Recording: Cris Derksen

Artist: Cris Derksen

Song: 21

Recorded at The Music Gallery ("Emergents I"), December 4, 2014.

Cris Derksen - 21

Although, perhaps, needing a formal introduction such as this to a Toronto audience, Cris Derksen has been "emerging" across the country for the past several years — most notably collaborating with Tanya Tagaq. Recently spotted on local stages with Fiver, Derksen performed a solo set at this Melody McKiver-curated night. Proudly representing her heritage (growing up in Northern Alberta, her father is North Tall Cree and her mother Mennonite) but future-facing both sonically and socially, this set mixed classical gravitas with disco lightness. This particular track, originally composed as part of her soundtrack for CBC's 8th Fire, brings all of that together in a deliciously-layered resistance groove. [You can check out a recently-posted recording of this piece as a bunch more over at Derksen's soundcloud.]