Group "Hattie" is a unique musical and instrumental group that preserves and transmits the ancient culture of the Adyghe people through compositions that penetrate the hearts of listeners.
The creativity of “Hattie” is airy, soulful and incredibly soulful. It allows listeners to be transported to the Caucasus mountains, hear the silence of untouched nature, feel true calm and tranquility, shrouded in the wisdom of their ancestors...
History and composition of the group "Hatti"
A group from the city of Nalchik, the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. The team was founded in 2005 year, on the initiative of the music publishing house "Zvuk-M". At that time, the creator of the group Kazbek Balkarov assembled a dance ensemble, which included professional dancers and musicians. Now the group has switched to another format - music and is engaged only in writing and performing ethnic compositions.
During this time, the composition of the team has changed several times. Currently the group includes:
1. Arsen Indarokov - guitar, lepepshyne, vocals
2. Anzor Uvizhev - wind instruments, lepepshyne, vocals
3. Kazbek Balkarov - percussion
4. Aslanbek Kumykov - bass guitar
5. Aslan Dudar - accordion, accordion, lepepshyne
6. Dima Baklanov - keyboards
7. Roma Fakov - sound engineer
8. Zaur Nashapigov - Director
The other day, the ethnic album of the musical group “Hatti” - “Dzhegu” was released, which included compositions created by the group during the dance period. We decided to meet with the members of “Hatti” and talk in more detail not only about the collection, but also about the life of the group, its past and future...
— Please tell us in more detail the history of the formation and development of the group.
— At first, “Khatti” was a dance group performing traditional Adyghe dances. Gradually, work on the repertoire resulted in experiments with music and instruments, and the next stage for “Hatti” was the creation of an independent musical program consisting of folk tunes and original compositions. Today the Hatti group positions itself as a musical group.
— Why was the group called “Hattie”?
— Because Freddie Mercury said that the name should be short and sonorous. But seriously, we wanted it to really be bright, original and contain something dear to the Adyghe heart. The Hutts are an ancient people, the ancestors of modern Circassians.
— List all the musical instruments that the group uses in its work.
— In addition to the traditional Adyghe ones - shikapshina, apapshina, kamyl, phatsych, Adyghe accordion, we also included an acoustic guitar, bass guitar, Peruvian cajon, Irish visl, African kalimba, synthesizer and various percussion instruments.
— What composition did your work begin with and who wrote it?
— We started with the composition “Song of Chipako” (Gaathedzhegu), which was composed by our guitarist Arsen Indarokov.
— At what point did the group gain popularity? What was this connected with?
— We can say that “Hattie” has already passed through popularity once - in our dance days. We were quite “fashionable” at one time, collaborated with many pop artists (Robert Saralp’s “Circassian Circle” project was created on the basis of our ensemble), experimented with dance and music, and, probably, many of our ideas appealed to the taste of young people.
Now it’s difficult to talk about how popular we are. But there is no doubt that we have our own audience. After the release of our album and new videos, I think it will be possible to speak more specifically. Although popularity is not an end in itself for “Hatti”.
Video clip of the group "Hatti" "Gathe Jaegu"
Creativity of the group "Hatti" today
— What can you call the “main idea” of your group’s work?
— Our goal is to create interesting music that is in tune with its time, modern and understandable to any generation and people. So that it has deep traditional roots, but, at the same time, is aimed at the future.
— What is the main thing, fundamentally important in your work?
— Development is important to us, the ability to hear everything that is happening in modern music, and to be heard wherever we perform.
— Is it difficult to work in a team?
— Probably, in the format in which “Hatti” works, the team is the most optimal form. We practically never have disputes – rather constructive discussions. The good news is that those who play in our ensemble have no personal ambitions - everything is aimed at the success of “Hatti”. We have mutual understanding, similar tastes - we grew up on the same music, so we feel each other well.
— Whose national music, not counting the representatives of the Greater Caucasus, do you think is more similar to Adyghe?
— I want to say right away that many European travelers of the 18th-19th centuries noted the consonance of Celtic music with Circassian, that is, Adyghe. Today we are, of course, interested in the music of any people of the world, but to our surprise we recently discovered some similarity between Scandinavian and Adyghe melodies.
— Tell us about the day when you realized that you needed to play together. How did this happen, when and what was the main motive?
— Even during the dance “Hatti” we worked with different musicians. And the current composition was formed gradually. There is no specific day when we suddenly all got together one day. But I can say that the origins of the current format of “Hatti” were three people - Arsen Indarokov, Anzor Uvizhev and me Kazbek Balkarov.
-Who is your listener?
— It’s difficult to answer unequivocally. Many young people come to our concerts; it is pleasant to note that we have been accepted by the older generation and the professional community. And if we return to the question of popularity, I can say that today we have already gained some fame in the Adyghe diaspora abroad, which is very important for us.
- What inspires you?
— In addition to traditional music, folklore of the peoples of the world, we are inspired by the musicians whose work we grew up with: Queen, Beatles, LedZeppelin and many others.
— Describe your music in one word.
- Hatti!
Jagu Album
— On January 18, “Dzhegu” was released, an ethnic album with traditional Adyghe-Abkhaz compositions. Tell us a little about the tracklist and how the album was created.
— Here we have collected melodies from our dance period, which we directly worked with and performed to. These are folk melodies in our arrangement.
— What does the title of the album “Jagu” mean?
— Dzhegu is a traditional Adyghe dance game. In ancient times, it was primarily of a ritual nature. Gradually it became more and more akin to a carnival act, but it invariably enjoyed great respect. During the entire duration of the jagu (and it could last for several days), a special order and etiquette reigned within it.
— Can you roughly indicate the age of these compositions? How old are they?
— If we talk about historical age, it is now difficult to give specific figures, but they are at least 200 years old - many of them are archaic in nature. We have been performing them since our founding, that is, since 2005.
Plans of the Hatti group
— What are you working on now?
— We have collected a lot of musical material that we want to release in the form of several albums. Now this is the main vector of our work.
— What are your creative plans? Where does the Hatti group see itself in 5 years?
— Concerts, tours, filming videos. We see ourselves in 2024 as a successful band that has released several albums and is preparing to go on another world tour.
— Are you planning any tours? If yes, what is their geography?
— No matter how romantic it may sound, I want to walk barefoot along Abbeyroad and record an album at the studio of the same name!
- Thank you for the interview! We wish you success and hope that all these plans will come true!
