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Ulaan

by Enji

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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      €10 EUR  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Digipack

    Includes unlimited streaming of Ulaan via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 10 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      €15 EUR or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    180g, printed innersleeve

    Includes unlimited streaming of Ulaan via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 10 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      €25 EUR or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Signed, 180g, printed innersleeve
    Please check squamarecordings.com/shop if sold out

    Includes unlimited streaming of Ulaan via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 10 days
    edition of 10  4 remaining
    Purchasable with gift card

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  • Limited Edition Vinyl LP
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Limited edition of 200
    180g red colored vinyl, screen printed PVC jacket, printed innersleeve

    Includes unlimited streaming of Ulaan via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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  • Signed Limited Edition Clear Red Vinyl
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Signed
    180g clear red colored vinyl, printed innersleeve
    ***Pre-Order, ships around early December 2023***

    Includes unlimited streaming of Ulaan via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

  • Limited Edition Clear Red Vinyl
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Limited edition of 200
    180g clear red colored vinyl, printed innersleeve
    ***Pre-Order, ships around early December 2023***

    Includes unlimited streaming of Ulaan via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out
1.
Zuud 04:33
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2.
Taivshral 03:07
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3.
Duulnaa 03:02
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4.
Temeen Deerees Naran Oirhon 03:42
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5.
Vogl 04:20
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6.
Ulaan 03:30
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7.
Libelle 02:38
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8.
Picture / Three Shadows 05:21
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9.
Encanto 01:33
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10.
Uzegdel 04:25
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about

"[...] jazz singers like this rarely sound so unpretentious, original and free." - The New York Times / Best Jazz Albums of 2023

"An elegant and powerful twist on traditional Mongolian music" - Ammar Kalia / Guardian

"These songs sound so inventive, so free, yet so grounded — and if they end up calming your mind, the aim wasn’t to numb it, but to open it. " - Chris Richards / The Washington Post / Best Album of 2023

"Well, this is just plain enchanting. Marked by smooth transitions from gentle playfulness to sweet heartbreak, Enkhjargal Erkhembayar’s delivery would be right at home in an electronic downtempo recording or any late night jazz club where moonlight is a natural stage effect." - Dave Sumner / Bandcamp Daily


Enji begins her third album with a stark reminder of her own humanity. “I am Ulaan,” she utters plainly in her native language of Mongolian, referring to a nickname affectionately given to her by her family. “I have to remember who I am,” she says, explaining her choice of a spoken monologue. “It empowers me.”

Throughout Ulaan, Enji continues to find new ways to bring out those affirming expressions of herself. Drawing on the elegant blend of jazz and traditional Mongolian song on her previous album Ursgal, she leans into her strengths while breaking into bold new directions. With trusted collaborators Paul Brändle on guitar and Munguntovch Tsolmonbayar on bass at her side once again, she expands the band to include Mariá Portugal on drums and Joana Queiroz on clarinet—and her creative process expands along with it. “They have such deep feelings and such deep love of music,” Enji says of the group. As a result of these new partnerships, the compositions have opened up, bringing in lusher textures, more rhythm, and more interplay between musicians. Enji pushes her voice to new heights, too, effervescently fluttering over each track and moving in perfect lockstep with her band.

Songs bubble up from spontaneous moments of inspiration. With “Zuud,” the imagery came to Enji in a melancholic dream. On “Uzegdel,” she evokes the feeling of a breathtaking view she saw from the window of an early Autumn flight on her way home to Mongolia. “Vogl” comes from her experience visiting the peaceful village of the same name, tracing the shape of the natural vista with her vocals. In some cases, she described these scenes to the band and worked out the feeling together. In others, the songs crystallized from reading out the lyrics. “I find my mother tongue in Mongolian is such a rhythmical language,” Enji explains. “So the melody just came out.”

As Enji continues her journey of self-discovery, she continues to grow and adapt into new roles. With Ulaan, she bares more of her heart than we’ve seen from her yet, but she’s still got more to give—as a vocalist, a bandleader, and most importantly, as a storyteller.

- shy thompson

credits

released July 28, 2023

Performed by
Enkhjargal Erkhembayar (vocals)
Joana Queiroz (clarinet, bassclarinet)
Paul Brändle (guitar)
Munguntovch Tsolmonbayar (bass)
Mariá Portugal (drums)
Trumpet on *Taivshral* by Matthias Lindermayr

Composed by
Enkhjargal Erkhembayar and Paul Brändle
*Encanto* by Joana Queiroz
*Temeen Deerees Naran Oirhon* by Adarsuren P., Sergelen H., Shagdar J.

Recorded by Jan Krause at Mastermix Studio.
Mixed by Martin Brugger.
Mastered and cut by Andreas *Lupo* Lubich.
Produced by Martin Brugger.
Creative Direction and Design by Maximilian Schachtner.
Video-/Photography by Lara Fritz and Hanne Kaunicnik.
Styling by Laura Fries and Carolin Tušl at FRECK.

Supported by Initiative Musik gGmbH with project funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media.

©℗2023 Squama

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about

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Enji Munich, Germany

Enji is a Mongolian singer currently based in Munich.

Her third album Ulaan was released July 28, 2023 on Squama Recordings.

Booking: nikita@playbookartists.com

www.instagram.com/enjierkhem ... more

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