Alok Hosts Event with Rooftop Performance at GRAMMY Museum

Last night Indigenous musicians from across Brazil traveled to Los Angeles to perform with Brazilian superstar and philanthropist Alok at the GRAMMY Museum’s Ray Charles Terrace as part of the Global Spin Live series. The special edition of Global Spin Live celebrated the upcoming album release of The Future Is Ancestral,  produced in partnership with indigenous communities across Brazil, and Alok.

This unique musical performance and creative discussion took place on the rooftop of the prestigious GRAMMY Museum, and combined the ancestral music and knowledge of the indigenous communities, with the electronic pop beats of the acclaimed producer Alok, for an unique multi-sensory experience of music, inspiration, art and culture.

The Future is Ancestral had already received tremendous support and acclaim from international organizations including Global Citizen, the United Nations, and UNESCO. In 2023, as part of a collaboration between the Alok Institute and UN Global Compact with support from Greenpeace, Indigenous artists and Alok showcased parts of The Future is Ancestral, with a performance on the roof of the United Nations headquarters in New York City during Global Climate Week.

The GRAMMY Museum event marked the project’s debut in Los Angeles. Opening the event to a packed house of over 300 guests, the night’s host and moderator Dawn Miller shared details of the vibrant program to come, before introducing special guest Moran Sol Broza of BeTogether, who provided a few inspirational words to unite the audience behind the message of The Future is Ancestral. Afterwards, a video took the audience to the heart of Brazil to the recording sessions of the album, connecting them more deeply into the creative journey. This was followed by an inspiring panel discussion between the partners in The Future is Ancestral: Célia Xacriabá, anthropologist and Federal Deputy of Minas Gerais, Mapu Huni Kuî, spiritual leader and musician, and Alok, global DJ, producer and humanitarian. This discussion was moderated by Dawn Miller, culture and media expert.  

The Future is Ancestral project first started in 2021 when Alok felt a calling to have a deeper connection to the world and nature around him and he embarked on a collaboration with the indigenous community.  Alok went through a transformative time, discovering the wisdom of their way of life and the harmony they bring to the earth, and he knew he wanted to partner with them to bring their knowledge and wisdom to the world. From here, The Future is Ancestral was born, as an alliance between Alok and indigenous artists from Huni Kuin, Yawanawa, Guarani Mbyá, Guarani-Kaiowá, Guarani Nhandeva, Xakriabá, Kaingang and Kariri Xocó ethnicities, to create musical and inspirational projects for the benefit of humankind. 

The project evolved into a musical journey and cultural collaboration that took place in a studio over the course of six weeks, with the indigenous and Alok producing an album that blends pop and ancestral music, and examines the relationship between music and indigeneity, and how music can be a healing vehicle that preserves language, history and further explores the relationship between mankind and the natural world. 

Through The Future is Ancestral, the indigenous peoples and Alok have set out on a global humanitarian mission to inspire and create awareness on the importance of the indigenous knowledge to protect the biodiversity of the earth. Despite being less than 5% of the global population, indigenous communities worldwide are responsible for safeguarding more than 80% of the planet’s biodiversity. Indigenous knowledge has been identified as an important cornerstone in creating a sustainable future for our planet, and “The Future is Ancestral” was created to encapsulate and share this important message. 

Profits from the album will go  to the Indigenous artists who co-created the project. This is an open invitation to be a part of helping co-create a more cultural and sustainable world around us. If you would like to get involved in the movement of The Future is Ancestral and learn more about the album, head to the project website.