NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND

Cultural identity can be a bitch to define. Does it stem from birthplace or from ancestral heritage? Is it something learned, or simply absorbed? Is it innate, or inculcated?

Over the past few years these questions must have loomed large for the members of highly respected Mongolian folk-punk band Hanggai. The band’s music – which these days pulls big crowds at festivals around the globe – makes lyrical and sonic references to the traditional music of Mongolia, but also incorporates elements of old school punk, heavy metal and the sort of pop-prog amalgam typified by Radiohead.

Three of the band’s members are of ethnic Mongolian stock – although one of them, founder member Ilchi, spent most of his life in Beijing. The other members of the band are ethnic Han, but are specialists in Mongolian instruments. The band began when Ilchi visited Mongolia for the very first time, eager to discover his heritage. He sings in Mongolian – a language he had to learn from scratch as an adult.

In modern day China, ethnicity can be a hot-button political issue, with the nation’s governing elite always sensitive to potential dissenting movements in the provinces. Hanggai’s central stance is one of a proud and distinctive Mongolia – the very name conjures an image of Mongolian utopia – yet somehow the band has avoided negative attention from the current regime.

And this is very good, because away from the quaasi-nationalism embodied in the name, Hanggai are fundamentally a red-hot band. Their music, put simply, rocks, achieving the same level of utterly absorbing cross-over found in that of  Saharan band Tinariwen. A Hanggai show is not an event for closet ethno-musicologists – it is a night for hedonistic dancers.

The Basement is very proud to host two consecutive shows by Hanggai – on Tuesday, January 3, and Thursday, January 4.

We have four double passes to give away to each show. To score one, simply phone The Basement box office on 9251 2797 during office hours.

For a full rundown of shows at The Basement: www.thebasement.com.au

Contact the writer: amasterson@thebasement.net.au