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Re-Covers by Albert Kuvezin & Yat Kha

A band with its own distinct take on a collection of much-loved 'Rock' classics – recorded as a blend of Tuvan folk and Western rock ‘n’ roll. We look under the covers.

A band who release their own unique take on much-loved classics by the likes of Kraftwerk, Led Zeppelin and Joy Division – as a fusion of Tuvan folk and Western rock ‘n’ roll. Intrigued? You will be...

Whilst convalescing from a car crash, a musician called Albert pondered his band’s future and listened to his record collection. Having spent many years being persecuted under the Soviet regime of his homeland - for that most absurd crime of ‘listening to and playing ‘Western’ style rock ‘n’ roll - he contemplates the long journey that his love of both Tuvan folk music and 'Western Rock' has resulted in.

By this point he had toured the world many times - playing at some of the most well-known international festivals (including Glastonbury, Roskilde, Bloomington, Monterey, Transmusicale and Sziget). He had played hundreds of club shows and listened to and met some great bands along the way. Bands like his personal thrash heroes Slayer, folk heroes such as the Chieftains and more contemporary, political artists such as Britain’s own Billy Bragg.

Yat-Kha (the other hero of this tale) had been due to travel to London in October of 2004 to record a new album that the man Albert had been busy writing earlier in the year. As he lay there with music from all around the world blaring out from his newly acquired PA system Albert decided that he would commit his musical and spiritual journey to tape instead of his own new songs. So the first glimmer of Re-Covers was born.

The Road To Re-Covery

His new album, he decided, would reflect how music took him from one of the world’s more remote regions to international recognition. Remote, yes, yet central enough to pick up the currents of international music, even if the international music scene was not yet hip to the growling waves coming from Tuva. He would revitalise himself by re-engaging with his loves of country, blues, rock and just all things music. allow him the freedom to revisit – in a fusion of Tuvan and more traditional styles – some of his favourite musical destinations of the past few decades

The band began by jamming many of Albert’s favourite tunes and from this came the Re-Covers album. Here’s the very catholic mix of songs they ended up committing to tape, complete with the artists who originally wrote them:

1. When The Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin)
2. Man Machine (Kraftwerk)
3. Ramblin' Man (Hank Williams)
4. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (Iron Butterfly)
5. Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division)
6. Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles (Captain Beefheart)
7. A Song About A Giraffe (Vladimir Vysotskiy)
8. Orgasmatron (Motorhead)
9. Will You Go, Lassie, Go? (McPeake Family)
10. Toccata (Paul Mauriat)
11. Black Magic Woman (cover of the Carlos Santana version of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac)
12. Exodus (Bob Marley)
13. Play With Fire (The Rolling Stones)
14. The Song of Mergen (Alexei Tchyrgal-ool)

Utterly mad in parts – but strangely inspired in others (and always eminently listenable) this is quite the most extraordinary covers record since The Ukrainians covered The Smiths on the Pisni Iz The Smiths EP in 1992. Roll on Re-Covers volume 2!

Johnny Cash

Here’s what the critics have said about Re-Covers:

“He sounds like some Johnny Cash of distant Asia, and listeners will indeed feel like some great natural catastrophe is imminent.” – Mojo

“Without fear of contradiction, this could be the weirdest thing you hear this year.” – The Independent

After the success of their well-received dates as part of Patti Smith’s Meltdown festival earlier this year Albert Kuvezin & Yat-Kha are back in the UK for a tour.

Re-Covers by Albert Kuvezin & Yat Kha is available now. Yat-Kha’s own long-players Tuva Rock, Yenesei Punk and Aldyn Dashka are all available in the UK.

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