Rise Ashen
Rise Ashen has devoted his life to the study of sound and movement. From his early years as a B-Boy in Montreal in the 80s to his studies at Fanshawe College (North America's Oldest Recording School) and the Banff Centre for the Arts, to his evolution as a Global Grooves and House Music DJ, his focus has been on applying hi-fi knowhow to underground music. His record collection spans the 4 corners of the world with house and club music of all tempos as his primary focus. As a DJ and live looper/finger drummer, he blends it all in a worldy mash and is always the sweaty and dynamic life of the party.
He has performed in clubs and festivals in the US, Canada, Scandinavia, Europe and Asia and his music regularly gets support from A-list DJs worldwide. His study of Yoga has led him to combine his musical journey with his Yoga journey and he has been DJing extensively for yoga classes, festivals and events since 2012. A long-time househead who has trained with many pioneering NYC dancers, since 2008 he has also been co-leading Capital Sessions Community House Dance Practices with his partner Tangent and teaching at Ottawa’s Flava Factory Urban Dance school.
He has collaborated with countless artists including Montreal's Miguel Graca (Juno Award winner), Jojo Flores, Fred Everything, Toronto-based Ammoye (multi-Juno nominee), Dubmatix (Juno Award winner), Version XCursion, LAL, Eccodek (Juno Award winner), Kobotown (Juno Award winner), King Sunshine, UK’s Sean Escofferey, Berlin’s Steph Lefrancois, New York’s Angel Moraes and Nickodemus, Kasm and Seed Organisation, Ottawa’s Bhavantu Collective, Ottawa’s Juno-award winner Kellylee Evans, and Algonquin Singer Flying Down Thunder, with whom he received a Juno nomination in 2012 for their debut album, One Nation, as well as a Native American Music Awards nomination in 2014 for their sophomore album, North Wind. He made 3 records with Silla, an Inuit throat-singing duet. They performed and toured for 6 years as Silla and Rise with Rise playing electronic percussion. They were nominated for a Juno Award for Best Indigenous Recording, a Juno for World Music Album of the Year, and they won the Mundial Stingray Award in 2018 as well as the SSIMAs for best Inuit ensemble and Best Artistic music video in 2021.
He is currently working on music with Trevor “lifeboogie” Walker, with Cree/Potawatomi singer Theland Kicknosway, and Ottawa singer Kellylee Evans.
He believes music and dance are essential to human culture and he aspires to embody the wise words of Fela Kuti: "when the higher forces give you the gift of musicianship …it must be well used for the good of humanity".