A Tribe Called Red are a Canadian electronic music group, who blend instrumental hip hop, reggae, moombahton and dubstep-influenced dance music with elements of First Nations music, particularly vocal chanting and drumming.
Based in Ottawa, Ontario, the group consists of three DJs, Ian "DJ NDN" Campeau, Dan "DJ Shub" General and Bear Witness, and describes its music as "powwow-step", a style of contemporary powwow music for urban First Nations in the dance club scene.
After releasing a number of tracks online and DJing at various dance and aboriginal events, the band released their self-titled debut album as a free internet download in 2012. The album was named as a longlisted nominee for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize on June 14, 2012.
Their second album, Nation II Nation, was released in 2013 and was named a longlisted nominee for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize on June 13, 2013; in July, it was named to the prize"s final 10-album shortlist.
The band also won several awards at the 2013 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards, including Best Group and Best Album for Nation II Nation.The band have toured extensively across Canada and the United States, as well as performing festival dates in the United Kingdom, Germany and Greece.
They have been featured on CBC Radio"s Q and Canada Live, and have been playlisted on both CBC Radio 2 and CBC Radio 3.In 2014, they garnered two Juno Award nominations at the Juno Awards of 2014, for Breakthrough Group of the Year and Electronic Album of the Year.
The band have been vocal supporters of Idle No More. In 2013 they issued a public statement asking non-aboriginal fans to refrain from cultural appropriation by wearing headdresses and war paint to their shows, and Campeau filed a human rights complaint against an amateur football club in Ottawa that was using "Redskins" as its club name.
