Listen to A Tribe Called Red featuring Yasiin Bey, Narcy and Black Bear

Image courtesy of the artist

One of the most exciting electronic acts out there right now has got to be A Tribe Called Red. The Canadian trio—DJ NDN, Bear Witness and 2oolman—mesh electronic synths and beats with Indigenous and First Peoples songs, percussion, and sounds. What you’re left with is visceral and intoxicating, a self-defined expression of indigenous culture and experience.

ATCR have made big waves in the last five years, winning scores of awards, and creating and championing inclusive spaces for indigenous dance culture. The trio are back in 2016 with their third studio album, We Are the Halluci Nation, and if you thought single “Stadium Pow Wow” was good, brace yourself for the reworked version, newly titled “R.E.D.” and featuring Yasiin Bey (FKA Mos Def), Narcy and Black Bear.

Adding powerful and spine-chilling rap verses to the original track—which was, frankly, already really fucking powerful and spine-chilling—ATCR’s “R.E.D.” is an incredible follow up to first single and title track, “We Are The Halluci Nation,” a kind of painfully moving piece of music, featuring lyrics spoken by John Trudell.

“I think it is the first time in history where you have an African, an Iraqi, and the Indigenous of Canada on one song.” Narcy said of the track. “It’s an important breaking in culture, we are coming together to counter the narratives built around the history of our communities and showing the power of our people combined. It feels like the beginning of something new and old, the rebirth after many injustices.”

This album feels like it couldn’t come at a better time.

We Are the Halluci Nation is out through Radicalized Records September 16. Pre-order it here, and follow A Tribe Called Red on Facebook and Twitter.