-member ensemble known for blending the old Mongolian art with contemporary musical influences, performs in Beijing on Dec 29, 2024, after releasing their album Wheel of Fortune. CHINA DAILY
For much of its career, Hanggai has collaborated with international producers, gaining fresh approaches to recording and arrangement. On Wheel of Fortune, however, the band wanted to work more closely with a Chinese producer who shared a deeper understanding of its cultural roots.
"In the past, we worked more often with Western producers," Ilchi says. "They taught us many things technically and creatively. With this album, we wanted to bring in someone who understood our cultural background more deeply."
The result reaches beyond Mongolian identity.
"I don't think this album is only about Mongolian culture," Ilchi says. "Many of the themes are universal – the relationship between tradition and modern development, how cultures endure, and how people search for meaning."
One of the album's most powerful songs, Wrestler, draws inspiration from Mongolian wrestling and the traditional Naadam festival – one of the traditional festivals of the Mongolian ethnic group, where wrestling, horse racing and archery celebrate the region's nomadic heritage.
Wrestling in Naadam is more than a sport – it symbolizes strength, honor, endurance, and the warrior traditions of the Mongolian people.
The song incorporates traditional longsong vocals heard during the ceremonial entrance of wrestlers into the arena.
The rock band featuring musicians from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region will return to New York with a concert on Saturday. CHINA DAILY
"Before each round, wrestlers walk into the arena accompanied by this music," Ilchi says. "At a certain moment in the song, they enter. It is a very important part of the tradition."
Hanggai transforms that ceremonial music into a powerful rock composition, creating a conversation between ancient ritual and contemporary sound.
Other songs also revisit traditional repertoire. Swan and Dependence are based on folk songs from Ordos, while Herdsman draws from Buryat traditions. The band reshapes these melodies through modern arrangements while preserving their emotional essence.
The album Wheel of Fortune marks the band's 20th anniversary. Their sixth studio album Big Band Brass, created with a 13-member American jazz brass ensemble, drew mixed reactions.
As Hanggai continues to evolve, the band has also faced questions from listeners who find their newer work more difficult to categorize.
Ilchi says the band is not focused on following expectations.
"Some songs are not immediately appreciated," he says. "Years later, people discover them. That has happened with some of our earlier work."
For him, the most important quality in music is originality.
"AI can already complete many basic tasks," he says. "For musicians, the more important thing is to find something that cannot be replaced – the ability to create, and your own perspective."
"Music is not only about form. It is also about ideas."
Years of international touring have also changed the band's understanding of music and identity.
"When you experience different cultures around the world, your thinking naturally changes," he says. "That change becomes part of the music."
After its Lincoln Center performance, Hanggai will continue touring North America and Europe while beginning to work on its next album.
Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn
