With the long winter days (and a newly developed insomnia) I’ve been looking through my old albums and giving them a listen. One of the ones I was happy to find was Re-Covers by the Tuvan throat-singing rock band, Yat-Kha.
Yat-Kha was founded in 1991 by Albert Kuvezin (known to some as one of the founding members of Huun-Huur-Tu) and Russian avant-garde composer Ivan Sokolovsky. After touring and playing various festivals, they took the name Yat-Kha and in 1993, made their self-titled debut album. After that, Sokolovsky left and Kuvezin went on to record five more albums, all of which combined Tuvan folk music with western rock and roll.
Re-Cover is the last of the albums and is Kuvesin’s tribute to the music that helped shaped his world. It features covers of songs by Joy Division, Carlos Santana, Motörhead, Iron Butterfly, Kraftwerk and many more. What’s almost as interesting as the album itself are Kuvesin’s comments on the songs he chose for the album. here are a select few:
Man Machine (Kraftwerk)
“Remember that time? They were very fresh and unusual
between the dominance of rock and punk. Plus very progressive.
It is about our relationship with machine world.
Almost Folkloric.”
Exodus (Bob Marley)
“Again, I love freedom and independence which are also possible
through the movement and travels.
I love to read about historical peoples movements.
Plus I like Bob and reggae.”
Orgasmatron (Motorhead)
“I always liked music full of energy.
Years ago I liked such kind of lyrics and wrote such my self.
Also this is good possibility to remind to politicians who they are.”
Ramblin’ Man (Hank Williams)
“I don¹t like when there is too much text in songs
but this one is just about my self and my brothers – musicians.
It is very close to our souls and spirit of freedom.
Actually we are all the travelers on this planet.”
Yat-Kha’s other albums are just as phenomenal, but Re-Covers has a special place in my heart from back when I was a young lass (a whole three years ago) looking for some new and interesting music. This album was the first album by them I had heard and loved (hell, who WOULDN’T enjoy a Tuvan throat-singing Kraftwerk cover?) and got me on the road to searching for their other albums (I totally suggest checking out Dalai Beldiri and tuva.rock). The blend of genres is very apparent and leaves you wanting more.
Now here’s some mp3s.
Black Magic Woman (Carlos Santana)
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division)
Orgasmatron (Motörhead)
Web Site
www.yat-kha.com
