We at ARCo. are very proud to introduce the mysterious warrior of sound, Tomahawk Bang.
For Tomahawk Bang, music is “Himdag” or the “way of life.” As a native of Arizona’s Onk Akimel O’odham tribe; the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, Tomahawk developed his relationship with music whilst participating in traditional ceremonies on his homeland. The deeply spiritual nature of his culture serves as one of the clearest influences and most pertinent characteristics of his music. In the world of Tomahawk Bang, the music was, is, and will always be an indigenous experience.
“What first gets you into something, that never goes away. The initial inspiration… it’s mind blowing. You never forget.” –Tomahawk Bang
At the age of thirteen, Tomahawk Bang immersed himself in hip-hop culture, transforming into a hybrid of native customs and break beats. Bboying (break dance) played a major role in his development as an artist, exposing him to avenues of self-expression he had not encountered before. In the late 90’s, house music caught the ears of Tomahawk Bang and members of his famed dance collective “Sour Patch Crew.” House music opened the door for a new type of expression in movement. After years of chasing the best house music experiences within and outside the United States, attending events as a dancer was no longer enough. By 2010 Tomahawk Bang was working on the turntables, conceiving a sound all his own.
https://soundcloud.com/atjazz/sets/tomahawk-bang-the-sacrifice
Although his heart lies with DJing, Tomahawk Bang values music production as a vital parallel to his DJ career. As a DJ, Tomahawk Bang delves deep into the grimy cellars of underground Detroit Techno, Deep House, and Dub Tech, integrating world sounds, indigenous instruments, vintage audio samples, and all that is sonically intricate. A DJ set by Tomahawk Bang is a voyage to far off places, a one-way ticket to all the “strange” that the universe has to offer. As a producer, Tomahawk Bang gravitates towards complex instrumentals and experimental soundscapes. With over fifteen years of experience as a dancer, he creates music with the goal of movement in mind. Each song embodies a narrative, tracing his bloodlines back to the sacred days of the natural world. His music is the intersect point between our digital future, and his ancestral past.
In 2014, Tomahawk Bang released his first single “Spirit in the Water” to the bay area’s Catch the Ghost records. Closely behind were two more single releases with CTG: “Dark Emergence” and “False Pretenses,” records that exemplified Tomahawk’s momentum and growth as an electronic artist. His first EP “Spirit in the Mountain” released to Paris electronic music label BeatXChangers on May 4, 2015 and caught a wave of attention from the house music community. Amidst his accomplishments and personal aspirations in music are his plans to wholly represent the Native American community, using the “Himdag” he has cultivated to inspire the next generation of indigenous peoples to follow their passions, and express their creative talents on a larger scale.
You can now purchase Tomahawk Bang’s debut ARCo. release, The Sacrifice on iTunes.
