SIBERIA EXTREME

This  project aims to present some aspects of Siberian culture rarely seen in the west.

Much of the music to come out of Siberia since the early days of perestroika 15 years ago has tended to cater for the upbeat - or happy-milkmaid tastes of World-Music. Or worse, the ironed-out echo-saturated cosmic bliss appetites of the New Age.

Misha Maltsev, a Siberian now living in London, is behind the project.

He says: "It's true, that all over Siberia many people live in shamanic cultures. But shamanism is not the cuddly, soporific healing-game that many in the west think it is.

"It is a dangerous, risky business dealing with dark spirits. And while the nature is of course beautiful in many, many ways, Siberian nature goes to the extreme. Survival is not a game.

"I want to present something which takes in the dark side, the idea of living on the edge. And I also want the performances and the presentation to represent the way that Siberians improvise their living and their survival in swiftly changing daily circumstances.

"Chyskyyrai is from a shamanic tradition, and British musicians Ken Hyder and Tim Hodgkinson have been performing in Siberia since 1990. They have studied the music and the culture and have performed with many Siberian players."

Chyskyyrai, a female shamanic singer from Siberia (Republic of Sakha-Yakutia), and London based radical musicians Tim Hodgkinson (reeds/lap steel guitar) and Ken Hyder (percussion), explore extreme limits of musical performance.

CHYSKYYRAI (Sakha) - performs a variety of traditional vocal techniques, in a manner that could be described as shamanic hysterias. Drawing on tradition of Sakha oral epics, folk songs and animal imitation, she creates highly emotional and disturbing vocal episodes.

KEN HYDER (Scotland) Percussionist Ken Hyder has worked with South African, Brazilian and Celtic folk musicians and with Japanese and Tibetan Buddhist monks. He currently plays in duos with Scottish singer, Maggie Nicols and Russian pianist, Vladimir Miller, and with the chamber-improv trio Real-Time. "When I played in Yakutia some years ago, I was impressed by the audiences, as well as the musicians I played with. They are attentive people, and they hear every nuance in what you do. They want their music to be powerfully energetic, whether it's soft or loud. Chyskyyrai performs with spirit and passion and an edge - qualities demanded by Siberian audiences."

TIM HODGKINSON (England) Tim Hodgkinson is a highly experienced musician with a background in social anthropology. He has worked with the radical Romanian composer Iancu Dumitrescu, played alto saxophone with God, and currently plays lap steel guitar with the Konk Pack trio.

Hodgkinson and Hyder began to explore shamanic music through Siberian field trips from 1990. Before joining up with Gendos Chamzyryn in the K-Space trio, they worked with Sainkho Namtchylak and Yat Kha from Tuva, Bolot Biryshev from the Altai, and Anatoly Kokov from Khakassia.