The Halluci Nation is the group consisting of Ottawa musicians 2oolman and Bear Witness, which you might recognize as two of the three members of A Tribe Called Red. After DJ NDN left the group in 2017 for health reasons, the other two members continued on under that name for the next couple of years. As they started to work on new projects, the two remaining members decided it was time for a rebranding to distinguish this new phase as a duo. Taking their name from the last A Tribe Called Red Album, they are now The Halluci Nation, who come to you with their first album under this new name, One More Saturday Night.

Sometimes a name change can be used for a completely different type of project with a whole new style to it, but in the case of The Halluci Nation, this is more about a new chapter in the same book. One More Saturday Night continues to build off of the powwow step that A Tribe Called Red revolutionized, where they mixed together traditional First Nations music with house and hip hop and EDM into a style of music that was entirely their own. On this album, you’re absolutely getting some bangers that will make you want to turn up the music and dance as 2oolman and Bear Witness subtly mix in the music and audio clips celebrates their culture and educates their listeners. There are also some pleasant surprises along the way, whether it be the inclusion of a new dance remix of Keith Secola’s folk-rock anthem “NDN Kars,” or the slow jam “Stay,” featuring native emcee Antoine Edwards from Omaha. If you want the group shining in their full glory doing what they do best, though, look no further than the brilliantly composed dance track “When We Fly,” featuring the soaring vocals of native vocalist Jennifer Kreisberg from North Carolina, whose passionate performance will have you running to find more information about her. All in all, it’s just the next evolution as the trio becomes a duo, but that core of brilliant modern electronic music reaching back to the earliest cultures on the continent and injecting everything with an urgent political message is what ties everything together and pushes this project forward.

One More Saturday Night is a great next step for 2oolman and Bear Witness as The Halluci Nation. It’s not a crazy left turn with the name change, it’s just a further refinement and expansion upon what they’ve been building upon over the last fifteen years. It’s an album that absolutely bangs, but also rewards with musical and emotional and cultural depth that will have you coming back to discover something new with each listen.