Urker

Infobox musical artist
Name = Urker Үркер


Background = group_or_band
Origin = Almaty, Kazakhstan
Genre = Alternative rock
Years_active = 1994 – present
URL = [http://www.urker.kz/ Urker's official site]
Current_members = Aydos Saghat Rustam Musin Nurlan Alban
Notable_instruments =

Urker ( _kz. Үркер, _ru. Уркер) is a Kazakh pop-folk group established in 1994. They have toured internationally in Germany, France, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and the United States.cite news|title=A Kazakh Folk Popular Group Finds Its Admirers in Ashgabat|date=2004-12-18|publisher=State Information Agency of Turkmenistan|accessdate=2007-07-06|url=http://www.turkmenistan.gov.tm/politika/pol_out/2004/12-eng/181204_eng.htm] cite magazine|url=http://www.nachnem.kz/articles/603|last=Nurgalieva|first=Meruert|title=Группа «Уркер» в США ('Urker' in the USA)|date=2007-04-27|accessdate=2007-07-06|journal=Muz'ikoved|volume=16|issue=678]

Members

The band consists of:
*Aydos Saghat (unicode|Айдос Сағат): The vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter for Urker, he studied in a conservatory in his youth, but initially dreamed of becoming a conductor rather than a songwriter.
*Rustam Musin (unicode|Рустам Мусин): The guitarist for Urker, he has no formal musical education, and originally trained as an engineer.
*Nûrlan Alban (unicode|Нұрлан Албан; born 1976): Vocals, dombra.bass guitar A graduate of the Almaty Academy of Arts, he acted in several movies. Saghat and Musin invited him to join Urker in July 2001 as a replacement for former bassist Daurena Syzdykova. Saghat described him as "very sensitive to music" in an interview. [cite web|url=http://www.urker.kz/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=5&Itemid=8&limit=6&limitstart=48|language=Russian|publisher=Urker|title=Новости группы Уркер|month=July | year=2001|accessdate=2007-07-10]

History and development

Urker formed in 1994; lead vocalist and songwriter Aydos Saghat stated that he was inspired to form the group by the example of The Beatles. They recorded their first album in 1997; in 2001, their song "Nauryz" won the Golden Disk award, reflecting their rise to popularity.cite news|url=http://www.kazpravda.kz/index.php?uin=1152073573&chapter=1002122980&act=archive_date&day=29&month=12&year=2002|date=2002-12-29|accessdate=2007-07-06|publisher=Kazakhstanskaya Pravda|title=Новые ритмы казахских песен (New rhythms of Kazakh songs)|last=Shulembaeva|first=Raushan] Their music combines traditional Kazakh folk melodies and modern pop rhythms. Of their fifteen music videos produced up until 2005, fourteen were filmed in Kazakhstan; only the remaining one, "Tugan Elim", was recorded abroad, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Their 2007 video "Arman", shot in cooperation with Tatar musician Rezedoy Galimovoy, was also recorded in Hong Kong.cite news|url=http://www.liter.kz/site.php?lan=russian&id=129&pub=2096|last=Ten|first=Olga|date=2005-10-14|accessdate=2007-07-06|publisher=Liter Media|title=Видеопривет Питеру Гэбриэлу] Saghat has stated that their visuals and cinematographic technique are highly influenced by British musician Peter Gabriel. In April 2007, Urker travelled to New York City for a live performance at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in celebration of the holiday of Nauryz; in an interview following his return to Kazakhstan, Saghat stated that Urker would be releasing a new album later in the year.

Discography

* "Ansarym", 1997cite news|title=About|publisher=Urker|year=2006|accessdate=2007-07-10|url=http://www.urker.kz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=11]
* "Toi Bastar", 1998
* "Urker", 2001
* "Made in Kazakhstan", 2002cite news|publisher=Urker|url=http://www.urker.kz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=2|year=2006|accessdate=2007-07-10|title=О нас|language=Russian]
* "The best of Urker", 2004
* "Tolgau", 2008

References

External links

* [http://www.urker.kz/ Urker's official site] (English and Russian, with lyrics and music available)