Mongolian Acts Ready For The World

For most people, Mongolia evokes images of Genghis Khan and his hordes galloping on horseback to conquer immense territories. But the developing Central Asian nation sports a thriving music scene, with admirable creativity, rising sales and scores of young acts.

Now those acts are looking beyond their national borders and attracting attention from the regional music industry.

"Mongolian singers have really impressed me," says Hans Ebert, Singapore-based executive director of EMI Recorded Music Southeast Asia.

Ebert has been talking with several Mongolian acts recently. "The key is to find the right musical direction," he says.

The rise of local talent is reflected in the rapid expansion of the annual Playtime rock festival, which is held here in the country's capital.

Playtime was organized in 2002 by local alternative rock act Nighttrain, one of three bands that braved the January cold for the inaugural event. Mongolian music retail chain Hi-Fi teamed with local recording studios/labels Sonor Records and Lemon Productions to organize an expanded version in 2003 that featured 15 domestic bands.

This year, they moved the festival to Aug. 20, and it drew 20 acts and 10,000 fans.

"In the early '90s, there was mostly pop music, not much rock," Nighttrain vocalist Tsetsen says. "But it's changing, and a lot of good stuff is coming out."

The country's most successful contemporary act in recent years is boy band Camerton. It recorded several albums for Ulaanbaatar-based Mongol Gazaar at Myx Music Studios in Singapore.

"Camerton first came about five years ago," Myx owner Jerry Chua says. "They have the equipment in Mongolia, but they didn't have the expertise. They had done several albums but didn't like the sound. Since then, many artists have come here from Mongolia."

A YOUNG MARKET

Mongolia was a satellite of the Soviet Union until the U.S.S.R. dissolved in 1991. The newly independent country embraced free markets and democracy, but pop culture took a little longer to catch on.

Today, however, Mongolian youth are diving into modern music. Record shops are filled with local releases of all varieties, plus major albums from Western performers, Russian singers and teen acts from Korea and Japan. But the market is so young that neither the government nor music-industry bodies have been able to estimate its size.

The basic infrastructure that Western music companies take for granted remains a work in progress. The eight-store Hi-Fi chain is the oldest and largest music franchise in Ulaanbaatar, but flea markets in small roadside villages account for many of the nation's recorded-music sales.

Outside Ulaanbaatar, cassettes—largely pirated—dominate the market. In the capital, CDs are more popular. Pirated product comes from China, Russia and elsewhere, but legitimate CDs are priced at less than $5, which helps keep piracy down. Additionally, most Internet connections are dial-up, minimizing online piracy.

CD pressings are small by Western standards; labels say 2,000 is an average run for an album. But the number is rising, and industry insiders say top acts can ship more than 10,000 copies of an album.

HARSH ECONOMICS

Mongolia is a poor country, and the economics of being in a band are tough. "We use all our money to buy equipment," Tsetsen says.

Fortunately, he adds, income from record sales and sponsorships is rising. Many Mongolian acts seek commercial sponsors, particularly to pay for recording abroad.

Music clubs dot Ulaanbaatar, from tiny dives on the city's edge to more upmarket bars, frequented by expatriate foreigners, in the center. Outside the capital, many miles of grassland between tiny towns hamper touring.

On a recent summer evening in a small brew house in the middle of Ulaanbaatar, Nighttrain played a set heavy on covers: Foo Fighters, the Cure, Red Hot Chili Peppers. At the behest of its label, Sonor, the band did not play tracks from its June debut album, "Bluebird," before the "official release concert" in August.

Like most Mongolian record companies, Sonor is a hybrid recording studio/label. It is regarded as the leading music company of the 10 based in Ulaanbaatar. Many well-known acts, however, release their music on their own labels.

"During the last few years we've seen many changes," Sonor director/recording engineer Bold Mashlai says. The most noteworthy of these, he adds, is that "the performers have improved artistically."

Five-piece Nighttrain formed eight years ago and has become an established name in Mongolia. "It's hard for young bands to save up to make their own albums," Tsetsen says. "Luckily, the studio chose us."

Word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool in the nation, although TV and radio stations have been quick to adopt modern music programming.

"Everyone talks, so word gets out quickly," Tsetsen says. "Everyone knows who you are, even after just a couple of plays on TV or radio. We sold 200 copies of the album the first week it came out."

LOCAL RAP

The Mongolian hip-hop scene has also grown dramatically in recent years. Members of local bands estimate there were only two domestic hip-hop acts six years ago; now there are more than 100.

Mongolia is roughly twice the size of Texas, but its population is only 2.7 million. Despite the low population density, nearly 20,000 music fans turned out July 10 to catch local hip-hop act Lumino opening a concert in Ulaanbaatar by British '90s hit-makers East 17.

Dance-friendly Lumino formed six years ago. It has released three albums independently and is working on a fourth.

"We all started when we were 14, singing and dancing like Michael Jackson," Lumino member Batkhishig Batjav says.

As the band members grew up, they adopted the new sounds of hip-hop, Batjav explains.

"In the beginning, it was very hard," he says. "Exposure was a big problem, as there was only one FM radio station and little TV. Today, there are 14 FM stations and seven TV stations in Ulaanbaatar."

Lumino hopes to reach out to other markets in Asia. "We've made 13 videos," Batjav says, "but we need to make one in English and try to make it in Singapore or Malaysia. I've heard that our albums are starting to be played in China, and we hope to make it to Korea soon."

MTV Network Asia has played "a couple" of Mongolian videos, according to Misha Varma, Singapore-based VP of music programming and talent and artist relations at the network. "Unfortunately," Varma adds, "we haven't done as much as we could or should."

Traditional performers remain popular in Mongolia, and the country's young people retain a deep interest in older forms of music. And record executives overseas are often more interested in traditional Asian forms. "As soon as someone says, 'It's an Asian version of Mariah Carey,' or whatever, it's like, 'Who cares?' " EMI's Ebert says.

"There is this misconception in most markets that MTV is looking for Western sounds," Varma adds. "But if you don't translate music to your culture, then you are competing directly with the West. Yet there is much [in Mongolia] that could cross over, particularly to China and around Asia."