New Asia

Unusual sounds from the Republic of Altai. New Asia, the ensemble around singer and instrumentalist Dobrynya Satin, comes from southwestern Siberia. The region borders Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia. A land of ice-cold rivers, snow-covered peaks and barren steppes, as New Asia describe their homeland. The music of the region is characterised by throat singing and numerous traditional instruments. Epic heroic tales are still alive in Altai today, as are shamanic rituals accompanied by chants and tambourine sounds. 'Chorchoc', the title of the debut album by the five musicians of New Asia, can be translated as "fairy tales" or "legends from ancient times". The band feels particularly rooted in Siberian, Central Asian and Mongolian musical styles, as the band plays on traditional musical instruments from the Altai Republic.