The Hu: Mongolian Folk Rock Band
What comes into your mind when I say rock music? Probably, you would be thinking of modern music. But, what about folk music? When somebody brings up the topic of folk music… what dwells in your mind? Well, for this genre of music you would likely imagine ancient songs of a bygone era. For the most part, you only heard their songs from educational tours. Rock and folk music are the antithesis of one another. Rock is a form of expression for the younger folk to distinguish themselves from the older. While folk music tends to be a string that connects a person to the past.
Seeing these two are polar opposites forms of music. One might be shocked to know that some musicians have been intermingling these two. From around the world, artists have infused their traditional folk music with the hard rock of modernity. And one key example of them is the band, The Hu.
Rock Meets Mongolian Folk Music
The Hu’s story started in the Capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. Around 2016, they decided to form a rock band. So, like any other band, they need to create an identity for themselves. Because of the band members’ heritage, they decided to root themselves in the tradition of their homeland. Hence, their rock band will use their nation’s magnificent folk instruments. In addition, to further entrench this identity they will sing their songs in the traditional Tuvan throat singing. Thus, the amalgamation of these two elements gave birth to the unique music they call Hunnu Rock.
The band members consist of Gala, their lead throat singer who plays the Morin Khuur (horsehead fiddle). Next, is Enkush who is their lead Morin Khuur and throat singer. Following him is Jaya who plays a multitude of instruments like the tumur khuur (jew’s harp), and Tsuur (Mongolian flute). In addition, he can also throat sing. And their final member is Temka who plays the Tovshuur (Mongolian guitar).
The band is very humanistic. As such, they named themselves, The Hu. Their name translates to the Mongolian root word ‘hunnu’ which means human being. And their justification for the name is that they wanted their audience to be all human beings. Because of this, The Hu emphasizes the nature of human beings in their songs. And they do this by using Mongolian history, culture, and people as the foundation for their music.
The Gereg
The Gereg is the band’s debut album in 2019 and a great example of their humanist ethos. The name of the album comes from the time of Chinggis Khaan. Gereg was a table that functions as a modern-day passport. The Khan gave them to Merchants and travelers to freely enter Mongolia. Genghis Khan did this to spark trade and prosperity within his empire. Hence, the band is giving people from around the world a Gereg. They are welcoming people to enjoy their music and freely immerse themselves in their world.
Another aspect of The Gereg featured in the songs is the warrior society. As many have already known about Mongolia. It was once a mighty empire spanning from Asia to Eastern Europe. The Mongol empire was the largest land empire in human history. And leading this great empire is Chinggis Khaan. Because of this heritage, The Hu made one of their most epic songs called The Great Chinggis Khaan. The song is a tribute to both the Great Khaan and Mongolia’s warrior history and culture.
Rumble of Thunder
Now in 2022, the band released their second album Rumble Of Thunder. And once again the band delivers another collection of banging music. Key among them is Bii Biyelgee. The song is about the traditional dance that they use during weddings, festivals, and other celebrations. And the accompanying music video is a joyous tribute to their homeland. The people in the video all wore beautiful traditional clothing and danced most magnificently. In essence, Bii Biyelgee for me is the representation of being human. A tribute to humanity’s wonderful primal jubilation and communion with kin.
The Hu in Star Wars
Because of this, they have skyrocketed into global popularity. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a great example of their expanding influence. Respawn Entertainment developed the Fallen Order video game. And if you have ever played the game then you already heard their music. The game used their song Sugaan Essena or Black Thunder to introduce the main protagonist Cal Kestis. So, yeah, the background music for the opening scene is a Mongolian song, not some alien gibberish.
Where find them
In the end, The Hu is a gateway to immersing their audiences in the complex Mongolian society. Their songs portray the love and kinship of their people, while also showing their innate warrior spirit. That is why some of their songs have a spiritual tone while others are war chants. Both complement each other and show human beings are capable of tenderness and ruthlessness.
After reading this article I hope you are now pumped to listen to their music. Luckily, both of their albums and other solo music are available on YouTube, Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Music. Now claim you Gereg and immerse yourself in their music.
