There's a Storm A'Coming

Just last week, I was cruising the You Tube network, trying to learn about an upcoming snowstorm, for the mid-Atlantic region of the USA. The snow event never arrived, but I stumbled across this unique video by a band that I have never heard of. They're called Otyken (at least that's the English spelling) and they hail from that vast Tiaga, located in Siberia. From the looks of things (I am currently located in South Carolina), this band has developed a sizeable following, both on the internet and when they perform live. Definitely worth a closer look.

Storm by the Siberian Native Folk Band, Otyken

Discovery

Some of the members of the Siberian Folk band, Otyken, pose for a picture

Simple Beginnings

The band, Otyken, began sometime around 2017 in the Russian town of Krasnoyarsk, when visitors to the regional Museum of Honey and Ethnography began inquiring about local indigenous music. At the time the native folk music tradition was minimal, consisting of stories told with the accompaniment of basic instruments. That's when Andrey Medonos, museum director provided the catalyst that helped put together this extraordinary ensemble of Native musicians (mostly women). In 2018, Otyken, which roughly translates as the meeting place of warriors, released their first album. Today, the tech-savvy band often plays to large, live audiences and also maintains a large following on various social media networks.

Mixing the Old With the New

One of the trademarks of Otyken is there ability to work with both modern and traditional elements in creating their unique musical style. Beginning with their dress, which may on first glance appear to be entirely Native. It's not. Like their music, it's a contemporary hybrid of the new and the old, created specially for stage performances.

Also, you might have noticed than strange bass fiddle, which uses a large animal head as the body and a set of strings that is played by a horsehair bow. This contraption originates in Mongolia, but works well, when used by this ensemble. Beyond that, most of the stringed instruments have long been played by the indigenous communities, except, of course, the electric bass guitar and the electric keyboard..

Featured below is a song and video, called "Lords of the Honey". Lots of good footage here (and music) of one of the traditional crafts practiced by the Khakas and other local communities. It seems that this endeavor along with fishing provide the main livelihoods for residents of the small traditional villages, located in northwestern Siberia.

Storm is the title of a recent release (August 22) by Otyken. It is filmed in the middle of a frozen Siberian river and tells about the dangers of winter travel across the frozen landscape of the Taiga, the vast spruce-fir forest that covers the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere.