Last year, Handsome Tiger, an Anishinaabe Métis and North African producer and DJ, shared how meaningful working with traditional Indigenous songs and incorporating them into his art had been, when RIZE caught up with him in Seattle. Since then, he has released a ton of music, including his “First People” album and most recently the “ODISSEIA” EP.
Odisseia, meaning a voyage or journey in Portuguese, lives up to its name. The title track’s faraway, otherworldly layers slowly build into a kaleidoscopic experience perfect for a solo road trip or soundtracking a heavy festival crowd.
Although his releases the last few years have leaned heavily into musical storytelling using traditional Indigenous soundscapes, Handsome Tiger’s production style has always been inspired by sound system culture and music from across the globe. His live sets are masterful blends of dancehall, reggaeton, grime, bass and other international influences. The ODISSEIA EP, showcases sounds of baile funk, an electronic music born in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with textures of other global bass styles.
Our favorite track on the five track EP is definitely, “FAVELAS.” The chopped-up freestyle samples reverberating back and forth in Portuguese and English, and drum machine loops of the baile funk influence combined with the heavy bass articulations round out a track we are sure Handsome Tiger fans will appreciate at Cherry Seattle this Saturday!
If you weren’t able to catch Handsome Tiger last year when he played in Seattle at Monkey Loft, he will be back Sept. 7 with local support from DJ Libbi, THERUMK/D, and BUENAVISTA. Get your tickets here and see you there!
