DOWNLOAD: Mob Bounce - "Mixed Blood" Mix Tape

Here at RPM we are pleased to offer a mix tape download for the first time. It is also the first project to come from “Alter-Native” Mob Bounce - the duo of Gitxsan artist Craig Frank Edes aka. Craigy Craig and Cree/Métis Travis Hebert aka. Heebz the Earthchild. Friends since childhood, the two created the Mixed Blood Mixtape as a musical journey through their younger years together with hip hop, dubstep, drum & bass, digital cumbia and traditional drum. Enjoy.

1. I'mma Dog
2. Traditional
3. Bounce
4. Put 'em Up
5. Flexin'
6. WhitePanty
7. Mary and Jane
8. Latchkey

DOWNLOAD: Mob Bounce - "Mixed Blood" Mix Tape

DOWNLOAD: Kait Angus - "Animals"

Cree/Mohawk singer-songwriter Kait Angus has released a brand new song and we like it.

From Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Angus is now splits her time between Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California.  She's working on a full-length album, but sent word via Twitter that she's sharing a new track - Animals - for us to enjoy in the meantime.

Download "Animals" for free on ReverbNation: Kait Angus - "Animals"

DOWNLOAD: Beaatz - "Never Lookin Back"

Here's a download from Tobique First Nation MC/producer Beaatz from New Brunswick, Canada. Beaatz is a new artist coming out with amazing tracks at a highly prolific rate. Producing his own music out of his home, he has been hitting the radar of many people across the country and working with more and more artists as he goes. This new track is a great homage to the real hip-hop sound and shows his skills as both an MC and producer. Be sure to get this into your playlists. DOWNLOAD: Beaatz - "Never Lookin Back"

DOWNLOAD: Andrea Menard - "Evergreen"

You may know Métis artist Andrea Menard as an actor, writer or singer. Indeed she is all three, finding critical success on each path, including a Western Canadian Music Award, three Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards and an Indian Summer Music Award. As a singer, Andrea is part crooner, part balladeer. She performs both jazz and roots/folk and sent us this track from the latter repertoire. From the album Sparkle, Evergreen, with rich harmonies and lush instrumentation, typifies her beautiful, narrative songwriting and her sweet crystal clear voice. Enjoy. DOWNLOAD: Andrea Menard - "Evergreen"

RPM Podcast #004: "New Traditional"

In our fourth episode, RPM looks at New Traditional, beginning with the question: What is it? And how can something be new and traditional at the same time?

Perhaps it is music made new today but in a traditional style, perhaps it is any music that comes from our people.

Ostwelve talked with two giants in the field of New Traditional music - Jennifer Kreisberg, a Tuscarora artist from the groundbreaking all-female drum group Ulali and Lil'wat musician and composer Russell Wallace, one of the first Indigenous artists to experiment with samples of traditional music - to get their take.

Representing the East and West Coasts of Turtle Island, Jennifer and Russell offer many insightful - and a few differing - views on the subject.

Get more artists and music with our YouTube Playlist: New Traditional.

DOWNLOAD: RPM Podcast #004 - "New Traditional"

Subscribe via your favorite RSS reader

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

Photo illustration created by the talented Joi Arcand.

DOWNLOAD: Cassidy Mann - "Pretend"

Most artists will tell you they’ve been writing songs since they were a kid but not many artists record and release those songs while still a teenager. Métis artist Cassidy Mann, at fifteen years old, manages to be true to her young self and experiences with a sweet thoughtfulness and insight you may not expect from her years. While still in high school, Cassidy has recently released her first, eponymous, EP and she sent us a couple tracks to check out. Enjoy this pop/country toe-tapper and look forward to what’s to come from this young artist. DOWNLOAD: Cassidy Mann - "Pretend"

STREAM: Indigenous - "Should I Stay"

Once again, we are indebted to the National Aboriginal Music Countdown for introducing us to new artists. This week, we’ve been enjoying hearing the band Indigenous for the first time. Mato Nanji – the warm, textured voice and spirited guitar of the band – is from the Nakota Nation in South Dakota. Their latest album, The Acoustic Sessions, is 11 tracks of richly layered roots, folk, soul-twinged beauty – a shift from the band’s previous, more charged and visceral sound. ."I've wanted to make an album like this for years," Nanji said and we’re glad he did. The band is currently on tour, on the NAMC and right here on RPM. STREAM: Indigenous - "Should I Stay"

DOWNLOAD: Bonnie Couchie - "Stupid With You"

Ojibway artist Bonnie Couchie, from Pic River First Nation, always had music in her heart but spent her early adult years nurturing her home and family before releasing an album in 2009. She quickly received "Best New Artist" accolades, charted on the National Aboriginal Music Countdown and placed music on the ATPN/Showcase series Blackstone. Some have said her sound is a cross between Bob Dylan and Alanis Morissette – indeed her singer-songwriter/folk music veers into rock, pop and country territory with a rich, textured voice, a passionate delivery and a story to tell. DOWNLOAD: Bonnie Couchie - "Stupid With You"

DOWNLOAD: Dark Water Rising - "Hooked"

Lumbee/Coharie band Dark Water Rising took their name from their home near the rich, dark swamplands of the Lumber River in North Carolina. Apropos for a band whose music is an intriguing and inviting mix of soul, blues and indie-rock with depth, character and emotion. The lead vocals of Charly Lowry drive the music with fervour and passion, woven with old-timey gospel harmonies. It’s like if The Commitments came out of Indian Country writing original tunes and pulling in a little country and alt-rock along the way. It’s like nothing else. Get hooked. DOWNLOAD: Dark Water Rising - "Hooked"

Sonia Eidse Shares Words From 'The Maples'

RPM.fm audio interview with Métis singer/songwriter Sonia Eidse out of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

In this edition of our audio interviews, we sit down with Sonia Eidse to talk about her blooming career and what it's like coming up as a young artist in the bubbling musical community of Winnipeg. She also speaks on her musical upbringing as well as future plans as a musician here on Turtle Island.

Also check out Sonia's work on our On the Radar: Up & Coming Indigenous Artists article.

DOWNLOAD: Vic Buildsafire - "Revolution"

Dine’, Pomo, Aztec, and Spanish artist Vic Buildsafire is an independent, self-produced hip-hop artist based in California. The production value of his work is high and the message is strong – his submission to RPM instantly caught our attention and we’re stoked to share this track with you. His new album, The Barter, is about trading cultures, motivation and self-reflection and Vic is driven to represent his tribe and share life’s struggles through his music. While he talks about the struggle, he's coming at it with love. Feel it and get the whole album at vicbuildsafire.bandcamp.com. DOWNLOAD: Vic Buildsafire - "Revolution"

DOWNLOAD: Marc Meriläinen - "Ensi Ilta"

After the success of his project Nadjiwan and touring across Turtle Island for the past 15 years, Marc Meriläinen decided to try something new. This time, he’s releasing music under his own name – the brand new EP The Wolves of Tuonela is available on iTunes now – and Marc sent us this track to check out. From an Ojibwe and Finnish background, Marc's new work is embracing both parts, culturally and musically, with Finnish lyrics and instruments alongside modern beats and Aboriginal style vocables. The result is atmospheric, beautiful and unique; soothing yet dynamic, and best when you can sit back, close your eyes, and just listen. DOWNLOAD: Marc Meriläinen - "Ensi Ilta"