Khusugtun is a Mongolian band that has developed a contemporary form of Mongolian overtone singing by adding polyphony.
The group released its first album in 2009 and later participated in the double disc An Anthology of Mongolian Khöömii in 2017.
For over 10 years, Khusugtun has been one of the most acclaimed khöömii and throat singing groups in Mongolia.
The group became a rising talent with performances at the Khöömii International Festival of Ulaanbaatar, BBC Proms, and Rainforest World Music Festival in Borneo.
The uniqueness of this sextet lies in the use of vocal polyphony, a recent development in the Mongolian throat singing tradition.
Khusugtun repertoire is almost entirely dedicated to khöömii (throat singing), including traditional forms such as praise songs (magtaal), short songs (bogino duu), and compositions inspired by the Mongolian music tradition.
The group accompanies uses the horse-head fiddle morin khuur, a double-bass called ikh khuur, lutes known as tovshuur and dombra, guitar, cello and a zither named yatga. In addition, they use instruments that interplay with overtones, such as mouth harps (tömör khuur and khulsan khuur), as well as a bow called numan khuur. This instrument had been forgotten and Khusugtun is contributing to bring it back.
Khusugtun includes Ariunbold Dashdorj on vocals, khöömii, ikh khuur, tömör khuur; Batzorig Vaanchig on vocals, khöömii, horse-head fiddle, numan khuur musical bow, tömör khuur; Amarbayasgalan Chovjoo on vocals, yatga, khulsan khuur; Chuluunbaatar Oyuungerel on vocals, khöömii, morin khuur, tovshuur lute, numan khuur, tömör khuur; Ulambayar Khürelbaatar on vocals, khöömii, tovshuur and dombra, cello, numan khuur, tömör khuur; and Adiyaadorj Gombosüren on vocals, khöömii, limbe and tsuur lutes, jembe, shakers, numan khuur musical bow, tömör khuur.
Discography:
Khusugtun (self-release, 2009)
Jangar (Buda Musique, 2020)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.