We're proud to announce Tim Wilson as our first resident DJ curator! Tim Wilson is the owner and proprietor of Urban Lights, one of the few remaining Black-owned record stores in the US. 

Wilson has been a longtime pillar of hip-hop in Minneapolis through his work at the store, artist management, and hosting Faders Up - a weekly session for hip-hop DJs and turntablists.

Tim selected the four DJs that will be featured in Urban Lights' residency. Urban Lights' mixes will air every second Wednesday for through May.

Behind the decks is Tony Williamson aka DJ Layz T, who hails from the north side of Minneapolis and began DJing in 1978. He began spinning records in the park and quickly elevated to the radio and club scene. We chatted with DJ Layz T about his background and intentions for the mix.

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

It's hard to say. I came across it by radio. There used to be a radio station, KBEM, way back in the day. 

 had a mix show from 10 to 12 [PM]. We got hooked on to that. Then it was just like, “okay, how can I do that?” So, we started mimicking it from there. 

It really hasn’t. Of course, my forte is hip-hop, but there’s also R&B. I've done a bar mitzvah, quinceañera, all the hood parties, house parties, neighborhood clubs, corporate. So, you know, you gotta be versatile. Play the pop music, country and all that. I can go wherever, if I need to.

How did you get involved with Tim and Urban Lights?

It's kind of funny. It's a house party. He's friends with a guy named Troy Foster who's a south sider. We used to be running buddies. Long story short, we went to a south side house party and ran into Tim. Back then it was north side versus south side, but we just hit it off from there. Tim was doing a record pool, then he got his own shop over there. So that’s where we're at. He's been at that record shop, what, 30 years? We been together that long.

I set up something, but it'll probably change. Normally everything's real speedy. I came across an idea where I slowed everything down. So, it's a different tempo. Same vibe, just different tempo. Because if you know the songs, you'll be like, “oh, it ain't that slow.” So we'll change it up.

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

Hip-hop throwbacks from an Urban Lights Faders Up mainstay.


DJ Lazy T (3/12/25)

Hip-Hop & EDM Turntablism and Mashups from Mickey Breeze | Carbon Sound x Urban Lights

Urban Lights Presents: DJ Layz T (3/12/25)

Ori The Ghost is a DJ and producer based in Minneapolis. A fixture of the underground electronic scene in the city, she is affiliated with local collectives PIVOT and Acme. Ori’s high-octane style is filled with left turns and kinetic, hand-sculpted grooves.

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

Not a great place, actually. I’ve always considered myself as someone who's usually on the outskirts of things. So much so that I felt like a ghost in a lot of spaces I was part of. I didn't feel like I was connected with a lot of people. These days, it's a lot different. But the origins of me also being an online person, playing a lot of video games, and having a lot of internet relationships made me feel almost like a transparent entity rather than a regular DJ. I also make stuff and produce things, so I felt like putting the word DJ in my name never made sense.

Has being a DJ helped you become more connected with people?

100% If it wasn't for DJing, I don't know where I would be creatively right now. I wouldn't have so many outlets in which to express my creativity, especially in the city. Without DJing, all these opportunities would just be left in my bedroom. DJing has brought the opportunity to let me share ideas that I have and a lot of the music that I love and have been collecting for a while. It’s been a wonderfully net positive.

The universe. I'm not a super spiritual kind of person, but I do believe in signs. I resisted the idea of being a DJ for a while because I just never made sense for what I was making at the time. Then I got an opportunity from the a local DJ here who gave me the idea to start, but I said no. DJing still wasn’t on my mind. They eventually asked again and I was ready at that point, but they had a big year and got busy, so my opportunity passed. 

Eventually, I got a presented with the opportunity again by someone separate, Gerardo Morado. He's the head of the Acme Collective. He like, was like, “yo, I see you on the floor. I see you have a sense of rhythm, do you want to learn how to DJ?”  I think at that point the universe was slapping me in the face. All signs point to doing this I was very blessed with the opportunity to have my hands on actual CDJs and XDJs. I feel like a lot of my growth came out of being given these opportunities.

What have been some of the most gratifying moments for you as a DJ?

People's responses. I get really scared, specifically when it comes to playing stranger rhythms,  more abrasive sounds that I'll probably sprinkle in between some of the hardgroove that I really wanted to play today, because I'm scared of people's reactions to them. 

Being from Iowa, a lot of people don’t even want to listen to regular dance music, let alone the more abrasive sounds. So, I felt very timid about sharing that with people, especially at shows. When I did, there were people who identified with wanting to hear these sounds and wanting to experience the dance floor with music that they listen to. I felt super gratified in the sense that what I'm doing is doing something for at least a few people, that's enough for me.

I have a mixture of a few sounds. Hardgroove and a more a fast-paced 140 [BPM] feels right for this space and the legacy of what I hear on Carbon Sound, but also honoring the sounds that I really love and enjoy. I think hardgroove is a really good conduit for that… There will be a lot of different ideas in there that all have high-octane, metallic energy to them that I like to bring to most of my music and sets.

Mark Broom - W.W.W.W.W.W.W.WORK (Original Mix)

INTIMATE CLUB RECORDS - Submarine FM - Cute Boys

Ori The Ghost - When Did It Get SAUR Hard (i think about it all the time edit)

Constantine -  I Want To Be Down Vs Boy Is Mine

Mark Broom -  Paid In Full (Mark Broom Edit)

Groovy techno and daring club from a Minneapolis underground mainstay.


Groovy techno from a Minneapolis underground mainstay.

Ori The Ghost (3/5/25)

Person holds two peace signs and smiles brightly in Polaroid photo

Hardgroove and Club from Ori The Ghost | 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.

 performance, k3ko is once again showing off her unlimited creativity and potential with “moonlight.” The way her soul-stirring vocals are layered throughout this song creates an otherworldly experience — I’m almost positive my feet don’t touch the ground when I listen to it. And according to her Instagram, she has a tape loading…I’ll be floating away to this in the meantime. - John Kueppers

Nigerian singer-songwriter and guitarist Carolyne Naomi already had an established music career before ever moving to the Twin Cities. While growing her AfroR&B sound here, Naomi's latest track “Promise” features artist Tolu and is a beautiful, soft and upbeat love song released this past Valentine’s Day. - Natalia Toledo

Valentine's Day may have passed, but one listen of "say i do." will get you back in the spirit. The sparse production — no drums, just guitar, bass, and keys makes space for CJ.LIENO's excellent vocals. It's a tender, dreamy track filled with promises, wishes, and real feeling. Be careful who you send this track to. Make sure you really mean it. - Julian Green

Juice James - Paid (Official Music Video)

33Maxx - SOSA INTERLUDE (feat. KayCyy) Official Video

Tailor Briann - No Rush ft. Ace Pitty (Official Music Video)

JPRO "Remy Ferbas" On The Radar Live Performance

ZR "Boy Meets World" - Drown The Mic Performance

Mac Turner’s “In This Room” Studio Performance

Mac Turner - In This Room (Studio Performance)

LAZER DIM 700’s music video filmed in Minneapolis by Minnesota Videographer Hayden Pierce

LAZER DIM 700’s music video filmed in Minneapolis by Minnesota Videographer 

LAZER DIM 700 - brokin bonez (Official Music Video)

Maya Marchelle - No Magic (NPR Tiny Desk Submission 2025)

GR3G - The Bottle/Freedom (NPR Tiny Desk Submission 2025)

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Author

John Kueppers

Natalia Toledo

Highlighting Carbon Sound’s Favorite Minnesota made tracks, projects, and music videos released over the month of February, 2025.


Carbon Sound's Best Minnesota Music from February 2025 graphic

Natalia Toledo | MPR

Carbon Sound's 1st of the Month

GODNA

JUSTTV

Neek GetPaidd - GSR as My Cologne (Official Music Video)

FPA - Summer

My Slatt

XINA 2025 tiny desk sumbission

"Bet" Tiny Desk Submission

Minnesota Music Releases to check out from February 2025

Rimarkable, an NYC-based, Detroit native DJ, producer, and New York University adjunct professor, came to town for February’s edition of House Proud, a monthly event at Beast Barbecue. With decades of experience and deep crates to select from, Rimarkable laid down a set of uplifting house that is sure to stave off the February blues.

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

How did house music get introduced to your life?

I grew up during its infancy. As it was developing, I was developing, and we just grew up together

House music is a place of salvation and safety. I like to think a lot of the fundamentals of house music derived from the church and the people that influence house music and created house music were people that weren't typically supported in those spaces. House music developed a culture where people that were considered outcasts could be safe and feel saved by the spirit of the music, the vibration of the music.

I was always naturally a DJ, I just didn't know it. I used to make what old school DJs call “pause mix tapes” from the radio. Basically, you wait for your favorite song to come on, and you hit record from the radio, and then you pause it in a certain spot so it'll blend into the next one. I was just doing that instinctively, and I had a massive collection of these pause tapes for my own enjoyment. I had some friends that caught wind of it, and I got known for my tapes. The summer between my freshman and sophomore year of college, I didn't want to go back home. So, I found an ad in my school paper for a company hiring DJs. I bullshitted my way through the interview and became a DJ and was taught how to do everything from the ground up.

The most gratifying moments are when people let me know how they've been moved or blessed by the work that I'm doing. I don't want to be in a place where I'm thinking, “oh, I've achieved this, I played at this festival.” I'm actually leaving behind those ideas, that ideology about where we're supposed to be in our career, you know? I'm circling back to the elements of the culture, which is this. Making this music, this connective tissue, and impacting people's lives. 

People are sick. The world is crazy. When people reach out to me and tell me how I saved them, or they were going through a tough time, or they're really inspired by my work, that’s the highlight. That's everything that lets me know I'm doing the right thing and I'm staying on the right path.

Today, I'm gonna give you a one hour set of a journey through house music. I might play some unreleased tracks, if that's cool. I am just gonna give you a taste of something… remarkable.

Art Of Tones - I Just (Can't Get Over It) (Terrence Parker Remix)

Colau - Thats New (Saison Extended Remix)

Guri Guri Boys & Aaron K Gray  - Fiyah (Original Mix)

Rimarkable - Think Of Me With Summers Light (Stefan Braatz - Touch From A Distance Mix)

Henrik Schwarz - Synthphonica Urano Beatz (Original Mix)

Gershon Jackson  - Take It Easy (Mike Dunn Blackball Ezee Mixx)

Dennis Ferrer - Sinfonia Della Notte (Original Mix)

Tobirus Mozelle & The SyntheTigers - F.U.N. (Feel U Now)

Soulfreakah - A cure for heartache. (Original Mix)

Kai Alcé - Power Thru Pt 3 (Mush's Sax Dub)

Rimarkable - Speak Lord (In the Big Room Mix)

Uplifitng house from a seasoned veteran.


Rimarkable (2/26/25)

Person in yellow sweater posing in Carbon Sound's studio

House from Rimarkable | Carbon Sound

Inayah from SoulFlower stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound's host Sanni about how SoulFlower came together, the band's busy February, and more.


The Message - SoulFlower

Passion SoulFlower

John Kueppers | MPR

Interview: Inayah from SoulFlower

Chicago Ghetto House legend DJ Slugo graced the studio with a visit during his time in the Twin Cities for UNBOTHERED’s Parable rave last Saturday. Known as the King of Ghetto House, Slugo has evangelized the sound and ethos of the subgenre for decades. His productions, like his 

, have also lit dancefloors on fire across the globe.

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

I watched my cousin DJ for years and saw what he was doing. We grew up in the Robert Taylor Homes — the projects. I saw him get a lot of notoriety from it. So I told him, “teach me.” 

What was it like being in Chicago at the dawn of house music?

One of the best things that could have happened. I never would have figured DJing would be my  job. I had other aspirations and things like that, but I wouldn't trade it for nothing in the world. 

You are the King of Ghetto House, correct?

Everything. I live, breathe, everything ghetto house, you know? House music was cool. But for me and the guys that grew up with me and helped me pioneer the sound, it was too slow for us. It wasn't speaking to our lifestyle. It wasn't speaking to the things that we were experiencing in the neighborhoods we were growing up in. So, we decided to change the sound. That's why we put the word “ghetto” in front of it, because we was living in the hood.

We loved house music and we didn't mind playing it, but we wanted to ghetto-fy it. Put profanity in and say derogatory stuff because that's the stuff we was hearing. That's the stuff we grew up on. It's still house music. I tell people ghetto house is still house music. It's just hood. It's hood house music.

I've described ghetto house to people and it's almost like people feel like they have to be offended when they hear the term. Do you ever get that?

A lot of people get offended because they hear the word “ghetto.” I grew up in the ghetto. I grew up in the hood. Don't be afraid to be where you from. I embrace it. You said I'm ghetto, but I took the ghettoness of what you saying that I am and turned it into a business. So I guess I got a ghetto house business too. 

At the end of the day, I'm never offended. You know, whatever people want to call it, how they want to embrace it, but at the end of the day, it's what we call it and what we do with it that makes sense. So if people don't understand it that way, I'm not offended at all. I've even had people in Chicago who grew up there be like, “what's ghetto house music?” I'm like, man, have you been under a rock? That's the reason I keep doing what I'm doing, because it's a lot of people, even in Chicago, that still don’t know what this sound is. So, I keep pushing until everybody knows what the sound is.

It's funny that you mentioned people in Chicago not getting it because you're mentioned on [French duo] Daft Punk’s song “Teachers.” How did you feel when you first heard that?

I felt two ways: excited, because a lot of people were excited for us, but disappointed that they mentioned all of those people on that record and never did a record any of us. You say that we’re your teachers and we helped you build your sound, but you couldn't come back and get at least one or two of us? 

I was excited that they paid homage,  a lot of people do that pay homage, but the best way to pay homage is by going and grabbing that guy who inspired you, and saying, “hey, let's do something together.” That would be more inspiring than anything… So, I was excited that they gave us flowers while we were alive on there, but to not come back and do a record with either guy on the record on that they mentioned… I never understood it. I always wanted to ask them, “why y'all never came back and did a record with any one of us?” It’s like leaving the hood and then never coming back and bringing anything back to the hood.

That's a good point. It's funny that you mentioned that, because I feel like from the outside looking in, that's what your collaboration with Lauren Flax was. You obviously inspired her, so you two worked together.

Exactly. She's a sweetheart, too. She's one of those people. Somebody asked me about her, and I'm like she's 100 because she went and did music with the people that inspired her. So to even to be able to do music with people that inspired you, it's epic. But it's a lot of people who me and my colleagues have inspired who have never done anything with us… There are people who sampled us,  replayed our bass lines, our words, but never once called and said, “hey, let's do a record together.” Or, “hey, I want to remix your record.” But it'd be beautiful. I could remix your record and we put another one on there. Now, I'm in a situation with Sony, or I'm in a situation with Atlantic, and I want to make sure you get a part of that situation, because I want to redo your song. But no, we don't get that. It's like every man for himself in the house world, unfortunately.

You’re in town for a show. What are you most looking forward to about tonight?

I love this sound, like, love this sound. So, just being able to get it to a newer generation in there that ain't heard it yet. That gives me another five years as they’re growing up and getting into the sound. That's what I'm really looking forward to, bringing the sound to people who've never heard it. I mean, of course, the people who've heard it and and want to hear it, blessings with them. But my goal is to bring the sound to new people. 

I tell people my life is a party. I just want to have a good time, you know? I wanna leave this earth with a smile on my face. I had a ball, you know, and then have no regrets when I leave here, you know? So, that's what I'm looking forward to. Having fun.

What do you have in store for us in the booth today?

I never have a curated set. A lot of people do that, I don't. Whatever I'm feeling at that particular time, I'm gonna play it like. I might go back and critique this mix 100 times and it just prepares me for my next gig. When I'm doing sets like this, it's practice.

DJ Slugo (2/19/25)

Man in gray hoodie posing in Carbon Sound's studio

Ghetto House from DJ Slugo | 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 Feb. 17, 2025.


Image for New on Carbon Sound Spotify playlist

New on Carbon Sound

Old on Carbon Sound

New Music on Carbon Sound - Week of February 17, 2025

Starting us off is Mickey Breeze, a DJ, producer, and educator from St. Paul. Mickey’s approach to DJing is highly technical, incorporating scratching, live drum pad usage, and stems to create wholly new works from recorded songs. Currently, he DJs for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Twins via his partnership with Generation Now. Mickey Breeze also teaches courses at Slam Academy.

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

Getting to express myself live and on stage. I have a pretty decent background in instrumentation. I played piano, trumpet, drums and a couple of other orchestral instruments. I was making my own beats and wanting to perform them live, I figured DJing was the best conduit for me to hop on stage play my stuff.

Who have been some of your biggest influences as a DJ?

Scratch Bastid out of Toronto, Canada. DJ Jazzy Jeff — I know it's kind of a cop out. DJ Craze from Miami and a few other really good freestyle DJs have been big inspirations on my style.

I've been making beats for about 15 years now. I was very heavily involved with with beat battles around the Twin Cities and I had met the Urban Lights team doing a couple of beat battles in their store. 

My mom was a really heavy promoter of my DJing when I was younger, via Facebook, or just walking me up to Urban Lights all the time, and going over my music exploits and stuff with Tim all the time. When I got of age to be getting in clubs and  studios with people, me and Tim kind of connected on our own. He signed me to Urban World Management and we've been connected ever since then.

I also teach for him at our creative arts program at a couple of schools in the Minneapolis Public School System, and he's been helping me make some music to license out to a few different companies.

A lot of things that I've been inspired by recently. I listen to new music every single day. I'm always trying to find new things, trying to mix new textures. It's a mixture of places that I've been in my life, places that I've been recently. Some techno, house, and different world influences.

Masterful mashups and turntablism from a young legend.


Urban Lights Presents: Mickey Breeze (2/12/25)

Man with glasses and beard smiling in Polaroid photo

Sidney Madden

With the biggest captive audience of his career, Lamar's performance conjures a medley of hits that spans his 15-year discography, and featured R&B star SZA as a special guest.


Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Kendrick Lamar brought West Coast hip hop, Uncle Sam and Serena Williams to the Super Bowl

Our first studio guest of 2025 is Girl Blunt, a Minneapolis DJ whose Sunday Synastry residency at Green Room Minneapolis has platformed queer and BIPOC DJs and served as a perfect excuse to leave the house on a frigid Sunday evening. 

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

I’ve been involved in music my entire life. I was inspired by the feelings and community in those musical spaces, but felt that there was still something missing that maybe I had the key to unlock it.

Music for me captures moments, spaces, and emotions. It's like a measure of time — one of the only real measurements of time we have. It felt like a lot of what I saw people were doing was selfish. They didn’t interact with the crowd enough or they weren’t feeling the emotions that the crowd was feeling. Emotion and connection was missing from what I was experiencing. I’m a really emotional person, so I wanted to be able to connect with people in that way. 

What have been some of your favorite events that you've done so far?

[Sunday] Synastry has been a huge blessing. I wasn't ready for it when it happened, but being able to have a space every single week to perform and share the stage with others has been really inspiring. Otherwise, all the random weird places that I've gotten to play — different people's basements, warehouse spaces, or just random sets in the middle of someone's apartment or screen printing shop.

Acid, electro, and more from the Sunday Synastry founder.


Stories

Urban Lights Presents: DJ Layz T (3/12/25)

Ori The Ghost (3/5/25)

Minnesota Music Releases to check out from February 2025

Get the Carbon Sound app

Rimarkable (2/26/25)

Interview: Inayah from SoulFlower

DJ Slugo (2/19/25)

New Music on Carbon Sound - Week of February 17, 2025

Connect with Carbon Sound

Urban Lights Presents: Mickey Breeze (2/12/25)

Kendrick Lamar brought West Coast hip hop, Uncle Sam and Serena Williams to the Super Bowl

Girl Blunt (2/5/25)

See more stories →