FIRST SINGLE FROM NEW ALBUM OUT THIS FALL

WATCH VIDEO CREATED BY ARTIST DARCIE BERNHARDT

Toronto, ON – June 9, 2021 – Today, Ottawa-based JUNO-nominated ensemble, Silla and Rise, share a new single called Pandemonium, which will be featured on their forthcoming third album, out this fall. Originally presented live as part of EVERYSEEKER, a festival that presents contemporary music in Kjipuktuk / Halifax, Nova Scotia, the track evolved into a call-and-response video with Inuvialuk/Gwichin visual artist, Darcie Bernhardt, from Tuktuujaatuq. The initial idea for the song was an adaptation of traditional throat songs Nirliit (geese) and Naujaat (seagulls), now arriving in alignment as sonically evocative of pandemic chaos. Listen to Pandemonium and watch the video here.

For the gallery-worthy visual, Darcie animated 9,000 watercolour stills and the resulting collaboration was broadcast live. Silla and Rise are grateful for the connection EVERYSEEKER provided them to complete the music video, and to Darcie for producing extra animation following the live performance, giving Rise Ashen the opportunity to edit and VJ with Darcie’s evocative work in his inimitable style.

The imagery is unequivocally Northern, perfectly capturing the Northern light-spectrum and features the beluga whale, fish, and polar bear, along with the land and the weather (Sila) who are the main protagonists in the video. The beautiful imagery also conjures up current events and the important contemporary themes of resource extraction and Indigenous sovereignty.

Silla and Rise are a two-time JUNO Award-nominated ensemble based in Ottawa, Ontario, they come together to blend the Inuit throat singing of Silla (Cynthia Pitsiulak, Charlotte Qamaniq and Charlotte Carleton) with the global dancefloor mixology of Rise Ashen. They have two full-length albums out and are currently working on their third, slated for release this fall.
 

Darcie “Ouiyaghasiak” Bernhardt is an Inuvialuk/Gwichin artist from Tuktuyaaqtuuq, currently residing in Halifax, NS.  NT Alumnus of NSCADU in 2019 (BFA).  You can follow them on Instagram at @ouiyaghasiak.

DOWNLOAD – Hi Res Artwork | DOWNLOAD – Hi Res Press Photo

www.sillaandrise.com

About Silla and Rise:

Silla have been performing together since 2005.  Its core members, Charlotte Qamaniq (Iglulik, NU) and Cynthia Pitsiulak (Kimmirut, NU) were joined in 2020 by the amazing Charlotte Carleton (Panniqtuuq, NU). Silla respects, honours and preserves Inuit culture and pays homage to the Inuit land and its strong connection to spirituality.  With their music, they invite audiences to experience the sounds of traditional and contemporary katajjaq - Inuit throat song.

Rise Ashen (Ottawa, ON) is a global-grooves producer, percussionist, DJ, and dancer.  He produces Silla and Rise,  and performs electronic percussion with the band for their live performances.  Rise has spent his life pursuing the intersection of traditional and futuristic music. 

Silla and Rise was founded in 2016, coming together to blend traditional aspects of Inuit throat singing and futuristic dance floor beats.  Since then, they’ve been nominated for two JUNO Awards. First for Indigenous Music Album of the Year in 2017, for their self-titled Debut: Silla + Rise, followed by a nod for their second album, Galactic Gala, for World Music Album of the Year in 2019. They were nominated for the Indigenous Music Awards for Best Inuit for Indigenous Language, for Francophone Album in 2017 won the Stingray Award at Mundial Festival in Montreal in 2018.