Joe Rainey :: Transmissions

Joe Rainey :: Transmissions

This week on Transmissions: Joe Rainey. Rainey is a powwow singer of the Red Lake Ojibwe tribe. He’s known for collaborations with Bon Iver, Chance the Rapper and Alan Sparhawk of Low, and in May he released his debut solo album, Niineta on Justin Vernon’s 37d03d label. Created in conjunction with producer Andrew Broder, it pairs his vocals with samples culled from his vast collection of powwow tapes, thundering percussion, and dense, thickly layered soundscapes that evoke the overwhelming haze of modern electronic music. 

Transmissions :: Joe Rainey

With its double-meaning titles like “No Chants” and “Easy on the Cide” nodding toward Rainey’s understated sense of humor, Niineta takes on a collage-like quality that bends time. He joined us to discuss his days traveling the powwow circuit, how the collaboration with Broder came to be, and his teenaged interest in rap. 

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Transmissions is written, produced, and hosted by Jason P. Woodbury. Our audio is edited by Andrew Horton. Our show is executive produced by Justin Gage. We’re part of the Talkhouse Podcast Network. We’ll be back next week with an all new episode with Sam Cohen.

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