Label: Old Heaven Books

中国の本土と香港を結ぶ近代的な都市"深セン"を拠点とする書店/カフェ/レコードレーベルOld Heaven Booksの出版物!!中国新疆ウイグル族に伝承される重要な音楽遺産"ドーラン・ムカーム"(通称バヤワン)。現在もこの音楽を奏で続けるMekit Dolan Muqam Groupが、このレーベル主催のイベント"Tomorrow Festival"にて披露したライブを2CDと60ページブックで作品化したのが本作。基本は歌、踊り、楽器による大規模な組曲形式となっており、即興演奏も取り入れた不思議な要素満載の音楽ですが、幾つかある形式の中でもこの"ドーラン・ムカーム"は最も不気味にしてワイルドと言われている模様。非常に面白い内容です。このレーベルはジャケットデザインにも非常に力を入れており、スリップケースに独立したブックレットと6パネルデジパックが封入されています。









· 2CD + 60p booklet with lyrics in Chinese, English and Uyghur

"Bayawan" is the common name for Muqam music used by the Dolan people. Bayawan, or Dolan Muqam, is a unique form of folk music and one of the most important cultural heritages of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China.
Generally speaking, Muqam is a form of large-scale suites which include songs, dances, and instrumental sections, in which the development of music often features a significant degree of improvisation. The Muqam of the Uyghurs is characterized by its diversity of musical styles. Apart from the classical Twelve Muqam, there are also multiple folk Muqam traditions with distinct regional characteristics, including Kumul Maqam, Turpan Muqam, Dolan Muqam, and Ili Muqam. Among them, Dolan Muqam is often considered as the wildest, if not the uncanniest tradition that
still exists.
"Dolan" is the name of a people, typically considered as an ethnic sub-group of the Uyghurs, who historically inhabits the banks of the Yarkand and Tarim rivers on the northwest edge of the Tarim Basin. Dolan Muqam has been circulating by and large in the Dolan region—which now mainly includes Makit County and Maralbexi County in Kashgar Prefecture, and Awat County in Aksu Prefecture—and its influence has also reached places such as Kargilik, Poskam, Kuqa, Korla, Turpan, and Kumul.
The Dolan people refers to the Muqam music they play as "Bayawan", which literally means "the desert and the wildland". Bayawan, in their common language, is not something to be sung, but rather to be "shouted out".
It is said that there were originally twelve sets of Dolan Muqam, three of which have now been lost. Each set of Dolan Muqam is approximately six to nine minutes in length. The remaining nine sets last about one and a half hours in total.
Dolan Muqam is marked by its simple, unadorned instrumentation, strong and intense grooves, and a distinctively hoarse, air-rending style of singing. The lyrics draw from folk songs and oral poetry, maintaining an overall sense of rugged raw beauty. A unique and rare cultural treasure worldwide.
In May 2023, the Mekit Dolan Muqam Group performed at the 7th Tomorrow Festival in Shenzhen. Taking this chance, we invited the artists to a session at Liu Ying Studio, which gave birth to this one-of-a-kind record. This was our great good fortune. We wish these magnificent sounds and voices travel far and reach more ears.