Contemporary Sounds of Indigenous America
Geoffrey Crowe
The history of Indigenous art in North America is as rich with experimentation and adaptation as it is with traditional storytelling. As exotic new materials found their way across the great oceans, Native artists would often incorporate them into their craft. This practice continues today as musicians weave synths, fuzz boxes and other noisemakers into their aural tapestries.
Here is a compilation of artists who are defining the sound of modern Indigenous music. Sample the tracks below, and support Indigenous musicians by purchasing a record or catching them on tour.
Status/Non-Status >>> “Find A Home”
Black Belt Eagle Scout >>> “Soft Stud”
OMBIIGIZI >>> “Street Names and Land Claims”
nêhiyawak >>> “copper”
Nechochwen >>> “spelewithiipi”
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson >>> “I Pity The Country”
Raven Chacon >>> “Black Streaked Humming”
Laura Ortman >>> “SMOKE RINGS SHIMMERS ENDLESS BLUR”
Tecuexe Band >>> “Acahual with the chia”
Zoon (ft. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson) >>> “Astum”
Ribbon Skirt >>> “Wrong Planet”
sadbirthdays >>> “shoestring”
Raven Chacon & Present Music >>> “Owl Song”
Geoffrey Crowe is a designer, visual artist, and composer based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has worked as an in-house designer for Element Skateboards, Smartwool apparel, and is currently the Art Director at EarthQuaker Devices. He has provided art direction and archival restoration for countless record releases. Crowe is a member of Alderville First Nation.