North Wind

When Flying Down Thunder and Rise Ashen released their first opus, 2011’s One Nation, with its mix of Aboriginal chants and urban grooves, it was as if the future sound of Canada had been born.

Producer, musician, DJ and dancer Eric Vani (Rise Ashen) has devoted his life to the study of sound and movement. As a DJ, he blends nu-jazz, breaks and house with traditional and popular music from across the globe. Singer, composer and producer Kevin Chief (aka Flying Down Thunder) is a respected pow-wow singer and traditional dancer from the Algonquin Nation. He now makes his home in Canada’s capital, Ottawa.

It is important for the pair to create music that is truly an amalgam, true to both club sounds and the traditional vocal style of the Anishinabe Nation. Bringing together traditional Algonquin chanting and futuristic dance floor beats, North Wind uses elements of soul, techno, rock and hip-hop – all the musics that were born on their land – in a musical reappropriation of their territory. Politically charged music has never been so danceable: nowhere else will you hear Nunavut throat singing and Mayan and Ojibway chants with such sonic innovations. Outstanding tracks include ‘Awesisag Ka Minigoyeg’ (Animals Giving), an atmospheric nature-tinged trip and ‘Kiwedinong – North Wind’ featuring beatboxer Nelson Tagoona. It’s time for North American Aboriginal music to come onto the international radar.