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, his focus has been on applying hi-fi knowhow to global dance music. His record collection spans the four corners of the world with club music of all tempos as his primary focus. As a DJ, he blends it all in a worldy mash and is always the sweaty and dynamic life of the party.  He has played in clubs and festivals across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia.  His study of Yoga has led him to combine his musical journey with his Yogi journey and he has been DJing extensively for yoga classes, festivals and events since 2012.  

With his partner Tangent, he founded Capital Sessions Community House Dance Practices in 2010 to share the couple’s love for house dance music and culture.

His first album with Algonquin singer Flying Down Thunder received a Juno nomination in 2012, and the duo’s second album received a Native American Music Awards nomination in 2014.  Since 2015 he has been collaborating with Silla, the Nunavut-based Inuit throat-singing ensemble, with whom he was long-listed for the Polaris Prize in 2016, nominated for a Juno Award in 2017 and for a Juno in 2019 as well as winning the Stingray award at Mundial in 2019 and Inuit Group of the Year and Artistic Video of the year at the SSSIMAs in 2021.

He believes music and dance are essential to human culture and that united, artists can lead humanity towards a more enlightened way of living.  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"