Kazakh folk rock band from Urumqi, Xinjiang, SINTAS (taking its name from the totem of ancient Eurasian grassland nomads centered around sun and fertility) was founded in 2014 by long-standing musicians, both influenced by legendary acts like Roksonaki and by contemporaries like Mamer. Combining rock arrangements and Kazakh national instruments - such as dombra, kubuz, sibuzie, and shankubuzi (mouth strings), the band touches on everything from originals, interpretations of classic poems, and the traditional instrumental music of the Kazakh region. There’s a no-frills rustic attitude to the music here, which can even dip toward Pink Floyd-influenced psych rock territory - giving the grassland music both the reverence it deserves and the channel to reinvent itself.