Julian Green built and manages the music library for Carbon Sound and oversees content creation.  


Julian Green

The joyous, celebratory show was a testament to the icon’s legendary status.


Steven Cohen for MPR

Review: Stevie Wonder in Minneapolis

Review: Stevie Wonder spreads love and calls for peace in Minneapolis

“Them niggas who get the wrong impression of expression

Then the question is, "Big Boi what's up with Andre?

Is he in a cult? Is he on drugs? Is he gay?

When y'all gon' break up? When y'all gon' wake up?"

- OutKast’s “Return of the ‘G’” (1998)

When you’ve done just about everything, what more is there to do? André 3000 has won six Grammys, sold 20 million records, and has been famous longer than I’ve been alive. In one of the most notable left turns in music history, he decided to continue his legacy by playing the flute. 

, an album of ambient, abstract soundscapes that showcase his fascination with the flute and all its variations. It’s a stunning work; simultaneously  dreamlike, confrontational, and meditative. The album was critically lauded, receiving an 8.3 review score from Pitchfork and landing on numerous end-of-year best-of lists. Now, André 3000 is bringing his new ethos to live audiences. However, he is not playing songs from the album. He’s not really even playing songs. He’s just playing.

On Saturday night in Minneapolis, André brought the experience to the Fillmore. Originally booked for the Northrop Auditorium on the University of Minnesota campus, the show’s venue change was unexplained and last-minute. The floor of the Fillmore was filled with foldable chairs instead of the usual standing room only. 

The night began with opener serpentwithfeet. Fresh off of releasing his album 

 earlier this year, he set the tone for the night’s experimentation. Donning a bomber jacket gown that gave him two extra arms, he sang beautifully and even read a passage of Toni Morrison’s 

A mature crowd filled the seats of the venue. Preshow conversations overheard around me considered the direction Andre 3000 would take. A group in front of me – who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the Fillmore’s signature strawberry lemonade margarita shaker – wished out loud for a flute cover of “Int’l Players Anthem.”

If you’ve had a pulse for the last century, you have undoubtedly felt André 3000’s effect on music and pop culture. This is the man who made us all shake it like a Polaroid picture. He let all of us know that the South has something to say. A progenitor to rap’s current class of eccentrics like Young Thug and Playboi Carti, André 3000’s work as an artist has made it easier for all of us to be ourselves. 

With that being said, his current direction isn’t so much of a left turn as it is logical progression. A sense of play and whimsy has permeated all of his work — 

he made a show for Cartoon Network, after all.

 Letting his artistic spirit guide him, he invited all of us to go along with him on the journey. He understands that many will be disappointed with the new direction, but marches on nevertheless.

But that’s about it. Saturday night’s show wasn’t a show that was meant to be enjoyed, much less understood. Take for example this highlight of the night: In the middle of performing, André began a spirited monologue. The language he spoke was unclear, but he spoke with so much fervor that the audience gleaned that there must be a profound revelation being shared. Directly after finishing his diatribe, he revealed that it was all gibberish and jokes that we probably thought were deep. It was pretty funny, but I can’t help but wonder if this sentiment is the guiding principle of his latest work: Just playing around with the audience and what we expect from him, seeing how far we are willing to follow along.

From what I saw on Saturday night, many people are willing to go on that journey. People scatteredly clapped and exalted during the show. Some people fell asleep. A few people looked kind of pissed.

tour is meant to be experienced and seen. Instead of playing tracks from the album, André and his band improvised an extended jam. There were movements and swells, wistful oases to catch a breath, charming dialogues with the audience. But there were no songs. There was only a bath of sound. Pounding pulses from the drum kits; huffs, howls, and breaths from André; swirling arpeggios and drones from the keys. The crisp, powerful sound in the venue added to the experience, as did creative choices of lighting.

Saturday’s show. Mostly because I don’t believe that this is a work meant to be enjoyed. This was a work meant to be experienced. At times I really did feel it — the drones and pulses paired with André’s abstract playing sounded directly from a sci-fi movie soundtrack. Other moments, I began to feel the length of the show, wished there was some sort of structure to the evening, and considered the merit of paying to watch a bunch of men play with themselves. This was a creative statement from a man hellbent on shirking audience expectations throughout his storied career. I appreciate it for that reason, but your mileage may vary.

The fully improvised, all-instrumental set from André 3000 and his band gave the audience an intentional experience of highs and lows.


courtesy The Oriel Company

Review: André 3000 and band play with themselves

Each week, we add new music, older tracks, which are known as “Gold adds”, and tracks that might not fit our general format, but still deserve a place in rotation because they serve our mission of showing the depth, breadth, and influence of Black musical expression - These are known as “Variety adds.”

. If you make music and want it considered for rotation, 

 If you want to give feedback directly, reach out to me at jgreen@mpr.org.

Tune in to hear our host Sanni B. live on The Message from 10 AM to 1 PM Monday through Thursday!

Keep all these tracks in one place with the 

 Spotify playlist. This playlist is updated weekly with all the new adds. When that playlist is cycled with new tracks, the tracks live forever on the 

 playlist. That playlist contains all of the music that we've added since the week of July 11, 2022 in chronological order of when it was added. All of the tracks available on Spotify, at least.

All of the tracks added to rotation on Carbon Sound the week of Oct. 21, 2024.


Image for New on Carbon Sound Spotify playlist

Natalia Toledo

New on Carbon Sound

Old on Carbon Sound

New Music on Carbon Sound - Week of October 21, 2024

Real Girl is a DJ based in Minneapolis. She’s a resident for Jumpsuit, a monthly party at Black Hart of Saint Paul and a member of the PIVOT collective. As a DJ and event curator, she centers the experience of the queer and trans community to ensure safe, inclusive dancefloors.

We chatted with Real Girl about her background and intentions for the mix. Read a transcript of the interview, edited for length and clarity, below:

I got my start DJing in college. I really liked going to dance parties, and all of the DJs and people throwing them started graduating. So, me and all my friends who like to party taught ourselves how to DJ so that we could keep the keep the party going.

How has being a DJ changed your relationship to music?

It's definitely made me have a broader appreciation for it. As a casual like dance floor enjoyer, you understand the music through a certain lens. As somebody that plays it for a living, I have much more of an understanding of the roots of it all — the different genres and from different cities and different labels. You definitely end up having a better understanding of what all goes into making dance music. It's not just getting wasted and going partying. There are people that are really pushing the envelope of what came before them.

What have been some of your most gratifying moments as a DJ?

I think some really gratifying moments have just been when I can tell that I'm really connecting with the dancers, because, as I said, like I started partying as a dancer. Being able to curate a sound that resonates with somebody that just wants to go and move their body and connect with those around them has been so beautiful. 

What are we going to hear from you today?

We're going to hear a lot of UK garage. I think it's going to be a lot of like wubs and a lot of dubby stuff. I just really like UK garage. I find it to be a dance floor unifier in a lot of ways. All the techno heads can definitely get down to it, and then all the people that maybe need a lyric or some kind of melody to latch on to also really like it. It sort of meets everybody in the middle.

Carving out spaces where marginalized individuals can feel comfortable, safe, and let their guard down. I know a lot of us move through the world with a lot of like guards up and a lot of looking out for the next harm, I guess. As a trans DJ, I want to be able to make a space safe for people to come and completely be themselves; To have a good time and not feel like they're being watched when they're on the dance floor or anything like that. No judgment. All fun, all love.

Stay tuned for new mixes on Carbon Sound every other Wednesday. If you’re a DJ and want to be considered for the series, email a mix of yours to jgreen@mpr.org.

Energetic UK Garage and dubstep (the real kind!) from a rising Minneapolis DJ. Now including full track IDs.


UK Garage and Dubstep from Minneapolis DJ Real Girl.

Real Girl (10/16/24)

Woman with curly hair smiles brightly in polaroid

UK Garage from Real Girl | Carbon Sound

Carbon Sound talked with André Cymone about the life and legacy his late mother, Bernadette Anderson, known to many as “Queen Bernie” and “The Mother of the Minneapolis Sound.”


Andre Cymone Interview

John Kueppers

Interview: André Cymone on the life and legacy of his mother, the Minneapolis Sound, and more

Neda Kellogg sat down with Carbon Sound’s host Sanni and talked all things Project DIVA International: an organization that has been helping Black girls on their path towards self-discovery for 17 years now.


Neda Kellogg sat down with Carbon Sound’s host Sanni and talked all things Project DIVA International: an organization that has been helping Black girls on their path towards self-discovery for 17 years now.

The Message - Neda Kellogg

Neda Kellogg poses for her polaroid photo

Neda Kellogg and Sanni Brown posing for a photo 

Project DIVA International Fuels Confidence & Success with Young Black Women & Girls

Project DIVA International gives girls support for their dreams

I'm Done Chasing (Spoken Word) by S'sence Adams (RIH)

Voices for Change: Twin Cities-based Project Diva International expands its reach

Interview: Neda Kellogg on The Message

Gerardo Morado, AKA El Niño Indigo, is a DJ and event producer based in Minneapolis. He is the founder of 

, a brand and party series that brings diverse national talent to the Twin Cities.  

We chatted with El Niño Indigo about his background and intentions for the mix. Read a transcript of the interview, edited for length and clarity, below:

My name is Gerardo Morado. I go by El Niño Indigo.

I started listening to electronic music when I was 17, and then I got to go to a rave in Reynosa, Mexico, and that just kind of sealed the deal for me.

How did you get started doing your own events?

I got my first experience in curating and hosting events in 2011. I had already been DJing for four years, and then hosting an event kind of fell into my lap. I’ve just been doing it ever since.

What have been some of your favorites so far?

Some of the favorite ones that I've hosted here in Minneapolis have been the first time I brought CCL or when I brought Kush Jones. It's kind of hard to pick because I feel like there's been multiple favorite events that I've had.

ACME Collective is a brand, label, and party series. I originally started doing it in Mexico in 2013. It was same concept of bringing together different cultures with visual art and electronic music. I did that in Mexico for like, two years, and then rebranded when I came up to Minneapolis in 2018 

I wanted it to be a gateway into visual art and dance music. Give people an opportunity to discover something that they might have not stumbled across if it wasn't a multi-faceted event.

I have some ambient, breaky left field rhythms. That's about it.

The Minneapolis DJ and event organizer blends left-field electronica with Latin influences.


El Niño Indigo blends left-field electronica with Latin influences.

El Niño Indigo (10/2/24)

Electro, Breaks, and more from El Niño Indigo | Carbon Sound

Every 1st of the month, we’re creating a roundup of our favorite tracks, projects, and music videos that were released by Minnesota artists from that previous month. 

Keep our favorite tracks in one place with “Carbon Sound’s 1st of the Month” Spotify playlist. Expect an updated 1st of the Month Playlist on……every 1st of the Month.  Mark your calendars accordingly.

Northside Minneapolis hip-hop artist KelsTheGawd shakes our brains with “Motion Man” – his latest single that came out in early September. Kels’ melodic cadence is hypnotizing and the buttery instrumental on this track smoothly bounces around his vocals – it’s fun, it’s easy to listen to, it’s just so dope. - Nikhil Kumaran

Obi Original, The Black Atlantics - Egwu Amala

Obi Original’s newest track “Egwu Amala” drives home a fundamental idea within his artistry: culture is the center of one’s identity. Whether through the bassline at the very beginning of the song, the beautiful arpeggiated guitar riffs throughout, or the percussive elements that quite literally tickle your ear, Obi pays homage to Nigerian greats like Osita Osadebe all while creating his own path within Igbo highlife music. - John Kueppers

"Do You Know )" doesn't waste any time. You're floating effortlessly, surrounded by wispy colors right after pressing play. RIYL: yearning, dreamy vocals, the ether. - Julian Green

Minneapolis rapper and member of the collective Basement Gang $aiku recently released his latest track “Sailboat (we Groovin)”, which comes after his most recent release “Southside in 95” last month. Backed by a mellow beat reminiscent of the 90’s (produced by Quasi Uno), “Sailboat” takes you on a journey through his city, through deep self-reflection and highlights $aiku’s powerful storytelling. - Natalia Toledo 

Craishon - I Thought There’d Be More…

Bruised - KayCyy & Sign Crushes Motorist (Visualizer)

L.A. Buckner & BiG HOMiE’s "Fireflies" Performance Video

L.A. Buckner & BiG HOMiE- "Fireflies" Performance Video

L¡ya - Healthy | 610 In The Loop Performance 🎙️

Cashinova’s song “Flawless” in Wingstop Commercial

Cashinova's song "Flawless" in Wingstop commercial

M.anifest, award-winning Ghanaian rapper and musician with MN ties, featured in new Ezra Collective song

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Author

Nikhil Kumaran

Highlighting Carbon Sound’s Favorite Minnesota made tracks, projects, and music videos released over the month of September, 2024.


Best minnesota music from september 2024 graphic

Carbon Sound's 1st of the Month

Ebony Remembrance

I Thought There'd Be More...

Zodiak  - Tolerance (dir. by @heartmarko)

Motion Man

Deja Miquel - Sneaky (Official Video)

Jesirae - Rise (Official Music Video)

Juice Lord- #traponamic |Playlist:(1)"Diamonds in the Rough",(2)"Change Clothes",(3)"Towns Favorite"

Lewiee Blaze - #traponamic | Songs (mini set)"Growing Pains" (1) "The Great Flood"(2)"Sacrifices"(3)

Wingstop Flawless Commercial 2024 (USA)

Streets is Calling (feat. M.anifest & Moonchild Sanelly) - Single Edit

Minnesota Music Releases to check out from September 2024

Timothy Wilson stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about the origins of Urban Lights, the importance of physical media, the music industry in Minnesota and beyond over the years, and a whole lot more.


Stories

Review: Stevie Wonder spreads love and calls for peace in Minneapolis

Review: André 3000 and band play with themselves

New Music on Carbon Sound - Week of October 21, 2024

Get the Carbon Sound app

Real Girl (10/16/24)

Interview: André Cymone on the life and legacy of his mother, the Minneapolis Sound, and more

Interview: Neda Kellogg on The Message

El Niño Indigo (10/2/24)

Connect with Carbon Sound

Minnesota Music Releases to check out from September 2024

Interview: Timothy Wilson on The Message

New Music on Carbon Sound - Weeks of September 9 and 23, 2024

See more stories →