Listen to New Tracks from MC and Producer Beaatz, from the City Natives Crew
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STREAM: A Tribe Called Red Drops New Single "R.E.D." feat. Yasiin Bey, Narcy, and Black Bear
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A Tribe Called Red released another single this month, building much anticipation for their new album "We Are The Halluci Nation", dropping September 16, 2016.
"R.E.D.", which features Yasiin Bey, Narcy, and Black Bear, made its world premiere on Ebro's #Beats1Ebro radio show on Apple Music this week.
The single includes powerful verses from legendary hip-hop artist Yasiin Bey (aka the mighty Mos Def) and Iraqi-Canadian MC The Narcicyst (aka Narcy)—dropping fire lyrics over ATCR's "Stadium Pow Wow" beat, and the song is a testament to border-smashing, cross-cultural collaboration and creative connection.
"I think it is the first time in history where you have an African, an Iraqi, and the Indigenous [People] of Canada are on one song", Narcy says. "It feels like the beginning of something new and old, the rebirth after many injustices."
This is just the beginning of a new phase of Tribe "showing the power of our people combined".
Listen to A Tribe Called Red's "R.E.D. (feat. Yasiin Bey, Narcy, and Black Bear)"
https://soundcloud.com/a-tribe-called-red/red-feat-yasiin-bey-narcy-black-bear
Bump it on Apple Music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mWZ7u9vl3E
Listen to A Tribe Called Red's New Single, "We Are the Halluci Nation", featuring John Trudell and Northern Voice
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After dropping the epic sound and video for "Stadium Pow Wow", A Tribe Called Red returns with "We Are the Halluci Nation", the lead single and title track from their new album.
Anticipation for the new ATCR album has been steadily building, and now we have a taste of what's to come.
"We Are the Halluci Nation" begins with a beautiful incantation by legendary poet and AIM activist John Trudell (rest in power), and builds through moody electronics that subtly interweave spoken word with the sounds of their frequent collaborators, powwow drum group Northern Voice.
It's a sonic space akin to a dream state as only the Tribe can do. An imagining of an alternate world.
"We are the tribe that they cannot see", begins Trudell. "We live on an industrial reservation. We are the Halluci Nation. We have been called the Indians. We have been called Native American. We have been called hostile. We have been called pagan. We have been called militant. We have been called many names. We are the the Halluci Nation. We are the Human Beings. The callers of names cannot see us, but we can see them...Our DNA is of earth and sky. Our DNA is of past and future. We are the Halluci Nation. We are the evolution. The continuation."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4xwN3yPZA0
We Are the Halluci Nation features an incredible A-list of collaborators—from hip-hop artists Yasiin Bey, Saul Williams, The Narcicyst and Shad to Indigenous superstars Tanya Tagaq, Joseph Boyden, and Jen Kreisberg, to powwow drum groups Northern Voice and Black Bear —and it looks to be an epic exploration and conceptual leap forward from what they've done to date.
The song and full album tracklisting are now available on iTunes. The album will be released September 16th.
Stream "We Are the Halluci Nation" on Spotify here.
https://play.spotify.com/track/3wIwtJYnTPg9U3yCxye8jH
A Tribe Called Red - We Are the Halluci Nation - Full Tracklist
- We Are the Halluci Nation (feat. John Trudell & Northern Voice)
- R.E.D. (feat. Yasiin Bey, Narcy & Black Bear)
- The Virus (feat. Saul Williams & Black Bear)
- BEFORE (feat. Joseph Boyden)
- Sila (feat. Tanya Tagaq)
- The Light (feat. Lido Pimienta)
- Maima Koopi (feat. OKA & Chippewa Travellers)
- JHD (feat. Junior Ottawa)
- Eanan (feat. Maxida Marak)
- The Muse (feat. Jen Kreisberg)
- Indian City (feat. Northern Voice)
- How I Feel (feat. Leonard Sumner, Shad & Northern Voice)
- For You (feat. Lido Pimienta) [The Light, Pt. 2]
- ALie Nation (feat. John Trudell, Lido Pimienta, Tanya Tagaq & Northern Voice)
- SOON (feat. Joseph Boyden)
DOWNLOAD: Staying Underground Mixtape - Collaborator 25: Culturite
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Download a hype, collaborative mixtape between Staying Underground and RPM's Culturite.
Staying Underground and RPM connected earlier this year over a love of dope beats and good music.
Host and curator Thomas Rapsey's expertly curated Staying Underground mixtapes are, as he puts it, "Where The Future Culture Is Found", and his selections—which range widely through soul, hip-hop, electronics, instrumentals, and destination out experiments—are second to none.
Listening through his Collaborator series—which pairs a guest DJ mix on the A Side, with Rapsey helming the B Side—we thought it would be fire to join forces.
RPM's Culturite (aka Jarrett Martineau), who compiled our Indigenous Futurisms and #NationHood Mixtapes, drops a mix of his latest favourites, while Rapsey rounds out the B Side with some killer cuts, both interspersed with iconic cinematic samples.
And it's only fitting that we drop this new collab on October 12th—Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Let's make this a time to reorient our attention away from the evils of colonial marauders, and toward the celebration of Indigenous life—and the music that unites us in struggle for a decolonized world.
Staying Underground x RPM prsnt:
DOWNLOAD: Staying Underground - COLLABORATOR 025: CULTURITE (RPM.fm Premiere) - w/ Mistah Rapsey on the B Side.
A Side: Culturite 1. Phantogram - Fall in Love (RATKING Falling Off Remix) 2. J Dilla - Dillatronic #7 3. Branko - Take Off (Ft. Princess Nokia) 4. Flako - Twelve O'Clock Shadow 5. Frank Liin - Enslaved 6. Little Simz - Is This Freedom? 7. OSHUN - Protect Your Self [Prod. by Eric David] 8. ILLER - Healings 9. Aesop Rock - Cat Food 10. Ras_G - Let _ G Know… (Keep It A Billion) 11. Low Leaf + King Britt - A Light Within 12. Fatima - Circles 13. WOKE - The Lavishments of Light Looking (Ft. George Clinton) 14. emune & deadxbeat - thru time
B Side: Mistah Rapsey 1. Estere - Reptilian Journey (Jordan Rakei Remix) 2. KEITA JUMA - H O L Y 3. Tom Misch - High 4. Mndsgn - Exhale 5. Blu - Cosmophobia [Prod. by fate] 6. Jitwam - Alone 7. Pacific Yew - (((( Bloodroot Bloom )))) 8. Jean Deaux - Who Am I 9. Mo Kolours - Orphan’s Lament 10. +ma - indigo w/ v.wegen 11. Little Simz - Wings [Prod. by IAMNOBODI] 12. Kanye West - Touch the Sky (Johnnie Young Remix) 13. Janita - Let Me Love You (NeguimBeats Remix) 14. montell2099 - found 15. Ta-ku - Krule Love
http://www.mediafire.com/download/73hvq5jw4j9ekg3/Collaborator+025_+Culturite.mp3.zip
DOWNLOAD: The imagineNATIVE 2015 Mixtape, Featuring GlitClit, Madeskimo, and Akkil
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RPM is pleased to present the 2015 imagineNATIVE mixtape, as part of the festival's 16th annual celebration of Indigenous creativity.
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world's largest showcase of film, music, and media arts by Indigenous artists.
Boasting an incredible diversity in contemporary forms of Indigenous creative expression, the festival celebrates the thriving artistry among Indigenous Peoples. Running October 14-18 in Toronto, we are pleased to partner with imagineNATIVE to support the festival's commitment to Indigenous music.
On Saturday, October 17, imagineNATIVE will present a live music performance night "The Beat DJ POW! WOW!" — featuring electronic sets from GlitClit, Madeskimo, and Akkil.
To get you hyped for the show, we've assembled a fresh, new mixtape featuring all three of the artists performing at the show.
Inuk electronic artist madeskimo, a.k.a. Geronimo Inutiq, uses live instruments, digital and analogue synths, and a deft hand at remixing and processing samples to blend traditional Inuit, Aboriginal, modern electronic and urban music into experimental new hybrids.
GlitClit is the DJ project of acclaimed Colombian singer and electronic artist Lido Pimienta, who experiments with Indigenous sonics, beats, live looping, and hypnotic vocals. Known as “Colombian darling” and “SoundSister”, Pimienta has been bumping up Afro-Indigenous chanting and rhythms with brass, experimental noise, walls of sound and her beautiful voice, creating a hyper-coloured hybrid sound that can’t be boxed into lazy genre tags.
Rounding out the night, we will be joined by Akkil - who fuses traditional Sámi joik and Sámi classics with the synth-sounds from the 1980s, to celebrate and honour Sámi musical traditions while infusing them with new dancefloor rhythms.
Hosted by Rachelle White Wind, "The Beat" will also feature breakdancing performances by Jay Robi, Siez Swift & Krystal Riverz, with a special performance by Rhythm Natives.
In addition to live performances, and music-themed screenings, this year's festival will also feature some new experiments with Virtual Reality Portals, where audiences get to experience immersive "Oculus VR" demos featuring music from A Tribe Called Red and Tanya Tagaq.
Don't miss this incredible celebration of Indigenous creativity and community. And join us on Saturday for an epic NDN throwdown on the dancefloor.
"The Beat DJ POW! WOW!" will be held Saturday, October 17th at Revival in Toronto.
DOWNLOAD: The imagineNATIVE 2015 Mixtape
DOWNLOAD: The Aboriginal Music Week Mixtape by Boogey the Beat
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RPM and Aboriginal Music Week are joining forces for an epic closing night party this year. Check our exclusive AMW Mixtape to get a taste of what's to come.
We enlisted the talent of rising Anishinaabe hip-hop producer and DJ Boogey the Beat to compile sounds from this year's AMW artists and it's the perfect soundtrack for #MixtapeMonday.
Bringing together hip-hop and R&B tracks from all of our closing night party performers including—Hellnback, Mariame, T-Rhyme, and Tall Paul—as well as the eclectic electronics of Exquisite Ghost, the rap stylings of Mic Jordan, a guest appearance by Lightning Cloud, and some of Boogey's own killer productions, this is a party rocking, beat-based excursion into the contemporary sounds of #IndigenousExcellence.
Let's go!
And don't forget to join us for the Aboriginal Music Week Closing Night Concert on Saturday, August 22nd at The Good Will in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Tickets and info here.
DOWNLOAD THE AMW MIXTAPE:
TRACK LISTING
- Boogey The Beat - The Beginning
- Exquisite Ghost - Bringing Dawn
- Exquisite Ghost - Hands To The Sky
- Hellnback - B.T.B.B. Ft. Lightning Cloud
- Hellnback - Spaceship
- Mariame - Electric
- Mariame - Native Ft. Supaman
- Boogey The Beat - Sidestep
- Boogey The Beat - Uja (Tanya Tagaq Remix)
- Mic Jordan - It Feels Good
- Mic Jordan - Miigwetch (Thank You)
- T-Rhyme - Apollo Red
- T-Rhyme - Tha Truth
- Tall Paul - I Don't Need Glove
- Tall Paul - Orange Juice In My Cereal
Aboriginal Music Week Closing Night Concert to Feature Drezus, Mariame, Hellnback, T-Rhyme, and Boogey the Beat
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RPM is proud to present an incredible night of Indigenous hip-hop, R&B, and trap music to conclude Aboriginal Music Week 2015.
The closing night of Aboriginal Music Week is the very definition of #IndigenousExcellence.
This year, RPM is partnering with AMW to bring you a concert featuring some of Indian Country's fastest rising hip-hop stars: Drezus, Mariame, Hellnback, T-Rhyme, and Boogey the Beat.
An accomplished young producer with a gift for booming beats and hypnotic melodies, Anishinaabe artist Boogey the Beat will bless us with his trap-infused rhythms. N'we Jinan artist and rising Cree R&B singer, Mariame, will be joining us from Quebec to perform songs from her recently released debut EP, Bloom. And, hailing from Saskatoon by way of Edmonton, self-described femcee T-Rhyme will bring her 'ATCQ to Jean Grae'-influenced hip-hop styles to the stage.
Rounding out this already incredible lineup, acclaimed Samson Cree hip-hop heavyweight and 2015 Indigenous Music Awards nominee, Hellnback, will give shine to tracks from his brand new record, F.O.E. (#FamilyOverEverything).
UPDATE: Tall Paul won't be able to make it, but hot off his recent Warpath Tour, we've got Cree hip-hop artist Drezus coming through to rep for the people and give us a dose of his banging beats and Native Pride-filled lyrics.
This is a closing party without compare and a showcase of what's next in native hip-hop and Indigenous music. You don't want to miss it.
Aboriginal Music Week, an annual celebration of "the fact that Indigenous artists around the world are creating music that crosses almost all musical and physical borders, without regret", runs from August 18-22, 2015 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
With a full lineup of Indigenous music events including the Spence Neighbourhood Block Party, the Turtle Island Block Party, an AMW stage at the Austin Street Festival, and a daytime stage at Picnic in the Park, this year's AWM is going to have something for every listener and music fan.
ABORIGINAL MUSIC WEEK: CLOSING NIGHT PARTY
Saturday, August 22, 2015 The Good Will (625 Portage Ave) Winnipeg, Manitoba 9pm - 2am / Tickets: $10 RSVP on Facebook: here
FEATURING:
- Drezus
- Mariame
- Hellnback
- T-Rhyme
- Boogey The Beat
For more information visit: aboriginalmusicweek.ca
DOWNLOAD: A Tribe Called Red's Killer Remix of Buffy Ste Marie's “Working for the Government”
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A Tribe Called Red drops a free single on this most colonial of national holidays.
And that song is none other than a 2015 remix of legendary Cree singer Buffy Sainte Marie's classic "Working for the Government". In A Tribe Called Red's capable hands, the song transforms from an already upbeat anthem into a rockin', four-on-the-floor, dancefloor destroyer.
Mixing politics and partying you say? Ironically celebrating Canada, you say? Sounds like a perfect pairing.
And what could be more CanCon than a collab between the first lady of Indigenous song, and one of the newly dubbed Top 10 Canadian Bands of All Time?
Get the free download right here.
DOWNLOAD: A Tribe Called Red ft. Buffy Sainte-Marie - "Working For The Government 2015 Mix"
ATCR - Summer 2015 Tour Dates
July 4 – Eskasoni, NS – Eskasoni PowWow
July 12 – Toronto, ON – PanAM Park, Echo Beach (free show)
July 17 – Trumansburg, NY – GrassRoots Festival
July 18 – Toronto, ON – Aboriginal Pavillion, Fort York (free show)
July 23 – Peguis First Nation, MB – Peguis Arena
July 24 – Brandon, MB – Brandon Folk Music & Art Festival
July 31 – Montreal, QC – Osheaga Music & Arts Festival
August 1 – Sept-Iles, QC – Innu Nikamu festival
August 7 – Washington, DC – Smithonian Museum (free show)
August 12 – Toronto, ON – Nathan Phillips Square (free show)
August 15 – Sudbury, ON – UP FEST, Durham Playgrounds
Listen to the Sultry Sounds of Once A Tree's New Single, "Take Me"
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Toronto duo Once A Tree drops their latest single, "Take Me".
Once A Tree is a band of the moment.
Although their trap-inflected take on downtempo, dreamy, electronic pop at times harkens back to the chilled out sounds of the early 90s, Once A Tree wraps their low key beats in a hazy 21st century collage of aesthetic influences.
Saulteaux singer Jayli Wolf's lilting vocals pair beautifully with husband Hayden John Wolf's 808-stamped beat production, and their sound is completed with soaring synths, spacious pads, and drifting melodies.
"Take Me" fits the bit bill perfectly and further locks Once A Tree's rep as a duo to watch closely as they continue their rapid rise into pop cultural notoriety. It's only a matter of time.
Their debut EP, Thousand Lives, drops July 10, 2015 on Foreseen Entertainment.
STREAM: Once A Tree, "Take Me"
Exquisite Ghost Takes Indigenous Beat-Making to New Heights
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Winnipeg-based electronic producer, Exquisite Ghost, shares insights into his creative process and the burgeoning Indigenous beat-making scene.
Jordan Thomas, aka Exquisite Ghost, is something of an anomaly in the contemporary Indigenous music community.
Although headlining acts like A Tribe Called Red have claimed a centre stage spotlight at the intersection of electronic dance music and powwow-infused rhythms, more cerebral and esoteric beat excursions by Indigenous producers have received less critical acclaim and attention.
But that's not for a lack of innovation and creative expression.
If anything, Exquisite Ghost's productions offer a more nuanced and exploratory set of aesthetics than many dancefloor-focused DJs can provide. Echoes of J Dilla, Flying Lotus, and Aphex Twin can be heard in his production style, but Thomas is crafting his own uniquely melodic and ethereal take on contemporary beat-making. Through an evolving set of sonic experiments, Exquisite Ghost brings a deft hand and hip-hop-inspired touch to his head-nodding and hypnotic compositions.
Following the 2013 release of his debut album, Shrines, on Salient Sounds, Thomas has been steadily dropping gems on his SoundCloud. Although, by ATCR standards, he's still flying under the radar, Thomas is definitely a producer to watch—one who's changing the game in the process.
We caught up with him to talk music, creative inspiration, collaboration, and upcoming album plans. Stream and download new tracks from Exquisite Ghost below.
Thanks for talking with us. Please introduce yourself and tell us what nation you're from.
I am Jordan Thomas, Exquisite Ghost, from Peguis First Nation, and thank you too.
Where'd you grow up? What's your connection to your home community?
I was raised in Winnipeg, with a large branch of my grandparents and family living in Peguis, which I have visited at times since I was young. My grandparents were taken through residential schools and, as I grew up, they told stories of how they made their way to rise above. My immediate family is working with many First Nations in design and media, building projects.
How did you get started making music?
I think watching my dad firsthand getting his architecture degrees, as I was growing up, the long path to developing forms and conceptions until they are concrete, and to have musical experiences and inner questions about what is salient when these things have to come together—they're are all sort of the beginning of my path to music. I began playing guitar, which was my dad's, and we had a recording studio when I was younger, which was my uncle's. They all played music, my grandfathers on both sides, virtually everyone, my mother too, so it was definitely something that was waiting to happen.
What inspires you to create?
These days after all the hundreds of jams and tracks and ideas and days spent with music, I will be inspired by a feeling or memory, or musician, movie, show, a friend in conversation, a sound of a train outside...it's this idea about how, these days, there's a fluidity of information that we're faced with, organizing these messages constantly, so it's always interesting to arrange music in a very open sort of way. The effects of fusion in music, in a global sense, are becoming very apparent, so a musical conversation between timeless Indigenous cultures is being recognized and engaged with in excitement, fun and playfulness. Not without due respect for the places of origin—in time, in people and places—but it is this way that we learn and discover more about ourselves.
A lot of your music has an otherworldly quality to it. What do you think of Indigenous Futurism? Do you feel like your work fits in that vision?
The idea of Indigenous futurisms feels exciting. As some descriptions mix and blend over time, proto-neo-post-meta-style, fusion, world music mixing with jazz, rock, pop, dub, bass—my country or yours, this land or that land—the qualities of my own vision of the music are intrinsic to a combination of these. That might include connections to other things: like sci-fi, literature, or design in general. A thread I followed through my life, was when my dad was thinking about what Indigenous architecture ought to feel like, or how to describe it, and to demonstrate the connection between the two words.
So the feel of a lot of my work has been created from inversions of mixtures of textures and places I listened to music from— worldwide, from any time, past or present, that I felt was interesting, and from trying to get deep into finding out what it's affecting by listening and playing. It has a futuristic feel for sure. Sometimes I like to imagine what music in clubs or spaceships, or as you walk down the street far into the unrecognizable future, might sound like, and why.
Your first album, Shrines, dropped in 2013. Since then you've been posting some dope new tracks on your SoundCloud. Can we expect a new album soon?
Since Shrines, I have had to deal with a time consuming, unexpected house fire that took up a lot of space and showed me a lot of things. Six months without internet for one. Life has changed. Producing music now, in this state after getting engaged with it fully, finally feels great. And there are plans and themes for an album of Exquisite Ghost music that I've been fine tuning for the past year. I am working on sound and music for a game as well, that is underway, involving Space and Canoes. It's an Indigenous Futurist piece, and I'm learning tons about producing these projects, culturally and creatively.
Who are you collaborating with on your new stuff? Is there an Indigenous beat-making scene emerging that we can keep an eye for?
I am always seeking people to talk with about music, or just about ideas in general. The idea of sampling, contextualizing, is integral to growth, and welcomes surprises, and the music I'm working on now is shaped to be remixed, or to inspire anyone interested in it to reach out and chat. I want to make music for people. That's what truly inspires me. There is always music around to find: the Indigenous Futurisms Mixtape on RPM was incredible, wonderful music, along with the artists listed on the site, the shows of Aboriginal Music Week, the musicians I played to, all have really brought something special to my own music. I'm enjoying exploring.
Listen to new tracks from Exquisite Ghost
Watch Exquisite Ghost, "Evening"
Exquisite Ghost's Shrines is available in digital format and on limited edition vinyl from Salient Sounds.
DOWNLOAD: El Indio's World Hood Mixtape Vol. 5
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DJ El Indio drops the latest instalment in the World Hood mixtape series: a booming blend of global bass, beats, dub, dancehall, and ragga sounds.
World Hood, aka the dynamic duo of vocalist Estrella Hood and El Indio, having been making waves on the Indigenous music scene for the past few years and they continue to throw down dope live sets of original material, while finding time to curate infectious rhythmic selections from other artists.
For Volume 5 in their series of bass-heavy World Hood mixtapes, DJ/producer El Indio has assembled a trunk-rattling collection of beats to keep the party on blast in whatever continent you're listening from.
There's no published track list yet, so we'll leave it to you discerning rhythm scientists to identify the breaks and drops, but there are vibes and samples on this one blasting in from all over the place. So drop in, get familiar, and fire away.
Exquisite Ghost Drops New Instrumental, "814"
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Check the latest beat-based excursion, "814", from electronic producer Exquisite Ghost.
Winnipeg-based electronic artist and sonic experimenter Exquisite Ghost, aka Jordan Thomas, has been quietly evolving and developing a unique style of beat-based music over on his SoundCloud.
His latest drop is a moody and melodic track, "814", which sits somewhere between a soundtrack to a dark side, lunar landing and a sci-fi, film noir escape into a shadowy, hidden world.
Hypnotic and highly recommended.
STREAM: Exquisite Ghost - "814"
