The Halluci Nation

The new project from Bear Witness and Tim “2oolman” Hill of A Tribe Called Red, The Halluci Nation takes its name from a phrase coined by late artist, poet and activist, John Trudell, to describe the vast global community of people who remember at their core what it means to be human, and who are living their lives in line with Indigenous values. Trudell recognized the connection between his accomplishments and what ATCR did intuitively through music and art. He understood the impact artists can have in demolishing the unnecessary walls that divide the people who inhabit this planet, and understood how far any voice can travel through the power of art. So, after careful consideration as they enter a new cycle, Bear Witness and 2oolman are reintroducing themselves as The Halluci Nation, to reflect the evolution of their music and mission into something larger and more world-focussed, while still maintaining a tether to the history that brought them here.

Trudell’s voice was the first heard on Tribe’s last record, We Are The Halluci Nation, and will again be the first you hear on The Halluci Nation’s upcoming album, One More Saturday Night. A love letter to the Electric Pow Wow gatherings launched at Ottawa’s Babylon nightclub in 2007 by the DJs who would become known worldwide as A Tribe Called Red – the album imagines the last blast the party never had when it ended abruptly in 2017. One More Saturday Night thus pays genre-oblivious homage to the energy, momentum, humanity and hours of sweaty late-night abandon that elevated The Halluci Nation to this pivotal point, while further connecting the dots between traditional Indigenous dance music and post-rave electronic music that Tribe first connected over a decade years ago.

As with its past, The Halluci Nation’s future revolves around collaboration. From hip-hop star, Yasiin Bey (AKA Mos Def), to the Indigenous Australian band, OKA, to the Wayuu-Colombian powerhouse, Lido Pimienta, the group has always worked with like minded artists from around the world to create a “borderless” sound. The upcoming record will be no exception, with features from Texas “electro-cumbia” star, El Dusty, First Nations singers, Chippewa Travellers, New Zealand Maori artist, Rob Ruha, Inuk avant-garde throat singer, Tanya Tagaq among many others. Through it all, The Halluci Nation flex their muscles as producers and collaborators, respectfully hitting familiar ATCR marks while decisively staking new sonic ground.

This is a beginning, not an end, after all. The Halluci Nation maintains focus on what they feel they can impact most: how Indigenous people are seen. Through groundbreaking stage shows and ever-changing visuals, Bear Witness and 2oolman are working to create media that reflects today’s Indigenous identity. By partnering with striking visual artists from the community such as Whess Harman, Saige Mukash and Cedar-Eve Peters along with a growing army of musical collaborators from around the world, they see themselves simply as contributors to a necessary conversation around a subtle and complex representation of the contemporary Indigenous experience.