Urker

The band consists of:

• Aydos Saghat (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.[3]
• Rustam Musin (Рустам Мусин): The guitarist for Urker, he has no formal musical education, and originally trained as an engineer.[3]

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.[3] 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 Rezeda Galimova, was also recorded in Hong Kong.[2][4] Saghat has stated that their visuals and cinematographic technique are highly influenced by British musician Peter Gabriel.[4] 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.[2]

• Ansarym, 1997[5]
• Toi Bastar, 1998[5]
• Urker, 2001[5]
• Made in Kazakhstan, 2002[6]
• The best of Urker, 2004[6]
• Tolgau, 2008