REGINA It was just a few years ago DJs NDN, Shub and Bear Witness were holed up in rehearsal session, trying to loop an Aboriginal grass dance into the opening of a dubstep instrumental.

Right away as soon as we heard the two together, we slapped our heads, said Bear Witness. Were remixing dance music with dance music now.

That experiment would become the first live mash-up produced by the DJ collective thats now A Tribe Called Red. Theyre known for revamping electronic tracks, from dubstep to trap and reggaeton, with traditional chanting and drums. Its even being called a new sub-genre: powwow step.

It comes from music and traditions that are very much alive right now, but being exposed to a lot of people who didnt realize that it existed, said Bear Witness. We started doing this for the urban indigenous community, but we didnt expect everybody else to get it.

A Tribe Called Red has since toured all around Canada and the United States, where rave culture and EDM has especially reached mainstream popularity. The group even played festivals in the France and the United Kingdom last year.

I guess were coming at a moment where people are ready to hear it, said the DJ from Ottawa. I definitely come from a time when electronic music was underground, at least in North America. Its exciting to play all these big shows its good and weird at the same time.

But according to Bear Witness, thats the biggest challenge creating tracks that can translate to dance floor hits without the limited shelf life of commercial music something thats not just for clubs, but also tells a story, he said.

The DJs are hoping to accomplish this by collaborating with a range of different vocalists, including MCs, for the upcoming new album. A Tribe Called Red is also heavily involved with Tribal Spirit, a fair trade record label that allowed the group to sample all the chants and drums from its catalogue. For the new album, Tribal Spirit is even helping by recording on multiple tracks. The new audio of hand drums and big drums, even men and women singing separately, will give the group more creative freedom, says Bear Witness.

Meanwhile, A Tribe Called Red is touring Canada and continuing to use its success as a platform to raise political awareness. The group was vocal supporters of Idle No More and last year, DJ NDN even filed a human rights complaint against the Nepean Redskins Football Club.

I think it comes down to a fine line where we dont make political music on the surface, its politic by nature, said Bear Witness. What were able to do as performers is be able to affect the way that were represented in the media, going against a long history of misrepresentation of indigenous people. We can break down those stereotypes as simply as with a photograph of us laughing and smiling.

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A Tribe Called Red hits the right buttons with powwow step