11 Ways to Spend the Summer Solstice and National Aboriginal Day

June 21st is National Aboriginal Day in Canada. What will you be doing to celebrate?

Although we're not totally sold on the idea of the federal government designating one day a year to celebrate Indigenous culture, at least it's an opportunity to check out some amazing performances by Indigenous artists.

And, as June 21st also marks the summer solstice, there are more than enough reasons to get out of the house and show your love for all things NDN, First Nations, Aboriginal, Native, Métis, Inuit, and Indigenous.

There are many different events being planned across the country (here, here, and here, for example), so we were hard pressed to narrow things down.

But here are eleven decidedly great ways to spend the solstice and National Aboriginal Day this year.

11. Learn about Métis culture at the National Aboriginal Day Celebration at Métis Crossing

The Métis Nation of Alberta and their affiliate organization, Métis Crossing, will be hosting a celebration for National Aboriginal Day on June 21st. Located at the Métis Crossing Historic Site (south of Smokey Lake, Alberta), between 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM, the day's events will include an open stage jam, cultural interpretation, a genealogy exhibit, games, on-site concession, and an elder’s lounge. For more info click here.

10. See Kinnie Starr, Cris Derksen, and Binaeshee-Quae perform at the Luminato Festival in Toronto

Acclaimed Mohawk singer-songwriter and hip-hop artist Kinnie Starr, Métis cellist and experimenter Cris Derksen, and jazzy alterna-folk artist Binaeshee-Quae will perform on June 20th and 21st respectively, as part of the Luminato Festival's New Canadian Music Series which runs daily at the Festival Garden Stage in Toronto. For more info, check out: https://luminatofestival.com/festival/2015/new-canadian-music-series

9. Watch Kaha:wi Dance Theatre at the Aboriginal Cultural Festival and Competition Powwow in Ottawa

Led by founding Artistic Director Tekaronhiáhkhwa Santee Smith, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre (pronounced Ga-Ha-Wee) is an artist-based dance company known for their energetic and innovative performances that blend traditional and contemporary styles. KDT will be performing as part of Ottawa's Summer Solstice events at Vincent Massey Park. On Saturday, June 20th at 1pm, KDT will perform the piece Medicine Bear, which weaves a magical narrative of traditional Iroquoian stories: how the Bear Clan came to be known as the “Keeper of the Medicines” and the hunter who discovered the gift of healing. Plus, don't forget about the full traditional powwow going on all weekend too. For more info, visit: http://www.ottawasummersolstice.ca/

8. Bring your family for a pancake breakfast at Trout Lake on Coast Salish Territories in Vancouver

The Annual National Aboriginal Day Celebration on Coast Salish Territories will once again be held at Trout Lake on Sunday, June 21st. It’s a community-based full day of events that celebrates the diversity of Indigenous Peoples from across Canada. First Nations, Métis & Inuit peoples gather to share their experiences, stories, songs, traditional games, dances & spirit with each other & the general community. All events are FREE, all Aboriginal community members & supporters are welcome; and it's a family-friendly event, with no alcohol or drugs permitted. There's a full day of activities, but get there early before the pancakes run out! For more information visit: http://www.vafcs.org/events/aboriginalday/

7. Start implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations in Halifax

Celebrate National Aboriginal Day with justice in Halifax: by joining other like-minded people to support the Mi'kmaq Nation in Nova Scotia, and taking up national calls by Indigenous and allied organizers to implement the 94 recommendations put forth by Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The work of reconciliation belongs to all of us, and Halifax organizers are taking the lead. But no matter where you live, why not start learning more about how you can bring more truth and more justice into this colonial world of ours. Here's more information on how Nova Scotian organizers are gathering and getting started for NAD: http://solidarityhalifax.ca/2015/06/statement-celebrate-national-aboriginal-day-with-justice/

6. Catch Leonard Sumner at the Indigenous Arts Festival in Fort York

Anishinaabe MC/singer/songwriter Leonard Sumner will be one of many performers taking part in the Indigenous Arts Festival at Fort York in Toronto. Fusing elements of hip-hop, country, and rhythm & blues, his music appeal cuts across age lines, allowing his style to be enjoyed by people who typically 'aren't into rap'. Sumner will be rocking the festival mainstage on Saturday, June 20th at 5:30pm. For more information, click here.

5. Join the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations for the Aboriginal Cultural Festival in Victoria

Featuring three days of performances on an outdoor stage in the plaza at the Royal BC Museum in the heart of downtown Victoria, BC, the Aboriginal Cultural Festival will run from June 19-21, 2015. Each day will be dedicated to a coastal nation: there's a Coast Salish Nation Day, a Nuu-Chah-Nulth Nation Day, and a Kwakwaka'wakw Nation Day. All weekend the festival will open with performances from the two local Host Nations and follow with shows from Aboriginal performers from across the province as well as a show from 3-time World Hoop Dancing Champion Alex Wells. Full schedule and info at: https://www.aboriginalbc.com/victoria-aboriginal-festival/

4. Go see Ghostkeeper, Derek Miller, and Crystal Shawanda in Edmonton

Second in size only to Winnipeg's #ADL2015 celebration, Edmonton will be putting on a full day's worth of events on June 21st, culminating in a mainstage show that will feature some incredible Indigenous performers—including the idiosyncratic experimentalism of Ghostkeeper, the full-blown, blues rock of Derek Miller, and the powerful contemporary country sounds of Crystal Shawanda. Definitely worth checking out. For more about Edmonton's 9th annual Aboriginal Day celebration, click here.

3. Rock out with Don Amero, Brett Kissel, and Lightning Cloud in Winnipeg

With his new album, Unrefined, recently released to the world, Don Amero is taking to the Aboriginal Day Live mainstage alongside his buddy Brett Kissel, and Los Angeles-based hip-hop duo Lightning Cloud, to rock The Forks in Winnipeg. Look out for a special rendition of a new song that Amero and Kissel wrote a few months back, called "Rebuild This Town". Oh, and RedCloud will be incorporating crowdsourced words and ideas into his freestyles during Lightning Cloud's set. You don't want to miss 'em. For more on #ADL2015 in Winnipeg, check out: http://www.aboriginaldaylive.ca/winnipeg/winnipeg-live-concert/

2. Get your Electric Pow Wow on with A Tribe Called Red in Vancouver

You may have seen ATCR before, but not like this. A Tribe Called Red will be bringing the electric pow-wow out of the nightclubs and into the park—Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park to be precise—for a massive, outdoor Indigenous throwdown on Saturday, June 20th. This one isn't free, but it's definitely worth the price of admission. The Tribe will rock the spot alongside Blondtron & Waspy, the amazing Git Hayetsk Dancers, and local DJ crew Klash Akt. Get down to the bass-heavy sounds of DJ NDN, Bear Witness, and 2oolman rocking a stage surrounded by the sunset, sea, and ancient cedars. An Aboriginal Day meets summer solstice taste of Indigenous dance music perfection? Sounds like it to us. More info and tickets available here: http://malkinbowl.com/a-tribe-called-red/

1. Celebrate the Midnight Sun in Inuvik, NWT

In Canada's Northwest Territories—the only place in the country where National Aboriginal Day is a statutory holiday—you can experience a summer solstice that lasts well into the night. Join other northerners in Inuvik, NWT on June 21st for a day of events celebrating the local Gwich'in, Inuvialuit and Métis people and cultures. From traditional drumming, dancing, and foods, to a Midnight Sun Run in celebration of the summer solstice's warm temperatures, experience what it's like to be out in the sunlit streets long after midnight, above the Arctic Circle. And that photo above? That was taken at 1:30am in late May. Learn more about NAD celebrations in the NWT here: https://www.facebook.com/Inuvik.NWT.Canada

DOWNLOAD: D Ojibwe 1's "Summer Mix 2015"

D Ojibwe 1 drops a fresh summer mix just in time for pow wow and backyard BBQ season. 

Y'all ready for summer yet?

Rama First Nation DJ and occasional producer D Ojibwe 1 (aka Drew Douglas) is helping you get set for a long hot season of gettin' out, kickin' back, and vibing with your peoples—where you are.

Featuring a fresh mix of old school classics, remixes, mash ups, and re-edits, D Ojibwe 1 drops an airtight collection of hip-hop, soul, funk, dance, trap, and EDM that will set the mood for whatever your summer party plans might be.

Interspersed with Indigenous vocals, samples, and native producers, this is a mix fit for a true NDN Summer.

Did we really just hear Joy Division transition into Ol Dirty Bastard? You know we did. Full track list after the jump.

DOWNLOAD: D Ojibwe 1's - Summer Mix 2015

TRACK LIST

Mobb Deep - Shook ones part II (Goodfellas Hybrid Party Break) Mobb Deep - Shook Ones part II (Tron rmx) ? - Miigwech Will Smith vs Lovin Spponful - Summer time (Wick-it Mashup) Summertime (Rankenstein rmx) Mustang Sally (JR.Dynamite re-edit) Bobby Byrd - I Know You Got Soul (Boby Cooper re-edit) Daft Punk - Get Lucky Daft Punk - One More Time DJ Woody - Dirty Scruff Nightcrawlers - Push the Feeling On (DJ Sign Private rmx) Real 2 Reel - I Like to Move It (M&S 2015 rmx) Red Hot Chili Peppers - Otherside (Deepdink bootleg) Phunk Junkies - Big Spender rmx Krafty Kuts - Hustle Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (Phunk Junkies rmx) Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (DJ Tripp rmx) Mark Ronson f Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk Party Break (DJ Sam) The Beatles - Ob La Di (Goodfellas drum edit) Skee Lo - I Wish (Tron rmx) Harry Belafonte - Jump in the Line (Codes Moobah rmx) Top of the World (Deejay Theory rmx) Sublime - Doin Time (Zeds Dead rmx) Boogey the Beat - Bear Song ? - The Jump Off 2014 Otis Redding - Dock of the Bay (Scratch Bastid edit) Crooklyn Clan - Be Faithful (reggae chop) BlackSheep - The Choice 2012 re-edit I Feel Love vs Rollin in the Deep CArly Rae Jepsen - I really Like You (Broiler rmx) Scream and Shout (Kassanova Fat Man Scoop rmx) Hideaway (Deejay Theory edit) Hideaway (EMG rmx) New Order - Blue Monday (Antonis Kanakis edit) Bob Marley - Jammin (CMC and Silenta rmx) Martin Garrix - Forbidden Voices (Blvk Sheep rmx) Calvin Harris - Summer (Thrizzo Trap rmx) Jay Z - Big Pimpin (CEDEK x Niko Javan rmx) DJ Kool - Let Me Clear my Throat (Deep Trvpped rmx) Headphone Activist - Ocean Floors Joy Division - Love will Tear us Apart ODB - Shimmy Shimmy Ya (Tron rmx) Bone Man - Summer Breeze Ahas - Take on Me (Take Her Back rmx) Jack Ace-Get Free - Cinema VIP

Listen to Golden Features' Epic New Track, "No One", Featuring Thelma Plum

Could this be the song of the summer?

Mask-clad Australian dance music producer Golden Features just dropped an epic new track featuring rising Indigenous star, Thelma Plum.

And oh what a track it is.

Plum's ethereal vocals provide the perfect complement to Golden Features' floating, melodic production. And the ever-intensifying, four-on-the-floor dancefloor destroyer that "No One" becomes is some kind of beat-based hypnosis. By the time the "it's getting higher" refrain arrives, you'll forget how you even got there. And then with that drop? Forget about it. It's over.

Blast this one with the windows rolled down and the midnight summer heat still blazing. Thelma Plum's stellar ascent continues its rapid rise.

STREAM: Golden Features - "No One (feat. Thelma Plum)"

Golden Features' new EP, XXIV, is available to pre-order on iTunes

RPM's Best Indigenous Music of 2014

The Indigenous Music Renaissance is here to stay and Native artists are leading the way. Here are our picks for the best Indigenous music of 2014.

In another incredible year for Indigenous art and creativity, Native artists continued to break down walls, claim new spaces and make their presence felt...everywhere. As a renewed wave of uprisings for freedom and justice swept the globe, Indigenous musicians played a central role in soundtracking the struggle and making rebel music for the movement.

From the rez to the streets, from pipeline protests to massive music festivals, Native music made an indelible intervention into the cultural and political landscape of 2014.

The RPM extended fam weighed in with their picks and favourite sounds of the year. Some songs and sounds that found their way into our headphones and hearts included:

Iskwé's “Will I See” Sister Says' Heart Placement Kait Angus' "The Mason's Heart" Moe Clark's Within Sean Conway's The Blue Acre Logan Staats' "What You Love" Kinnie Starr's "Save Our Waters" Tall Paul's "I Don't Need Glove" Quese IMC's "The Comanche" Sacramento Knoxx's "The Trees Will Grow Again" Frank Waln, Naát'áaníí Means, Mike Cliff & Inez Jasper's "The Revolution" Boogey the Beat's "DJ Set for MMIW" A Tribe Called Red's "Burn Your Village to the Ground"

And that's not even counting our Top 10 Albums of the year. Let's go.

The Best Indigenous Music of 2014: Impossible Nothing Remixtape

This year we're excited to present not only some of our favourite songs, mixes, EPs and albums by Indigenous artists, but also a very special Best of 2014 REMIXTAPE assembled by the prolific beatsmith Impossible Nothing of the Skookum Sound System crew. We compiled our selections and IMPLNTHG fed the sounds through his rapid-fire maximalist machine. The results are an incredible blast of rhythmic sample chops and skillful sonic wizardry.

Grab the remixtape below and head to Impossible Nothing's Bandcamp for the individual remixed tracks.

Download: The Best Indigenous Music of 2014 - Impossible Nothing REMIXTAPE

RPM's 10 Best Indigenous Albums of 2014

Stream our Best of 2014 Playlist

10. City Natives - Red City

Claiming their rightful spot in our Top 10 for the second year in a row, City Natives returned this year with their sophomore album, Red City, a confident declaration of the group's equal skills on the mic and behind the boards. From front to back, what elevated Red City from many other Native hip-hop releases this year was consistency. On a record with no weak links, Red City's tightly woven ten tracks of heartfelt boom bap beats showcase Beaatz, IllFundz, Gearl and BnE proving to the world why they're a force to be reckoned with. Game elevated. Now who's next?

9. Digging Roots - For the Light 

After four years of heavy touring and much anticipation from their fans the world over, husband and wife lead Digging Roots released the For the Light, this summer.  Life on the road and innate wanderlust inhabits the sonic kaleidoscope of roots and blues infused songs that travel, lyrically, from inner cities to back roads and everything in between. Raven Kanatakta and ShoShona Kish wrote and produced the collection of 12 love songs - and while the stories touch on desperation, resiliance, troublemakers, lovers and freedom fighters, Kish will emphasize they each stem from love - that pulsate with passion and focus. The title track, sung in Anishinabemowin and English, chants "push, push, reach, reach" with bluesy intensity, exemplary of why Kish's smokey wailing vocals and Kantakta's bombastic guitar pushed For the Light into our top 10.

8. V/A - The Invasion Day Mixtape 2014

Kickstarting the year with a blast of hip-hop firepower, The Invasion Day Mixtape contests the colonial occupation of "Australia" with lyrical finesse, banging beats and a rockstar list of Indigenous hip-hop artists. With standout tracks from La Teila, MC Triks and bAbe SUN, and Provocalz, this compilation boldly declares its ancestral connections while giving urgent voice to blackfellas' resistance. Why celebrate the settler invasion when we could be celebrating ourselves? Shout out to Brisbane Blacks, it's time to "raise ya fist for revolution!".

7. Angel Haze - Dirty Gold 

Bold, defiant and with a straight up give no fucks attitude, Angel Haze took her album into her own hands and surreptitiously leaked it free to the world in the last days of 2013. Mired in a fight with her major label Island/Republic, Haze pushed the album directly into the spotlight of public attention and the label scrambled to move up its release date. On the eve of 2014, as the new year swirled into motion, Dirty Gold got its "official release"—and Angel Haze's rapid-fire lyrical acrobatics paired with A Tribe Called Red's beats, and her acoustic reworkings of crossover pop anthems like "Battle Cry", have been stuck in our heads and on rotation all year long. Angel Haze is a confident lyricist, a dope MC, and a compelling singer who seems most in her element when spitting pure fire over rap anthems, but she could easily direct her talent wherever she damn well chooses. We can't wait to see where she's going next.

6. Blue King Brown - Born Free

The first time we heard Born Free we knew it was a contender for album of the year. Displaying an assuredness and power in both songwriting and production, the album expands and deepens Blue King Brown's foundation in roots and reggae music while giving more shine to lead singer Nattali Rize's hypnotic vocals. Every track on this record is filled with equal parts fire and love. BKB is on the move and headed for big things in the days to come. This is music for the movement, for life, for the people. Songs to uplift and inspire us to keep seeking freedom in the midst of our chaotic world. Calling all nations to RIZE UP.

5. V/A - Native North America (Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966–1985

Much good ink has been spilled about Native North America in recent weeks (when was the last time Native music was reviewed simultaneously in the Guardian, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone?), and we're encouraged to know that many others, like us, are discovering—or in some cases re-discovering—this legendary generation of Indigenous musicians. NNA Vol. 1 highlights the incredible work of underrepresented artists from across Canada and up to Alaska, whose music both inspired and provided the foundation for what many Native artists are doing today. More than 12 years in the making, Kevin "DJ Sipreano" Howes, has compiled an awe-inspiring array of Indigenous music that, over its 34 tracks, is at once groundbreaking, revolutionary, and wonderfully familiar. We can hear ourselves in these sounds and, in looking and listening back, we can draw strength from those artists that have gone before us: artists whose time has finally come to be heard. And this is just Volume 1. Brilliant.

4. Princess Nokia - Metallic Butterfly

What is it about this record? Is it the quirky Game of Thrones-inspired D&B breakbeat ballads? The anime-flavoured, retro-futurist cyber-rap bounce? The Northern Cree-sampling, Björk-like swirl and swoon of haunted electronics? Somewhere in the flow and flux of Princess Nokia's exquisitely defined 90s sci-fi bricolage aesthetics, Metallic Butterfly takes flight into an uncharted space-time reality suffused with effortless eclecticism. One of the most innovative and inspiring albums of the year. The recombinant future has arrived.

3. Silver Jackson - Starry Skies Opened Eyes 

Meanwhile, in the outer reaches of the multiverse, Silver Jackson lights up the Sitka coordinates of the Black Constellation with a beautiful album of delicate sonics and folk-art electronic experiments. Expanding the future-now to its natural state of awakened presence, Starry Skies Opened Eyes does exactly what it sets out to do: it wraps you up in haunting melodies and carries you out to sea, drifting and reflecting a journey toward the morning horizon. By the time you arrive, you want to return immediately and dive deep into the sky all over again. That's what we did. Over and over and over again.

2. Tanya Tagaq - Animism

 

After, and almost in spite of, the deserving accolades this album has already received, it's still hard to find words that do Animism justice. Tanya Tagaq's latest album is a pulse-pounding, haunting record of her incredible power to call forth an often dormant spirit of potent creativity from herself and from her audience. It is this restless mix of sonic fury and impassioned expression that puts Tagaq in a nearly singular category among her Indigenous art and music contemporaries. Animism, the album, is in some ways, incidental to her larger project—that of unleashing her creative spirit to the world in every available form. The album is incredible and devastatingly primal, but that's a given. What is unique about Tagaq's music, from her riveting live shows (including an absolutely spellbinding performance at this year's Polaris Music Awards, which she won) to every recorded soundwave captured by Animism, is Tagaq's transcendent capacity to demand that we, as listeners, become co-creators of her music. This is her gift to us, both an exhilarating and, at times, exhausting, call to creative action. Unbowed and undaunted by haters, naysayers, or the otherwise perplexed, Tanya Tagaq keeps expanding her artistic universe and power, orbiting around us, radiating light and sound. A force of nature indeed.

1. Thelma Plum - Monsters (EP) 

All it took was four songs to put Thelma Plum at the top of our list. Four songs. Where other artists on this year's list explored decidedly otherworldly realms and sonic terrain, Plum's Monsters EP arrived fully formed, locked into a precise space of dark pop perfection. From the first notes of "Monsters" through the aching "Young in Love" and the anthemic "How Much Does Your Love Cost?" to the final haunting bars of "Candle", Plum does more in the brief span of this EP than many artists do in entire albums. There are no misplaced notes here. Every song is wound tight, expertly produced, beautifully sung and absolutely mesmerizing. Monsters is poised to send Thelma Plum's career into the stratosphere. All this before she's even released her debut album. That's coming next year. Did we mention she's 19? Exactly.

Also check out our 15 Best Indigenous Music Videos of 2014  and The Most Slept-On Indigenous Album of 2014

--- Chi Miigwetch to Tara Williamson, Leanne Simpson, Susan Blight, and Melody McKiver for their expertise & impeccable selections. Image credit: Sonny Assu, "Home Coming" (2014). Digital intervention on Paul Kane painting. More info at: sonnyassu.com

Supaman Brings it Full Circle in "Prayer Loop Song"

Drum, flute, beatbox, rap, dance - loop and repeat. Supaman delivers it all in "Prayer Loop Song."

From the Apsaalooke Nation, Supaman brings all his talents to the mic in this killer track. Sit back and enjoy.

New Indigenous Music Releases - Summer 2012

It's been a hot, hot summer for new Indigenous music! Here is RPM's summer round-up of the latest new releases you'll want to check out.

Without further ado, here are the hottest new releases this summer in Indian Country:

RedCloud and Crystal Lightning have joined forces as Lightningcloud, an explosive mix of hip-hop and electro-house. Get their eponymous album on Bandcamp and check out the opening track Zoom to get the party started:

Following the success of their debut album last year, WorldHood is back with a new EP, Mundo Libre. From downtempo soundscapes to club-ready electrobeats, you can download Mundo Libre for free here and listen to the track Mi Pueblo now:

Demons is the latest from Canadian hip-hop veteran Plex. Self-produced, the album highlights Plex's chops as a story-teller and features guest appearances from D-Sisive, Rellik and B-Brown. Get Demons on Bandcamp and listen to the title track now:

Shy-Anne Hovorka is back with her third album Interwoven Roots. The album brings a country flavour to the pop singer-songwriters work. Get it on CDBaby.

Urban pop artist Lil' Pappie put out his new EP Indian Summer to the delight of his dedicated fans. The release marked a name change for the artist too, who henceforth will be known as Niiko. Get Indian Summer on iTunes and watch the official video for the opening track:

Speaking of Niiko, he makes a guest appearance in the title track on J Dizzay's sophomore album Reckless. Rap, club, pop, electro - you'll get it all from this Cree artist's latest. Get the album on iTunes and check out the title track here:

To celebrate their appearance at the Mad Decent Block Party, A Tribe Called Red created the mix Ever Sick for Scion Sessions. ATCR - need we say more? Download here or from the player below:

And last but not least, rising star and APCMA Best New Artist 2011 Ali Fontaine has released her second album Diamond in the Rough with 10 brand new original songs. Visit alifontaine.com to get yours!

Now that's enough music to get you through what remains of summer - and it's not over yet! See you in the fall for more new music releases.

DOWNLOAD: Honey Dawn Karima - "Beautiful Warriors"

Dr. Honey Dawn Karima  is a prolific Creek/Cherokee recording artist, novelist, poet, fiction writer, journalist, filmmaker, playwright and radio host - ie an artist and creator regardless of the medium. Check out this track Beautiful Warriors, featuring Cloudwalker.

Honey Dawn Karima's achievements in her many pursuits are remarkable. Among them is her music and her latest album The Desire of Nations which features a mix of her unwavering, serene and pitch perfect vocas soaring over beats with rhymes from numerous guest hip-hop, alternative and dance artists. Through her music, Honey aims to honour her culture, language and traditions, while also inspiring dance, reflection and joy.

DOWNLOAD: Honey Dawn Karima - "Beautiful Warriors"

A Tribe Called Red Calls the Shots

These days, it's hard to keep track of one of Indian Country's favourite contemporary electronic music producers A Tribe Called Red as they take leaps forward into renown and reputation. They've just released a new video, announced summer tour dates, and are celebrating one of their member'sThre3Style.

[UPDATE] Who knew when we published this story this morning that when today's Polaris Prize long list nominees were announced, A Tribe Called Red would be among them! Congrats fellas - the recognition is well deserved. - Editor

Yes, Cayuga DJ Shub has recently earned the reputation of Canada's top party rocker, according to Redbull Thre3Style - a title won in Halifax late last month. DJ Shub also won the top spot at the DMC DJ Battle in 2008, becoming the first Aboriginal DJ to win the DMC Battle. I think the author speaks for Indian Country when he says, bigups Shub - keep killing it! To quote a Justice vs. Simian track, "We, are, your friends! You'll never be alone again!"

Aside from pioneering the Aboriginal Canadian electronic music scene and establishing the presence of Indigenous players as a serious force in the game, A Tribe Called Red has been busy. Bear Witness has been creating a series of videos set to Tribe's music which acts as a commentary on myths and misconceptions regarding today's Canadian, "post-colonial" identity, unveiling both truths and untruths through visual art. Media artists like Bear Witness are an emerging breed and hold a unique talent to be watched closely in the near future. As this exciting field evolves, its people motivated to push like Bear that are evolving it.

Busy is good, because busy means you'll have a chance to see A Tribe Called Red on tour with electronic music favorite Javier Estrada in a town near you. Check these dates including the Winnipeg Jazz Festival below, and don't forget to watch Bear Witness's latest video, part 1 of the Javier Estrada Trilogy, Soprano Azteca.

June 19 Winnipeg – Winnipeg Jazz Festival June 21 Edmonton – The Works Festival June 22 Ottawa – Special Event June 23 Peterborough – Ode’min Giizis Festival June 29 Montreal - Parc Jean Drapeau June 30 Toronto - Hard Rock Café July 01 Gatineau - Piknik Electronik July 08 Ottawa – RBC Ottawa Bluesfest Aug 03 Montreal – Presence Autochtone Aug 10 Toronto - Planet Indigenous

Kudos to these guys for staying in touch with, and contributing to contemporary narratives about #decolonization and Indigenous rights while pushing the electronic music scene through thoughtful fusions and modern dance floor remix revelations - but mostly for still managing to have fun while they do it:

Cab ride wind breaker fun. With @djshubinstagr.am/p/LiWPm-M2_6/

— Dee Jay NDN (@deejayndn) June 6, 2012

SPOTLIGHT: The Arctic Circus of Artcirq

The Igloolik, Nunavut, collective Artcirq is a collaborative, community-based circus and multimedia company that has been creating work, engaging youth and performing around the globe since 1998. And that's not all! The arctic circus also makes music and has released two albums recently on iTunes.

Co-founded by Isuma Productions and Guillaume Saladin,  Artcirq blends techniques of modern circus like juggling and acrobatics with aspects of Inuit culture including drum dancing and throat singing.

At first, the group formed in reponse to local tragedy. From articirq.org:

Summer 1998, Igloolik, Nunavut. Two teenagers commit suicide, once again shattering this small island community of 1500 residents. Every time a suicide occurs, feelings of despair and powerlessness resurface in this world where two cultures collide. In the Arctic, loss of sense and sorrow are real facts of life. Based on government statistics at the time, 4 to 6 young adults commit suicide every year in Igloolik, which represents a rate seven times higher than in Montreal.

Following the recurrence of such tragedies in Igloolik, some concrete actions are taken to give children and teenagers a medium to express themselves. The initiative of Isuma Productions (movie Atanarjuat, the Fast Runner) forms a group of eight young people, intended to prevent suicide in this small community. The organism Inuusiq, which means “Life” in Inuktitut, is created, and its first mission is to realize and produce, with the help of ISUMA production, a television series about the youth’s life in the Canadian Arctic of today. Guillaume Saladin was a member of this organism, “Inuusiq youth drama group”, and a co-writer and actor of the series. Furthermore, studying at the National Circus School of Montreal at that time, he implements the circus project Artcirq with six others students of the circus school, including Karine Delzors.

The group and work evolved from there. Members of Artcirq have performed in Timbuktu, Mali, Mexico, Greece and France. Six members were part of the Canadian Arctic performers representing Nunvut at the 2010 Olumpic Winter Games and this month, the group will travel to Windsor, England, to represent "The Americas" in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

Both of Artcirq's musical albums - Artcirq Jam and Made in Igloolik - are credited to be by "various artists" and accordingly it's difficult to describe the diversity on both albums which showcases various permutations of the groups contributing members. In style, language and instrumentation, they are both delightfully varied and interesting collections of songs. It's also difficult to pick a favourite, but for a taste, check out this track Anuri from Made in Igloolik:

STREAM: Artcirq - "Anuri"

Both Artcirq albums are available on CDBaby and iTunes.

Music is just a part of what the group creates. This short doc is a great introduction to the breadth of the work of Artcirq. I love co-founder Guillaume Saladin's definition of circus in it. He says "circus is a pretext - a pretext to create a circle of trust, a space where people can communicate with each other, an area where you can work on yourself, trust the other, and dream."

Indeed it seems that in its 14 years so far, the group has maintained this practice of creative, communicative, and collaborative process. From the heartbreak of a community's loss, to the empowerment of movement, music and exploration, their work continues to inspire, represent, delight and move anyone it engages. Keep an eye out for more from Artcirq, and for additional video and music check out their Isuma channel at isuma.tv/hi/en/artcirq.

New Indigenous Music Releases - March 2012

There's new music being made every moment, and here are the three newest releases from Indigenous artists for the month of March!

The debut full-length album from A Tribe Called Red has been long awaited and much anticipated to say the least. Released this week as a free download, the purveyors of "pow wow step" flex their creativity through the diverse musical landscapes of hip-hop, dancehall, moombahton and electronic styles. If you don't have it already, get their self-titled album here:

This month saw another debut from newcomer Ali Baby - who RPM profiled last month in DJ DoezIt and Ali Baby: Native Rap in High School Hallways. As Mixed Breed, Ali Baby with Chino, Annalex and Lil Shugz, have released The Beginning a mix of rap, r&b, hip-hop, rock and country. It is also a free download! Go get it here: facebook.com/mixedbreedmusic.

Last but not least, a very exciting release from Delmore Recordings is a recently unearthed recording by Karen Dalton. 1966  features Karen solo on banjo and guitar, plus four duets with Richard Tucker. The recordings are intimate, unfiltered and stirring. You can get 1966 digitally, on CD or vinyl at delmorerecordings.com.

Listen to Reason to Believe, by Karen Dalton from 1966:

RPM Podcast #010: "Electric Pow Wow"

Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island have been dancing and drumming for generations but, in the 21st century, that rhythmic spirit is finding new forms of creative expression. In our tenth episode, the powwow gets plugged in, mashed up and remixed.

Our host Ostwelve asks three emerging Indigenous artists about their use and creation of electronic music.

A Tribe Called Red - the Ottawa-based DJ collective of NDN (Nipissing First Nation), Bear Witness (Cayuga) and Shub (Cayuga) - describe what they're doing in the clubs as a cultural continuence from the powwow, and that the two are not that far apart after all.

Using small digital electronics, Cree electro-cellist Cris Derksen can make her cello sound like a bass, a drum, or even seagulls. Hear how she's creating a new palette for the usually classical instrument and how being a musician is like being a jeweler.

Nicholas Galanin, aka Indian Nick, a Tlingit/Aleut visual artist and musician from Stika Alaska, likens contemporary Indigenous electronic music to our history as strong adaptive communities and cultures, and finds the mixing of electronic with other forms of music comes naturally.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, this revolution has been electrified.

DOWNLOAD: RPM Podcast #010: "Electric Pow Wow"

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The RPM podcast is produced & engineered by the amazing Paolo Pietropaolo.

Photo illustration created by the talented Joi Arcand.

#FrybreadFriday: Interpretive Dance

Here at RPM we've honoured #FrybreadFriday though music, poetry and pictures. This week, the artistic expression of choice is interpretive dance.

Apparently, one can truly be moved by making frybread as the Aka-Mya Cultural Group have captured in this short video. Personally, I may bring these moves to the next dance party I attend. "What is she doing? Oh yes, The Frybread".

Let's dance.