As an update to the story, this was confirmed by Gabe himself: https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/gabe-newell-responds-to-fan-asking-about-bizarre-valve-throat-singing-story-3412684/
A fan then went straight to the source, emailing Newell to ask whether the story was real. In a reply shared online, sent from Newell’s Valve address, he provided more detail.
“Yeah, I had chatted with Paul Pena about it after I tried learning on my own,” he wrote. “I am entirely self taught and it shows.”
He added that he worked on the sygyt and kargyraa styles “and got to the point where I was really… annoying.”
Newell says he still hasn’t given it up entirely. “Every once in a while, I’ll pick it back up,” he wrote, adding that it takes a couple of weeks to condition his throat.
Pena was an American blues musician who taught himself Tuvan throat singing, later becoming the subject of the Oscar-nominated documentary Genghis Blues.
Honestly went to a concert for “the hu” Mongolian metal band… amazing
Didn’t the hu make the opening song for Jedi: Fallen Order?
Hanggai also kicks ass, in the rarefied yet delightful niche of Mongolian metal.
Totally a great band, I can emulate the singing if I’m drunk enough lol
Also, apparently I’ve been in Mongolia when I was a child.
They are awesome!
Were you there when you were young?
South of Ulan Ude from what I’m told.
Sorry, I meant to ask “very young”
But yes I was also curious about the area.
Apparently I saw the Grand Canyon in the US when I was 1 year old. I don’t think that counts. (:
I can see that, unfortunately I have that curse of remembering pretty much everything. The almost 40 years I’ve been alive have been… very long.
Nothing like it on Earth, it is such an incredible sound. It’s amazing that the human body can even make it. It feels like the vocal equivalent of people doing the Wrong Warp in Mario 3. Like… how??? You can do that???