Dirtwire to Release Tribute to Throat-Singing Legend Kongar-ol Ondar

Dirtwire – Ondar EPOndar EP is the latest recording by San Francisco Bay Area-based electro-acoustic duo Dirtwire. The EP honors the musical legacy of Tuvan throat-singing maestro Kongar-ol Ondar (1962–2013), with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit Ondar’s legacy in Tuva.

The Ondar EP derived from an unplanned encounter in 2013 when Dirtwire’s Evan Fraser (Hamsa Lila and Stellamara) was invited to play mouth harp with Ondar — the “Groovin’ Tuvan” — during a private performance in Marin, California. Ondar’s vocals were recorded by David Satori (Beats Antique) in a home studio later that night. “Taiga,” the EP’s key track, is an ode to Bai-laa Taigam, an expansive steppe land in the singer’s home region of Tuva, Russia. Throughout the EP, the melodious interplay of acoustic and electronic music often makes it difficult to tell where Ondar’s otherworldly voice leaves off and Dirtwire’s ambient textures begin.

“It was a great honor and a privilege to get to collaborate with such a musical legend of the Earth,” says Fraser of his experience working with Ondar. “You can picture the natural beauty of his native Tuva as you hear him sing. Ondar will be missed and remembered forever.”