Flying Down Thunder And Rise Ashen

Rise Ashen and Flying Down Thunder met on Ottawa's frozen Rideau Canal in 2009 and have been pollinating their sound ever since. It was important for the pair to create music that was truly an amalgam, true to both the underground club sound and the traditional Algonquin vocal tradition. In composing new music, they strive to keep traditional sounds fresh and new, while respecting the roots of Anishinabe music.

Producer, musician, DJ, and dancer Eric Vani (Rise Ashen) has devoted his life to the study of sound and movement, applying hi-fi know-how to underground music. Focusing on nu-jazz, breaks, and house, as a DJ, he mashes and blends it with traditional and popular music from across the globe. Rise Ashen has collaborated with Juno award winner Miguel Graca, Fred Everything, Trevor Walker, Blissom, and Teknostep, and is pulled from the crates of DJs like Rainer Truby, Roger Sanchez, Masters at Work, Gilles Peterson, Laurent Garnier, Maurice Fulton, Bonobo, and 0db, among others.

Originally from the Long Point First Nation in Quebec, Canada, singer, composer, and producer Kevin Chief (aka Flying Down Thunder) now makes his home in Ottawa. Chief is a respected pow-wow singer and traditional dancer from the Algonquin Nation. Kevin has performed at Canadian national events, across Europe, and in China. His inspiration for music comes from the words of his elders. Anishinabe people, he was told, needed to build a bridge between Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal, as we learn to understand one another. Through music, Kevin shares the love of his Aboriginal culture with others.