Ottawa DJ crew A Tribe Called Red blends traditional First Nations music, hip-hop, and EDM to create what they call “powwow-step.” Bear Witness, 200lman, and NDN (who left the group to focus on activism) started hosting their wildly popular Electric Pow Wow dance parties for the local indigenous community in 2008, and since then, they’ve released three albums: 2012’s A Tribe Called Red, 2013’s Nation II Nation, and 2016’s We Are the Halluci Nation, which features Yasiin Bey (FKA Mos Def) on “R.E.D.” and monologues from author Joseph Boyden, who writes about colonialism and the systemic inequalities indigenous people in North America still face. By allowing past and present to coexist, ATCR celebrates the vibrancy and resilience of modern First Nations cultures.

by Ciara Dolan