Alok collaborates with Indigenous musicians in Brazil on new album, ‘The Future Is Ancestral’: Listen
The release coincided with Earth Day and Brazilian Indigenous People's Day, and followed a concert in Brasilia with an audience of one million
Alok has collaborated with Indigenous musicians in Brazil for a new album. You can listen to 'The Future is Ancestral' below.
The Brazilian DJ and producer, who was voted No.4 in DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs poll in 2023, worked with 50 instrumentalists and vocalists from his homeland on the record. The project began in 2021, with Alok and his collaborators clocking up more than 500 hours of studio time to produce eight original tracks, with a variety of Indigenous communities and territories across the country represented.
The LP was unveiled last week, coinciding with Earth Day 2024 and shortly after Indigenous People's Day in Brazil, and is now available on all streaming platforms. 100% of royalties and proceeds will go directly to the communities involved. Alongside Alok, Fernando Garibay, Daniel Padilla, Ramiro Padilla. Gustavo Leal, and João Cruz are credited as producers.
In a statement about the release, Alok said: "I feel honoured to be able to serve as a platform to amplify the voices of Indigenous ancestry. 'The Future Is Ancestral' is not just a musical project; it is a movement to reforest the imagination of our society and its perception of Indigenous peoples and the importance of their presence in multiple territories."
Themes including innovation, resilience and cultural resurgence are dominant in the lyrics. Meanwhile, sounds celebrate both traditional cultures and their connection to nature, running between a broad range of electronic styles. Deep, atmospheric house, driving percussive techno, brooding trap and rap feature, with one track described as an "extension" of a traditional prayer and another focusing on bird song.
Some of the album has already been performed at live events, including Global Citizen Live, and at the United Nations headquarters in New York City to launch Climate Week 2022 and 2023. Following the release, Alok heads out on a huge global tour. You can find all dates here.
