duggup

Picture this – a choir of 30 men – complete with conductor – dressed in black suits who perform by shouting. My initial reaction was along the lines of “how bizarre.” Then I had another listen and before long had convinced myself that this unique barrage of sound had something elemental about it. Performed with all the intensity of a Maori Haka embellished with howls and chants.

Yes it is bizarre, but at the same time intriguing although I doubt that I could sit through an entire concert worth. And it’s not all about the shouting either which is not without purpose – it’s also about the emotive face pulling.

I guess it is safe to say that this percussive and almost, but not quite chaotic sounds produced by Mieskuoro Huutajat is a new form of artistic expression and so, anything is acceptable. The following is from their website:

From the beginning, this new concept was recognised as a major breakthrough and an art form in its own right. Traditional singing choirs have given this choir their outer appearance and a basis for their expression. But this is as far as the analogy goes. When the choir find a song that pleases their temperament and warped sense of humour, the conductor starts dismantling it: the melody goes first and usually the text is also heavily trimmed. The remains are then cast into a completely new form; the complex rhytmic structure emphasises the essence of the text, or simply reflects the voices inside the human brain provoked by the language itself, music, urban or rural noise, or the blood circulation system.

Without further ado then, here is the Finnish group Mieskuoro Huutajat performing a specially commissioned piece about new instructions to follow about reporting children’s behavior in kindergarten (and I am not making that up).

Not had enough yet? Here is the “Star Spangled Banner”

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Mieskuoro Huutajat – MySpace. A truly interesting way to spend the morning.