Hurd (band)
Encyclopedia
Hurd is a Mongolia
n heavy metal
band. Formed in 1993 by drummer
Dambyn Ganbayar in the wake of the democratic revolution in Mongolia
, Hurd is considered the first band to have introduced the heavy metal genre
into the mongolian music landscape
. Along with Chingis Khaan, Kharanga or Niciton, they are considered "veterans" of the mongolian pop rock scene, and, as such, they have greatly contributed to its diversification and encouraged the emergence of many new rock acts.
Hurd has released six studio album
s, three live album
s, and one compilation album
. The band has won numerous Pentatonic Awards (Mongolia's equivalent of the Grammy Award
) and Golden Microphone Awards. Guitarist Dambyn Otgonbayar is a member of the Pentatonic Academy.
Drummer Dambyn Ganbayar is a board member of the Mongolian Drummers Association.
In November 2009, singer Dambyn Tömörtsog and bassist Namsraijavyn Naranbaatar were respectively awarded with the Merited Artist of Mongolia and the Polar Star awards.
In 1991, lead guitarist D.Otgonbayar joins the band after having finished secondary school
. He is followed the next year by bassist N.Naranbaatar. With the arrival of singer D.Tömörtsog in 1993, this second formation is complete and thus was born Hurd that we know today.
Rhythm guitarist T.Naranbaatar has joined Hurd at some point between 1993 and 1995.
Hurd starts to be famous among music listeners, especially with the song Tsergiin bodol, which quickly becomes a hit. From 1996 to 1997, Hurd made the Kharankhui tour and released their first two albums - The Best Collection I and The Best Collection II. These albums are out of print today and have become rarities. Also in 1997, the band made their first tour outside of Mongolia, traveling to China
's Inner Mongolia
region.
Prior to 1997, the drummer's duties were filled by Ganbayar, until D.Otgonbaatar has joined the band. From that point on, Ganbayar concentrated more on the band's management and playing secondary instruments.
In another never-been-done move, in May 1998, Hurd held a series of acoustic
concerts, later released on CD as Unplugged. The best of Hurd's songs were re-arranged for this event and performed accompanied by a string ensemble, a saxophonist, a morin khuur
player and a pianist.
of Erel (a Mongolian mining company) and its owner B.Erdenebat. The founder of the Motherland Party
provided the band with new equipment and a rehearsal space, in exchange for their electoral support and participation in the party campaigns. For the release of their 1999 album Ödör Shönö, the band used a new name - "Erel-Hurd" , although it remains the sole occurrence.
The reasons that led the company management to proceed in that manner remain still unclear today.
Both sides have come out of this 8-year partnership with their reputations damaged - the company for having exploited the band to achieve their political goals before rejecting them, and the band for having fraternized with politicians by interest.
Rhythm guitarist T.Naranbaatar has left Hurd at some point in late 2008 for reasons undisclosed yet.
, Iron Maiden
, WASP
, Judas Priest
or Guns N' Roses
, Hurd's earlier material was classic heavy metal
. As their career unfolded, they kept on exploring rock music
genres. Nu metal
material was written for Myangan Jild Gants, whereas in Mongold Törsön the band displayed more rock and roll
and hard rock
influences. Züirlekh Argagüi saw the band's return to their heavy metal roots with a shade of industrial metal
.
Some songs are reminiscent of traditional mongolian music
, using pentatonic scale
s, traditional melody styles and instruments, most notably morin khuur
. Also characteristic are ballads, which often revolve around the theme of love, respect for parents or national pride.
The band's roots in tradition and a focus on national pride make them especially popular in rural areas of Mongolia, as well as with Mongolian migrant workers abroad, such as in South Korea
.
They are also popular in China
's Inner Mongolia
province, and their sales figures for tapes and CDs are higher there than at home. When they first tried to enter into the Chinese market, they faced various problems: officials asked them to translate their lyrics from Mongolian
into Chinese
, and then banned some of them.
Hurd usually writes songs by composing music around proses and poems coming from either regular contributors or anonymous people.
Former members
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
n heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band. Formed in 1993 by drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Dambyn Ganbayar in the wake of the democratic revolution in Mongolia
1990 Democratic Revolution in Mongolia
The 1990 Peaceful Democratic Revolution in Mongolia was a democratic revolution that started with hunger strikes to overthrow the Mongolian People's Republic and eventually moved towards the democratic present day Mongolia and the writing of the new constitution. It was spearheaded by mostly...
, Hurd is considered the first band to have introduced the heavy metal genre
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
into the mongolian music landscape
Music of Mongolia
Music is an integral part of Mongolian culture. Among the unique contributions of Mongolia to the world's musical culture are the long songs, one of the greatest features of the Mongolian music, overtone singing and morin khuur, the horse-headed fiddle...
. Along with Chingis Khaan, Kharanga or Niciton, they are considered "veterans" of the mongolian pop rock scene, and, as such, they have greatly contributed to its diversification and encouraged the emergence of many new rock acts.
Hurd has released six studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
s, three live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s, and one compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
. The band has won numerous Pentatonic Awards (Mongolia's equivalent of the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
) and Golden Microphone Awards. Guitarist Dambyn Otgonbayar is a member of the Pentatonic Academy.
Drummer Dambyn Ganbayar is a board member of the Mongolian Drummers Association.
In November 2009, singer Dambyn Tömörtsog and bassist Namsraijavyn Naranbaatar were respectively awarded with the Merited Artist of Mongolia and the Polar Star awards.
Early years (1987-1995)
In 1987, drummer D.Ganbayar founds his first rock band with his fellow workers of Ulan Bator's train depot. The formation was dubbed Skorost by the depot's director. As the members didn't really get along, this first line-up didn't last.In 1991, lead guitarist D.Otgonbayar joins the band after having finished secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
. He is followed the next year by bassist N.Naranbaatar. With the arrival of singer D.Tömörtsog in 1993, this second formation is complete and thus was born Hurd that we know today.
Rhythm guitarist T.Naranbaatar has joined Hurd at some point between 1993 and 1995.
Best Collection I, Best Collection II, Unplugged (1995-1999)
The first major concert by Hurd, called Khar salkhi , was held at the State Circus in March 1995. For this reason, Hurd is considered to be officially founded in 1995, although they were active since 1993.Hurd starts to be famous among music listeners, especially with the song Tsergiin bodol, which quickly becomes a hit. From 1996 to 1997, Hurd made the Kharankhui tour and released their first two albums - The Best Collection I and The Best Collection II. These albums are out of print today and have become rarities. Also in 1997, the band made their first tour outside of Mongolia, traveling to China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
's Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
region.
Prior to 1997, the drummer's duties were filled by Ganbayar, until D.Otgonbaatar has joined the band. From that point on, Ganbayar concentrated more on the band's management and playing secondary instruments.
In another never-been-done move, in May 1998, Hurd held a series of acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
concerts, later released on CD as Unplugged. The best of Hurd's songs were re-arranged for this event and performed accompanied by a string ensemble, a saxophonist, a morin khuur
Morin khuur
The morin khuur is a traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument. It is one of the most important musical instruments of the Mongol people, and is considered a symbol of the Mongolian nation. The morin khuur is one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity identified...
player and a pianist.
Ödör Shönö, Myangan Jild Gants, Best Collection III (1999-2003)
From 1999 to 2007, the band was under the patronagePatronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
of Erel (a Mongolian mining company) and its owner B.Erdenebat. The founder of the Motherland Party
Motherland Party (Mongolia)
The Motherland Party , sometimes also referred to as Mongolian Democratic New Socialist Party is a political party in Mongolia. It was founded by the owner of the Erel group, B. Erdenebat. There is a considerable overlap between employees of the Erel group and members of the Motherland party, and...
provided the band with new equipment and a rehearsal space, in exchange for their electoral support and participation in the party campaigns. For the release of their 1999 album Ödör Shönö, the band used a new name - "Erel-Hurd" , although it remains the sole occurrence.
Mongold Törsön, Züirlekh Argagüi (2003-2005)
In July 2007, as the band had just returned from a 4 month stay in the United States, Erel's managers have abruptly ordered the band to leave the rehearsal space and ceased any further cooperation.The reasons that led the company management to proceed in that manner remain still unclear today.
Both sides have come out of this 8-year partnership with their reputations damaged - the company for having exploited the band to achieve their political goals before rejecting them, and the band for having fraternized with politicians by interest.
Rhythm guitarist T.Naranbaatar has left Hurd at some point in late 2008 for reasons undisclosed yet.
Style and lyrical themes
Influenced by heavy metal and hard rock bands such as MetallicaMetallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, WASP
W.A.S.P.
W.A.S.P. is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982. They emerged from the same Los Angeles scene that spawned Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Quiet Riot and others. The band's popularity peaked in the 1980s, yet they continue to record and tour, making them one of the most enduring of the West Coast heavy...
, Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
or Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
, Hurd's earlier material was classic heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
. As their career unfolded, they kept on exploring rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
genres. Nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
material was written for Myangan Jild Gants, whereas in Mongold Törsön the band displayed more rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
influences. Züirlekh Argagüi saw the band's return to their heavy metal roots with a shade of industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
.
Some songs are reminiscent of traditional mongolian music
Music of Mongolia
Music is an integral part of Mongolian culture. Among the unique contributions of Mongolia to the world's musical culture are the long songs, one of the greatest features of the Mongolian music, overtone singing and morin khuur, the horse-headed fiddle...
, using pentatonic scale
Pentatonic scale
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave in contrast to a heptatonic scale such as the major scale and minor scale...
s, traditional melody styles and instruments, most notably morin khuur
Morin khuur
The morin khuur is a traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument. It is one of the most important musical instruments of the Mongol people, and is considered a symbol of the Mongolian nation. The morin khuur is one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity identified...
. Also characteristic are ballads, which often revolve around the theme of love, respect for parents or national pride.
The band's roots in tradition and a focus on national pride make them especially popular in rural areas of Mongolia, as well as with Mongolian migrant workers abroad, such as in South Korea
Mongolians in South Korea
Mongols in South Korea form the world's largest population of Mongolian citizens abroad.-Population:By 2003, there were already 20,000 Mongols working in South Korea, making their population larger than the combined total of Mongolian Americans, Mongolians in Japan, and Mongolians in Europe...
.
They are also popular in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
's Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
province, and their sales figures for tapes and CDs are higher there than at home. When they first tried to enter into the Chinese market, they faced various problems: officials asked them to translate their lyrics from Mongolian
Mongolian language
The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...
into Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, and then banned some of them.
Hurd usually writes songs by composing music around proses and poems coming from either regular contributors or anonymous people.
Members
Current members- Dambyn Ganbayar (Дамбын Ганбаяр) - managerTalent managerA talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(since 2009) - Dambyn Tömörtsog (Дамбын Төмөрцог) - vocals
- Dambyn Otgonbayar (Дамбын Отгонбаяр) - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocals - Dambyn Otgonbaatar (Дамбын Отгонбаатар) - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Namsraijavyn Naranbaatar (Намсрайжавын Наранбаатар) - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals
Former members
- T.Naranbaatar (Т.Наранбаатар) – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(until 2008)
Discography
- 1997 : The Best Collection I
- 1997 : The Best Collection II
- 1999 : Ödör Shönö (Өдөр шөнө)
- 2001 : Myangan Jild Gants (Мянган жилд ганц)
- 2003 : Mongold Törsön (Монголд төрсөн)
- 2005 : Züirlekh Argagüi (Зүйрлэх аргагүй)
- 2010 : Khairyn Salkhi (Хайрын салхи)