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Atlas

Music Band: Soyol Erdene Interview with founder D.Naranbaatar

Music Band: Soyol Erdene

Year: 2016

Soyol Erdene is the first rock band of Mongolia.

The band was established in late 1971. The Minister of Culture of that time, famous novelist Ch. Lodoidamba called four young musicians and said: “England has a band the Beatles of four young men. Why shouldn’t we have a similar band?” The four young musicians, who had recently graduated from the School of Music and Dance in Ulaanbaatar (nowadays College of Music and Dance) as yatga players, established a rock band. The members were Tserenbat (drums), Erdenekhuyag (guitar), Batsaikhan (guitar) and Naranbaatar (keyboard). Later members were Galsanbat (guitar-solo), Zundari (bass), Bayar (vocal), Damdinsuren (guitar), Jargalsaikhan (drums), Jargalsaikhan (guitar/vocal), B. Tsolmon (drums). Among the more recent members were D. Enkhbold (guitar-solo) and Kh. Bulgan (keyboard). Soyol Erdene also performed for female singers Rentsenkhand, Nandintsetseg, Dulamsuren, Uranchimeg, Nasantogtokh, and Ariunaa.

During socialism, the band worked under the administration of the State Philharmony which also supervised a symphony orchestra and the jazz band Bayan Mongol.

The first compositions of the band were Mongolian folk songs in a rock style arrangement as well as songs written by the members of the band. They often used poems of famous Mongolian writers.

The rock band was frequently criticized by the MPRP censorship for promotion of the Western musical style and Western fashion.