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{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| name            = Urker<br/>Үркер
| image             = 
| background      = group_or_band
| origin          = [[Almaty]], [[Kazakhstan]]
| genre           = [[Folk rock]]
| years_active    = 1994&ndash;present
| website             = 
| current_members = Aydos Saghat<br/>Rustam Musin<br/>Nurlan Alban
| notable_instruments = 
}}
'''Urker''' ( {{lang-kz|Үркер}}, {{lang-ru|Уркер}}) is a [[Kazakhs|Kazakh]] [[pop music|pop]]-[[folk music|folk]] group established in 1994. They have toured internationally in [[Germany]], [[France]], [[Turkey]], [[Turkmenistan]], and the [[United States]].<ref name="tour">{{cite news|title=A Kazakh Folk Popular Group Finds Its Admirers in Ashgabat|date=2004-12-18|publisher=State Information Agency of Turkmenistan|accessdate=2007-07-06|url=http://www.turkmenistan.gov.tm/politika/pol_out/2004/12-eng/181204_eng.htm}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref name="Nurgalieva">{{cite journal|url=http://www.nachnem.kz/articles/603|last=Nurgalieva|first=Meruert|title=Группа "Уркер" в США  ('Urker' in the USA)|date=2007-04-27|accessdate=2007-07-06|journal=Muz'ikoved|volume=16|issue=678}}</ref>

== Members ==
The band consists of:
*'''Aydos Saghat''' (Айдос Сағат): The [[vocals|vocalist]], [[Keyboard instrument|keyboardist]], and [[songwriter]] for Urker, he studied in a [[College or university school of music|conservatory]] in his youth, but initially dreamed of becoming a [[conductor (music)|conductor]] rather than a songwriter.<ref name="KPravda"/>
*'''Rustam Musin''' (Рустам Мусин): The [[guitar]]ist for Urker, he has no formal musical education, and originally trained as an [[engineer]].<ref name="KPravda"/>

==History and development==
Urker formed in 1994; lead vocalist and songwriter Aydos Saghat stated that he was inspired to form the group by the example of [[The Beatles]]. They recorded their first album in 1997; in 2001, their song "Nauryz" won the Golden Disk award, reflecting their rise to popularity.<ref name="KPravda">{{cite news|url=http://www.kazpravda.kz/index.php?uin=1152073573&chapter=1002122980&act=archive_date&day=29&month=12&year=2002|date=2002-12-29|accessdate=2007-07-06|publisher=Kazakhstanskaya Pravda|title=Новые ритмы казахских песен (New rhythms of Kazakh songs)|last=Shulembaeva|first=Raushan}}</ref> Their music combines traditional Kazakh folk melodies and modern pop rhythms. Of their fifteen music videos produced up until 2005, fourteen were filmed in Kazakhstan; only the remaining one, "Tugan Elim", was recorded abroad, in [[Tashkent]], [[Uzbekistan]]. Their 2007 video "Arman", shot in cooperation with [[Tatars|Tatar]] musician [[Rezeda Galimova]], was also recorded in [[Hong Kong]].<ref name="Nurgalieva"/><ref name="Liter">{{cite news|url=http://www.liter.kz/site.php?lan=russian&id=129&pub=2096 |last=Ten |first=Olga |date=2005-10-14 |accessdate=2007-07-06 |publisher=Liter Media |title=Видеопривет Питеру Гэбриэлу |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928121111/http://www.liter.kz/site.php?lan=russian&id=129&pub=2096 |archivedate=2007-09-28 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> Saghat has stated that their visuals and cinematographic technique are highly influenced by [[United Kingdom|British]] musician [[Peter Gabriel]].<ref name="Liter"/> In April 2007, Urker travelled to [[New York City]] for a live performance at the [[Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts]] in celebration of the holiday of [[Nowruz|Nauryz]]; in an interview following his return to Kazakhstan, Saghat stated that Urker would be releasing a new album later in the year.<ref name="Nurgalieva"/>

== Discography ==
* ''Ansarym'', 1997<ref name="UrkerEnglishAbout">{{cite news|title=About|publisher=Urker|year=2006|accessdate=2007-07-10|url=http://www.urker.kz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=11}}</ref>
* ''Toi Bastar'', 1998<ref name="UrkerEnglishAbout"/>
* ''Urker'', 2001<ref name="UrkerEnglishAbout"/>
* ''Made in Kazakhstan'', 2002<ref name="UrkerRussianAbout">{{cite news|publisher=Urker|url=http://www.urker.kz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=2|year=2006|accessdate=2007-07-10|script-title=ru:О нас|language=Russian}}</ref>
* ''The best of Urker'', 2004<ref name="UrkerRussianAbout"/>
* ''Tolgau'', 2008

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Kazakhstani musicians]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1994]]

{{Asia-band-stub}}
{{Kazakhstan-stub}}