Otyken — Siberian Spirit Personified
Otyken is an indigenous Siberian music group with a joyful and unique sound. Emerging from tiny villages dotted along the Chulym River, this band merges traditional language and instrumentation with modern pop production. Since the band formed in 2015, the members have been on a mission. They want to highlight the beauty and hardship of Siberian culture through its rich folklore and distinct musical heritage.
From an isolated pocket of the world, this band presents old-world sounds in an accessible format. The band combines overtone throat singing and folk instrumentation with elements of modern pop, rock, and dance music. Sometimes they even make their own instruments, using them in traditional arrangements and playing them alongside keyboards and guitars.
With vocal sounds and instruments designed to mimic nature and lyrics sung with passion based on local customs, Otyken represents the timeless spirit of Siberia.
The inspiring Otyken story
Otyken was formed by Andrey Medonos in 2015, who became the band’s producer, manager, and chief songwriter. He wanted to preserve local Chulym folklore, sharing native traditions with the world to help them avoid extinction. While Medonos is not of Siberian ethnicity, he grew up in the Siberian wilderness among its indigenous people. He became a beekeeper and learned about Chulym culture — hunting, fishing, and foraging with the locals and marrying an indigenous woman.
Much more than a side note, the ancient art of beekeeping is integral to this story. Before forming the band, Medonos founded the Ethnographic Museum of Honey in Krasnoyarsk City. This institute hosted gatherings with Native Americans and other indigenous groups, and they wanted to hear the traditional songs of Siberia. This inspired Medonos to find local musicians, telling their stories and sharing their music with the world.
Next came a YouTube channel, with the band’s large membership sharing traditional and new music from a varied mix of local Siberian cultures. Today, the band has more than 300,000 subscribers on YouTube, along with 2 million followers on TikTok and 120,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Group membership
Otyken’s members come from various local cultures, with Chulym, Ket, Khakas, Dolgan, and Selkup ethnic groups all represented. All members come from tiny settlements in Krasnoyarsk Krai, and they all live a traditional lifestyle defined by fishing, hunting, foraging, farming, and beekeeping. Along with playing music, Members help their families and work with local communities. Ten people form the core of the group, although availability varies and fewer people tend to participate in concerts.
Medonos worked with various members to choose the “Otyken” name, with this Chulym word representing sacred land where warriors would lay down their arms and talk. Most tracks are sung in Chulym Tatar, which had just 25 speakers in 2020. Other tracks are sung in Khakas or Russian, depending on the original songwriter and the message behind the music.
Music releases and shows
After getting positive attention on social media, Otyken decided to release its music to the world. The first self-titled album came in 2018, followed by Lord of Honey in 2019, Kykakacha in 2021, and Phenomenon in 2023. There’s also been a number of singles released in the last few years, from “Fashion Day” in 2020 to “Шаги Шойгу,” “Genesis” in 2021, and “Legend” and “Storm” in 2022.
Their latest single “Altay” dropped on November 10, 2023, with this track an exciting collaboration with Dutch DJ Ummet Ozcan. It’s not the first time the band has been associated with dance musicians from Europe, having previously collaborated with DJ Billx and been remixed by DJ Jaydee.
In recent years, Otyken has participated in numerous concerts and tours, including the FISU World University Games, the Freestyle Wrestling World Championship, and the Grammy’s Global Spin. They were even invited to perform at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but due to wartime sanctions imposed on Russia, this and many other planned concerts were postponed. While we’re unlikely to see this talent performed in the West anytime soon, we can look forward to more great music from one of the world’s most original bands.
