This person in the impressive look became one of the greatest masters soloist of the Khoomei and crosses the world for 10 years, from big halls to festivals. Okna Tsahan Zam is the inescapable and charismatic representative of the diphonique song and the mongolo-Kalmuck culture. All his texts are in traditional language.
Okna Tsahan Zam (which means "The white road" in Kalmuck, Vladimir Karuev is his name in Russian) was born in 1957 on the long road which returned towards their lands the Kalmuckes deported in Siberia by Stalin. Following a series of dreams, Okna Tsahan Zam abandons his engineer's career to dedicate himself to the study of the song diphonique (Khoomei) of his ancestors, spectacular technique very used in the traditional Mongolian song which allows to sing two melodies at the same time.
His first big tour in Europe is in 1991 during the festival "The Silk road" organized by the House of the Cultures of the World. He moved on in Paris within the framework of the Festivals "The epic of Central Asia" and "Honoring to the world of the horse". Following his meeting with the musician-producer Claude Samard he is invited in Roger Hodgson's first part (founder and leader of Supertramp) to the Olympia, and participates in the project Alan Simon's "Gaïa", with Cesaria Evora, Manu Dibango, Anguun, Supertramp, Zucchero, Midnight Oil etc. … It was the revelation of the concert "Gaïa" in Midem on 2003, as points out it on its site Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) who had participated too in the concert: "It was Okna Tsahan Zam who was the star of the night".
He has also composed the music of the film "Shimkent hotel" of Charles de Meaux with Melvin Poupeau and Roman Duris
- Kalmuck national epic Singer ( Djangartchi)
- Member of the Union of the Russian Writers
- Prize-winner of "The Russian soul" on 2002 (Price of the Russian Ministry of Culture in the selection traditional song).
- eminent Member of the Academy of the cultures nomads (Mongolia)
- " Golden microphone (microcomputing) " on 2002 (Song of the year) in Mongolia for the title " Edjin Duun "
Some references ... Concerts 2004-2005 :
Switzerland : Paléo Festival de Nyon, Festival Voix sacrées du Monde de Lausanne
Norway : Forde Folk Musik Festival
Mexico : Ollikan World Culture Festival
Spain : Festival Arrels d’Arreu de Girona
England : Tour "SHAMAN VOICES" with the canadian inuit singer Tanya Tagaq Gillis (guest on Bjork's last album), and the lapon Wimme.
Belgium : Festival d’Art de Huy
France : Festival du chant marin de Paimpol, Festival A Tout Art de Thouars, Rencontres Polyphoniques de Calvi, Festival Le Rêve de l’Aborigène, EspacePrévert de Savigny le Temple, La Fleuriaye à Carquefou, Théâtre de Roanne, La Chelidoine à St Angel
Press "Okna Tsahan Zam is a giant coming from somewhere else. This "bluesman" of the distant steppes sings for us the ancient time. Shaman, musician, warrior, narrator, poet... Okna is such a supreme alchemist! This first album is a perfect success in the universal harmonies. Okna offers us this opened window, the divine song of stars, this big absolved dream to which this "Gengis Khan" of the Kalmuck plains aspires with so much just... "Really inhale" this album and you will hear a striking lament, that of a standing man, Okna Tsahan Zam! "Alan SIMON, producer of Roger Hodgson, ex-Supertramp and producer of “Gaia”
"Okna Tsahan Zam represents one of these persecuted arts from yesterday... Coming from a mongol tribu... he has 2 strings to his luth (dombra) and one vocla talent (khoomei) really astounding." Les Inrockuptibles
"Okna Tsahan Zam is an exceptionnal artist... Okna with this "Shaman Voices" proposes an original trip through the kalmouke steppes." Les Echos
Discography « Shaman voices, A journey in the steppe » is constituted by the succession of several musical sequences staged in a very film way, reporting our visions of the universe of the steppe. Very melodic songs where the acoustics dominates, supported by electronic contributions are next (go along side) to songs much more "roots" (voice and dombra). It was necessary to highlight also the diphonique song : three titles are completely dedicated to it and give an outline of the art of Okna Tsahan Zam solo. The sounds of the steppe, the natural music sometimes accompanied by the distant echo of a musician cross the whole album, seek the imagination and raise the decoration.
« SHAMAN VOICES : a journey in the steppe » Distrib. Buda Music /Universal
Shows to come: Here -Available all year long for concerts
