House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 to 130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago’s underground club culture in the 1980s, as DJs from the subculture began altering disco songs to give them a more mechanical beat and deeper basslines.
Pioneered by Chicago DJs and producers such as Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, Jesse Saunders, Chip E., Steve “Silk” Hurley, Farley “Jackmaster” Funk, Marshall Jefferson, Phuture and others. From its beginnings in the Chicago club and local radio scene, house music expanded internationally to London, then to other North American cities and became a worldwide phenomenon.
House has had a large impact on pop music, especially dance music. It was incorporated by major pop artists including Janet Jackson, Madonna and Kylie Minogue, but also produced some mainstream hits on its own, such as “French Kiss” by Lil Louis (1989), “Show Me Love” by Robin S. (1992) or “Push the Feeling On” by Nightcrawlers (1992/1995). Many house producers also did and continue to do remixes for pop artists. House music has remained popular on radio and in clubs while retaining a foothold on the underground scenes across the globe and our Indigenous Youth have been swept up by this beat like other teens around the world. Now the FNMI is bringing some of latest greatest House Music Dj’s live to your Community, Settlement or Territory.
For more Information or to Book a “House & Techno Music” Dj of you choosing, please contact the Programs Director @ 587-973-0202.
Cris Derksen
Cris Derksen is a two-spirit Juno Award–nominated Cree cellist from Northern Alberta, Canada. Derksen is known for her unique musical sound which blends classical music with traditional Indigenous music. Her music is often described as “electronic cello” or classical traditional fusion
Derksen is from North Tallcree reserve in Northern Alberta, Canada, she has both Cree and Mennonite heritage. She attended a performing Victoria School for the Performing Arts in Edmonton, Canada and was trained in classical music from an early age. She received a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance at the University of British Columbia. During her time at UBC she held the position of Principal Cellist with the UBC Symphony Orchestra.
In 2009 Derkson was the curator in residence at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. She has traveled and performed internationally in numerous countries including: Germany, France, Spain, Norway, Czech Republic, Mexico, Sweden, and the United States. She has performed with the Beat Nation Live Collective, Kanye West, Kinnie Starr, Tanya Tagaq, Rae Spoon, and traditional pow wow groups.
In 2015 Derkson’s Orchestral Powwow Project album was produced in partnership with the independent record label Tribal Spirit Powwow. During the making of this album Derkson utilized Tribal Spirit’s library of powwow music as a resource and incorporated some of the traditional music found in this library in her project. In the same year, Derkson was mentored by Canadian musician Buffy Sainte-Marie as part of an Ontario Arts Council grant.
In 2017, Derkson performed at the Annual Public Meeting of the Canada Council of the Arts with the Cris Derksen Trio which includes drummer Jesse Baird and dancer Nimkii Osawamick.
In 2019, the Art Gallery of Ontario commissioned Owen Pallet, Derksen, and Matt Smith to create three new choral works inspired by the Early Rubens exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Also in 2019, Derkson composed Maada’ookii Songlines, a choral work featuring 200 singers as part of the Luminato Festival. Alongside, Chistine Tootoo and Jamie Griffiths, Derkson was part of a 2019 performance piece called Ikummagialiit, that was commissioned by the National Gallery of Canada as part of the Àbadakone exhibition on Indigenous art. In 2020, Derksen performed as part of CBC Gem’s Queer Pride Inside special.
PIQSIQ
With a style perpetually galvanized by darkness and haunting northern beauty, sisters, Tiffany Kuliktana Ayalik and Kayley Inuksuk Mackay, come together to create Inuit style throat singing duo, PIQSIQ. Performing ancient traditional songs and eerie new compositions, they leave their listeners enthralled with the infinity of possible answers to the question…
Tiffany Kuliktana Ayalik and Kayley Inuksuk Mackay, come together to create Inuit style throat singing duo, PIQSIQ, performing ancient traditional songs and eerie new compositions. Creative BC’s Career Development program supported the creation of two music videos to promote their new album (to be released in 2021). This will be their first full length album; “We are designing our own original instrument made from a caribou skull that will feature prominently in the videos further engaging and connecting our audience to our culture.” PIQSIQ has been nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award for Indigenous Artist of the Year!
With roots in Nunavut’s Kitikmeot and Kivalliq Regions, the sisters grew up in Yellowknife, NWT and are now living in BC. These environmental extremes had a huge impact on Tiffany and Kayley’s overall aesthetic and their soudtracks reflect this natural phenomenon.
PIQSIQ’s name stems from the sisters’ shared feelings of confusion regarding their identities growing up. In Inuktut, a “piqsiq” is a type of storm where winds blow in a very specific way, making it look like the snow is falling back up towards the sky. Being children of blended backgrounds, born into two very different worlds, Kayley and Tiffany always felt they had to navigate strange cultural waters, but have learned to embrace the joys and challenges of mixed Indigeneity today. The sisters have found comfort in the thought that “two halves make a whole.”
HalluciNation
The HalluciNation, formerly known as A Tribe Called Red, is 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 Tim “2oolman” Hill (Mohawk, of the Six Nations of the Grand River), and Ehren “Bear Witness” Thomas (of the Cayuga First Nation). Former members include co-founder DJ Jon Deck and Dan “DJ Shub” General (of the Cayuga First Nation), who left the band for personal reasons in spring 2014, and was replaced by Hill. Co-founder Ian “DJ NDN” Campeau (of the Nipissing First Nation) left the band for health reasons in October 2017, with the band opting to remain a duo for the time being.
The group’s former name was an homage to A Tribe Called Quest, a hip hop group that also had songs that addressed African American social grievances.
The group’s music has been labelled as “powwow-step”, a style of contemporary powwow music for urban First Nations in the dance club scene; popularized by the media as a description of the band’s unique style, the term originated as the title of one of the band’s own earliest singles.