Carlos Zuñiga, AKA PRØGRAMM⁶¹², is a DJ and event producer based in Minneapolis. His events, Program and Club Nowhere, keep the spirit of 90’s raves alive. Dark and tucked away in hidden corners of Minneapolis, they’ve become known for their freeing atmosphere and diverse lineups. As a DJ himself, PRØGRAMM⁶¹² dives deep into the psychedelic nature of techno and house.

We chatted with PRØGRAMM⁶¹² about his background and intentions for the mix. Read a transcript of the interview, edited for length and clarity, below:

I've always been drawn to dancing and whatnot, just expression through movement. Towards the end of the pandemic, I wanted to start reaching out and seeing if there was scene within Minneapolis. I got involved going to different events and  fell in love with the spaces and the music that was being played. Now I'm throwing events and also I'm a DJ.

How would you describe the Minneapolis scene for somebody that's not from here?

I's multifaceted. We’re in the electronic side of things, but there's all sorts of different scenes here. Compared to other cities, people don't really walk around with a chip on their shoulders. People are pretty humble here.

I run two party series. Program, which focuses on more techno music, and Club Nowhere, which is a more house music focused series. 

What have been the most gratifying parts of throwing your events?

Building a reputation and being taken seriously on a different kind of level. It's really nice, you know?

Today we're gonna start off a little ambient, and then gonna go into some techno and some house. See what happens.

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.

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


Julian Green

The Minneapolis DJ and event organizer highlights the cutting edge of electronic music.


Trippy techno and house from a Minneapolis stalwart.

PRØGRAMM⁶¹² (9/18/24)

Man with goatee and glasses smiles in polaroid

Minimal House, Dub Techno, and more from PRØGRAMM⁶¹² | Carbon Sound

musclecars, the NYC-based DJ/producer duo comprised of Brandon Weems and Craig Handfield, has been having a busy year. They released their debut album, 

The duo met each other as teenagers, sharing a love for sneakers and and dance music. In 2018, they launched Coloring Lessons, a party series in New York City intended to bring nightlife back to its golden era while highlighting musical contributions of their black and brown ancestors.

I first learned about them by accident, catching their closing set for 2023’s Dweller Festival at Bossa Nova Civic Club in Brooklyn. Dancing through the daze of surviving the weekend in the foggy, sweaty room, I was struck by their skill and clear reverence for the power of house music. Their full-length debut, 

 feels organic and rich, imbued with soul and driving energy.

In between a recent run of shows, we chatted over Zoom about their new album and their practice as DJs.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

It's been good. We've been away for about a month now, which we've done before. We went to Lisbon, Portugal for the first time. That was really nice. We played in Liverpool, our first gig outside of London in the UK, which was super nice as well.

You guys have been at it for a while. How's the journey been going from local, to national, and now international?

It's definitely been very fruitful and rewarding trajectory. We started in 2012, 2013, so it's been nice to to see that people are listening to the music and are enjoying coming to our parties. But yeah, it takes time, which is my favorite thing about it. I feel like a lot of the kids today, or not even kids, adults as well, expect this instant gratification thing. You just start DJing and you expect to play these huge clubs and festivals. Or you just start making music and you're waiting for your Grammy. I think that we really enjoy the time that it takes to do the things that we want to do.

How has the New York City scene changed since things have reopened after the pandemic lockdowns?

A lot more people are into the music now. It feels like there are a lot more DJs now as well. I feel like during the pandemic, people were kind of forced to really engage and listen. Pre-pandemic, music came out and someone may listen to it or see it in passing, but they have to go to work, or go to this event, or just have something to do, right? But during the pandemic, people were really forced to dive in.

I feel like the dance music scene in New York is a lot richer now. Since the pandemic, we have a lot more clubs that just focus on underground music, which I feel like is a rare thing in other states in the country.

I feel like so many people took advantage of being able to go out anytime, any place in New York. When that was taken away from us for, like, a year and a half, people really took advantage when it came back. I think that a part of that energy never really left. There are still so many people like coming out to clubs. A whole new generation, too. There are people who turned 21 in that time frame that have never experienced what nightlife is about. So, yeah, I would say that the city and the scene are definitely blooming. 

As DJs, are you focusing on the album or on other tracks for this tour?

We're not doing that so much. To be totally honest, I think that the medium of making music and the DJing medium are so different. We kind of have to separate them for ourselves as artists. Of course we’re playing the tracks in the DJ sets from time at a time, but it's not so much about trying to promote the album in that way… We want the album to live in its own world, rather than trying to mold it into these different spaces.

I think that's fair… Theoretically, in our hypothetical dream world, if you could bring the album to a live experience, how would you want to?

With a band. Ideally us and some of the players and vocalists on the album. In a perfect world, we'd be able to play at the Apollo or Red Rocks. One of those really nice venues that have some kind of historical context for us. I think we'd probably incorporate elements of our different productions as well. It's always exciting to watch live performances that do more than just play the song as it's arranged on the album. 

We saw Andre 3000 at this festival we played at this past weekend and his whole performance was improvised. There were elements of the stuff that you heard on his album, but most of it was just what you see on stage. I think that kind of thing is super special.

You brought up an interesting point earlier. Yes, DJing and producing are much different, but do you feel like one helps the other or do you feel like it's completely separate?

They can, but I do find it to be very separate. There are some producers that I love as producers, but as DJs, they're just okay. And then vice versa, some really amazing DJs where their production work is… Yeah. Maybe not as exciting.

I'm sure at some level, there is maybe a subconscious connection. I think they influence each other in some way, but not so much.

How did you connect with Louie Vega for the remix project? How has the process has been finding different collaborators to work on what's already a collaborative project?

We've been fans of Louie since we were younger. We actually met him through our late mentor, Carlos Sanchez. Louie was doing an in-store at this record shop in New York called Cosmic Arts. Carlos knew Louie from back in the day, so he introduced us and we had a very brief interaction with Louie. He gave us his email or number and connected on Facebook. We would send him stuff every now and again, but we always had in mind that we wanted to do something with him; whether that be a collaborative track together or having him do a remix for us. When we made “Tonight,” we were on the same page that Louie would definitely be the perfect person for the remix. So, we spoke to the label, BBE. Pete from BBE has a long-standing leadership with Louie and has put out a lot of his music as well.

I feel like Louie has been someone that's looking out for us. It doesn't feel like a transactional relationship. He gives us advice, he shouts us out. He wanted us to play on stage with him during his set at a festival we were all at, but we didn't have any connection, so we couldn't make it. But yeah, definitely very happy and grateful to have Louie be a part of the project and to form the relationship that we have with him.

I feel like what you said is definitely an intention that we have. The result isn't always something that we're thinking about. We feel like we have this album that people really like, but we're still considering ourselves as students and still always learning and discovering. I think it's the same thing with the intentions that we have around our party and our community. I think it's about being grateful that people are there to experience this thing that we're so impacted by. But yeah, also intending to put these people on, intending to share knowledge. Sorry for the long-winded response, but I think that's a big part of it. 

I think the other things that come to mind outside of the dance music community, either in New York or as a whole around the globe, is just the sound. It's really important to us to preserve this sound. We'll run into some of our big brothers, like, Louie or Ron, and they all kind of say the same things. They're not going to be around forever and there has to be a younger generation that is preserving the sound that we all play, adding the historical context to it. Letting people know where it comes from. I think that's definitely one of the bigger passions of us.

Yeah, just staying true to us and l doing what feels right to us. I think we're at a moment now where it would be easy to compromise and do certain things for other reasons, right? Like to get the Ibiza residency or something like that. But, yeah, I think it's important to just stay true to who we are and do what feels right.

The NYC-based DJ/producer duo reflect on life since releasing their debut album “Sugar Honey Iced Tea!”


Jeff Higgins

musclecars stay inspired and keep House alive

Awa Mally sat down with Carbon Sound’s host Sanni and talked about her start in photography and community curation, learning to center her creative ideas and needs, and more.


The Message - Awa Mally

Awa Mally Interview: Untold truths about photography, centering her creative ideas, and more

Wizkid - Essence (Official Video) ft. Tems

What Gordon Parks Saw

John Kueppers

Interview: Awa Mally on The Message

Natalia Toledo, AKA TaliaKnight, is a DJ and producer with a history of producing events that celebrate global music here in the Twin Cities. A true music lover, she has hosted 

 on KRSM 98.9 FM for over five years. She is also a digital producer for The Current and has done graphic design work for Carbon Sound.

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

My DJ name is TaliaKnight and I'm from Chile. I make beats sometimes and I've been DJing since for about eight years. I also work in radio. 

I didn't, actually. I kind of fell into it. I was doing beat shows at first, and then people wanted me to DJ. So, I taught myself.

How do you know when you're having a good set?

I know I'm having a good set when I'm not so deeply focused. I loosen up a little bit and have more fun.

What are some of the events you produce in the Twin Cities?

The one that's coming up is Noche Chingona with Queen Duin. It’s centered around Latin American music and celebrating our culture. There's also Take Flight with Chico Chi, which is for global music. Otherwise, I DJ at MIA and sometimes at the airport. It’s really laid back. I get to play whatever I want.

Kind of similar to Take Flight. I have music from South America and a lot of global house music.

The veteran DJ and producer brought her appreciation for global sounds to the studio.


Global sounds from Minneapolis DJ TaliaKnight.

TaliaKnight (9/4/24)

Woman with brown hair smiles wide in Polaroid

Latin House, Afrobeats, and more from TaliaKnight | 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.

Two worlds come together as producer MediumZach and Fanaka Nation share their single “Divine Mama”, a fun and catchy summer jam. MediumZach has been in the scene for many years, first as one half of Big Quarters alongside his brother Brandon Allday, in the early 2000’s. But he has never stopped mixing, producing and engineering, especially after opening his own studio, Woodgrain. His longevity is reflected in the countless artists he’s worked with over the years, including I Self Devine, Lady Midnight, 26! Bats – on top of continuing to release his own music. Fanaka Nation has been establishing himself in the Twin Cities music scene in recent years, fusing hip-hop with African and other world sounds. He has been on Soulja Boy’s US tour and done countless shows around the Twin Cities, which always bring a refreshing new energy to the scene. “Divine Mama” is an ode to a beautiful, magical woman and the perfect end-of-summer song. - Natalia Toledo

Smooth, confident, and full of personality. EuphoriasRoom was a standout from our producer beat battle last year and she's just as talented as a rapper — which is to say, very! - Julian Green

Sir Lucius’ newest track “WHAT THEY WANTED” feels like crip walking on a cloud. The contrast of airy keys floating on top of an absolutely bumping beat is just so infectious. Sir Lucius is showing us why he’s THAT guy in this song – his confidence in his craft is shining through, brighter than ever. I don’t know about you guys, but after I listened to this song, I got exactly “what I wanted” from Sir Lucius. - Nihil Kumaran

West Dayton, Jayso Creative - Don’t Play

Not 1, but 2 Minnesota artists showing off their versatility on a Jersey Club beat? That alone makes me forget all about summer almost being over. This song is a rush of dopamine and feels impossible not to dance to. - John Kueppers

Mati - chicken noodle soup (Official Video)

Dua Saleh - time & time again (feat. Sid Sriram) [Official Music Video]

Tailor Briann - Money, Power, Respect (Freestyle)

Carbon Sound’s Minnesota Music Month Performances

Zora performs at Carbon Sound Presents: Minnesota Music Month showcase (full performance)

REIKI performs at Carbon Sound Presents: Minnesota Music Month showcase (full performance)

{"type":"doc","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"text":"","type":"text"}]}]}

Author

Natalia Toledo

Nikhil Kumaran

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


Best minnesota music from august 2024 graphic

Graphic by Natalia Toledo

Carbon Sound's 1st of the Month

PARCELLES 16

Berhane's Son

Close Friends 4 Now

For The Record

just music

papa mbye - SENEGAMBIA (Official Video)

Sumer - GONE (Official Music Video)

Reassurance

Minnesota Music Releases to check out from August 2024

If you’re unfamiliar with Snow Tha Product, you haven’t been paying attention. The Mexican rapper and singer has been working tirelessly for more than a decade. Snow started releasing mixtapes in 2007, but got her big break in 2011 with the song “Holy Shit””. She has been touring and releasing music non-stop ever since.

Some of the many highlights of her career include being a part of the soundtrack for 

, contributing to The Hamilton Mixtape for the song “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done), receiving her first nomination for a Latin Grammy Award, and a growing following of her podcast Everydaydays.

Through her inspiring work ethic, Snow has been able to navigate the Spanglish music world while being open about her mental health struggles, her experiences as a Mexican, queer woman and a mother.

Snow Tha Product will return to Minnesota on Saturday, September 7 for a show at The Fillmore. Before she touches down, we chatted about the tour, her podcast Everydaydays, and upcoming music. Read the full interview, edited for length and clarity, below:

What has your experience been like coming to Minnesota in the past?

I love it. You know, some fans call it “Minnesnowta,” and I love that. I’m in a place in my life where I only do things that are actually enjoyable. So, me showing up is because I genuinely like it. I like the fans. I have a great vibe with with everybody. So to me, it's like, of course, I'm gonna keep going where there's love for me there.

You probably built some friendships here, I can imagine.

Yeah, for sure. There's a lot of people that started off as fans and now when I see them at the show or meet and great. I recognize them. I recognize their faces. I've seen them grow up. They've had kids, got married, got divorced, came out, all kinds of different stuff. So it's really just like a lifelong friendship, you know?

I'm a big fan of your podcast, Everydaydays. How has it been creating a multi-channel Snow Tha Product experience?

It started during quarantine. When I wasn't able to tour, I was able to build that, and now that's been growing. I'm not super famous, but I have a lot of little places where if you do enter my world, you're not gonna get bored.

We have the podcast. I still very much want to continue the vlogs. We have the music videos. We have the 24 hour challenges… I like having that connection with my fans and just kind of entering my little world.

Do you feel like it also helps you gain new fans too, through all these different mediums?

Yeah, for sure. There are some people that literally only know me because of my podcast. There's some people that literally only know me because of my music… There's people that that are like, “I'm not that into your music, but like, I like you as a person because I've seen you through the podcast,” and I'm like, “dope.”

Whatever it is, at the end of the day, we're just here to connect with people who who vibe with us. So, I don't take it so personally. If you vibe with me anywhere, then that's dope. 

It’s beautiful that you're able to build genuine connections with your guests on the podcasts.

That's what I made the podcast for, too. I'm very introverted, so I wouldn't really go to networking events. I would get real shy or I'd be scared of red carpets and stuff… I would always overthink it and never go. But with the podcast, I've been able to just connect with different people. It's at my ranch. So they show up, they see the goats, they see the chickens, they see the whole little estate and stuff.

How do you feel the industry has changed for Latinx artists since you’ve started?

I think the the music industry hasn't changed so much. I feel like for a Mexican American, queer, brown-skinned woman, the industry is still a little behind on their support for someone like me. 

Now, if I was lighter skin, or if I was a different nationality… Like, there's this hierarchy within the way that people express themselves… There's still an uphill battle when it comes to people of color and kids of immigrants and all the other communities I represent.

But as far as there being more support for Spanish and all that music, of course, I love to see it. I think it's dope, but I don't want it to leave behind the fact that there is still that big gap when it comes to what the actual support looks like in the industry.

That's sad. They they need to get on board. There's so much talent.

That's what it is. I mean, how many times have you heard somebody be like, “I'm not Mexican,” you know what I mean? Or other typed of Latinos that are like, “ew, I'm not…” you know? There is still that little hump we got to get over, because it does still exist. I don't say it too much, because I don't want to seem like I'm complaining, but I feel like there could be a little bit more support. Now, mind you, I'm independent, so to me, I end up doing my own shit anyway. But, you know, that's just what it is.

I went to Chile for the first time. That was awesome. I literally went for like, less than 24 hours just to shoot the music video. I traveled more than I actually was there, but it was dope. I've been doing a lot of collaborations. Also, I'm doing a lot of just independent releases, 24 hour challenges. Just vibing, just dropping music for my fans, keeping them fed.

I feel like that's the biggest thing for me, making sure that my fans feel like I'm dropping a lot of music for them. There's some big collabs that I haven't announced yet that are also coming. So I'm excited about where everything is.

Snow The Product will perform at The Fillmore in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Sept. 7. 

The Mexican-American artist spoke with Carbon Sound ahead of her show in Minneapolis


Gugu

Snow Tha Product talks identity, new projects, and more

Although she’s a relatively new face in the Twin Cities as a DJ, Sasha Bangz has been moving dancefloors at parties like Samambo, Vogue Down Minneapolis, and more. Her background as a dancer with 

 influenced her decision to begin DJing and her style.

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

Probably my relationship with music that I had through dance.There was definitely a part of me that was like, “what if?” So, it kind of came about because my dance crew always pushed me to do it.

How has it been playing more parties and shows recently?

It's been lit. I think that I'm finally getting to that point where I can feel the vibe of the people as one, if that makes sense.I feel like maybe other DJs understand. When you don't know if the room's in control of you or if you're in control of the room, but it's like synchronicity. That's my favorite part, specifically with the dance parties.

What have been some of your favorite gigs you played so far?

My favorite gigs have got to be the Samambo parties. Those have been so lit. I just feel like everyone's there just to have a good time. It's never any negativity. I mean, obviously it's always some stuff with bars, but in general, I just think everyone's there to dance and have a good time.

Today I want to play a little bit of everything. I identify as a Vogue DJ, so I definitely want to introduce all of our listeners to Vogue. But also I'm a I'm a cancer baby, so I'm always gonna throw some throwbacks in there

Minneapolis newcomer Sasha Bangz stopped by the studio to deliver a genre-bending set.


Sasha Bangz (8/28/24)

Person with bleached eyebrows smiles in polaroid photo

Hip-Hop + Dance + Throwbacks Mix from Sasha Bangz | Carbon Sound

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 August 26, 2024.


Image for New on Carbon Sound Spotify playlist

New on Carbon Sound

Old on Carbon Sound

New Music on Carbon Sound - Week of August 26, 2024

Tailor Briann stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about the importance of being able to connect with people as an artist, staying true to herself, music on the horizon, and a lot more.


The Message - Tailor Briann

Tailor Briann: Interview

Tailor Briann - What's Your Fantasy ft. EssJay TheAfrocentricRatchet (Official Video)

Tailor Brian | 7MinuteDrill2 | UNDER THE MIC SESSIONS

Ludacris - What's Your Fantasy ft. Shawnna

Interview: Tailor Briann on The Message

When he’s not aiding the local scene through Carbon Sound, Julian Green DJs under the alias echo. With five years of experience, he’s DJ’d everywhere from sweaty basements in Como to the main stage at First Avenue. Through the years, he has released many mixes and mashups on 

, building a following on the platform. Recently, he’s been focusing more on live performances.

Due to complications with the schedule, he decided to test out some new tracks he bought earlier in the week with a mix in the studio to fill the empty space. We chatted with echo about his background and intentions for the mix. Read a transcript of the interview, edited for length and clarity, below:

Well, I took a trip downstairs and this DJ controller looked mighty interesting, so I figured I'd give it a go.

My first memories with DJing were way back in 2011, 2012. A family member had the DJay app on their iPad. They had me mess around with it, and I remember I got one transition right. I was like, “Oh, this is cool.”

I had the Traktor app on my phone when I was, like, a freshman in high school. You could set cue points and do little remixes — slow stuff down, speed it up. I thought that was cool. 

My first actual start was back in 2018. I would go around with a DJ that used to be around here. He would  bring me out to some of his shows. One day, he just showed me the ropes. So, in late 2018 I got my first DJ controller and started doing house shows with a couple people here. And yeah, I guess that's how I got my start.

What’s the most gratifying experience you've had DJing?

That's a really good question. I have to go back to the 2021 Pierre Bourne show. I got asked to open for that a couple days before it happened. This was 2021, too, so right when concerts were starting to really be a thing again. It felt good because I was a big fan of the music and I felt like I could serve the audience well. Also, it was the first time you could hear a song like “Stop Breathing” or so many other songs that came out in 2020 on a big sound system. It was definitely the biggest crowd I played to at that point as well. People still come up to me about that show

How do you describe the Twin Cities DJ scene to someone who's not from here?

It’s like one of those pictures that gets more detailed the more you look at it. Surface level, you might just see one thing, but if you look closer, you see another thing and another thing… Almost like a fractal to a certain extent. 

Yes, surface level you do have promoters bringing like these big Instagram-y, Tik-Tok-y DJs to town. When you look deeper into more of the underground stuff, though, there's a wide array of different kinds of events. Different types of DJs, that I believe are pushing the boundary and that have a chip on their shoulder in a good way to put Minneapolis on the map.

I think we're in a very good spot right now in terms of people doing their own events with things like Samambo, Unbothered, Decadance, et cetera. I’m just really happy to be part of this new generation and hopefully bring up the kids that are looking up to us now.

What are you going to be playing for us today?

I just bought a lot of new music. A lot of this is really inspired by sound system culture and things I've experienced, specifically 

. Just realizing that you don't have to go fast to go hard and really leaning into psychedelia within techno, which I feel like is so simple that it really lends itself to that. So, I'm just gonna be doing a lot of new stuff. I haven't really even practiced with these songs before, so I might mess up, I might not. No sync button, no key matching, just vibes.

Carbon Sound's Content Director Julian Green AKA echo went down to the studio to record an improvised mix full of new finds.


A freestyle mix full of brand new finds from Carbon Sound's Content Director.

Stories

PRØGRAMM⁶¹² (9/18/24)

musclecars stay inspired and keep House alive

Interview: Awa Mally on The Message

Get the Carbon Sound app

TaliaKnight (9/4/24)

Minnesota Music Releases to check out from August 2024

Snow Tha Product talks identity, new projects, and more

Sasha Bangz (8/28/24)

Connect with Carbon Sound

New Music on Carbon Sound - Week of August 26, 2024

Interview: Tailor Briann on The Message

echo (8/21/24)

See more stories →