Huun-Huur-Tu

Huun-Huur-Tu is a group of four throat-singers and musicians from Tuva, a republic in the Russian federation located in Siberia on the border of Outer Mongolia Tuva lies some 2,500 miles east of Moscow, and is situated at the geographical centre of Asia.

Huun-Huur-Tu has preserved the traditions of their Tuvan culture, and have developed a worldwide community of listeners.

Throat Singing is an ancient vocal technique called khoomei in which a single vocalist simultaneously produces two or more notes using vocal harmonics. The rhythmic throat-singing has for centuries been used to calm the animals, to communicate with other shepherds far away or to make peace with the spirits.

The group accompany themselves on all manner of strange and wonderful instruments; these include the igil, a two-stringed fiddle played much like a cello; the chanzy, a three-string bowed instrument; the doshpuluur, a banjo-like plucked instrument; conch shell, guitar, bells, Jew's harp, a large goat-skin shamanic drum and an imposing rattle made from a sheep's ankle bones enclosed in a dried bull testicle.

Formed in 1992 with a goal of sharing Tuva's remarkable musical culture with the world, HHT is currently composed of four expert throat singers, Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, Sayan Bapa, Anatoli Kuular, and Alexei Saryglar. In addition to recording their own albums, the members of Huun-Huur-Tu have contributed their unique vocals to albums and/or performances by Frank Zappa, The Chieftains, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, The Kronos Quartet and L. Shankar and Ry Cooder's soundtrack of the film, Geronimo. They were also featured in the hit film Ghengis Blues.

"The Tuvans will ride into your brain and leave hoofprints up and down your spine."
San Francisco Bay Guardian

"When a Tuvan sings praises of mother and country, which is what a Tuvan usually sings, he often does it in three-part harmony. By himself."
Los Angeles Times