If the late Minneapolis techno producer Liara’s 

were an active artist’s debut album, we’d be celebrating the arrival of a bold new talent. As it is, the album still sounds celebratory—ferociously so, much of the time—even though it is, in effect, a memorial.

Liara Kaylee Tsai hadn’t been in Minnesota for very long—only a few months—when she was the victim of a shocking, brutal murder: MPR News covered the case at length 

, and I delved into Liara’s bountiful life for Carbon Sound 

 was released June 21 by the queer-focused Chicago label Banana Pudding, on the anniversary of her death.

, where it is a name-your-price download— is noteworthy.

 over the past year. Word and Liara had been musical comrades from their first meeting in the spring of 2021, when they both lived in Iowa City. Shortly after that, they began hosting events under the moniker Femme Decks, and in November of 2022, Banana Pudding issued 

an early Liara EP. Liara came to the Twin Cities and Word moved to Chicago, expanding Banana Pudding into a party brand and booking agency, but the two stayed tight. 

is a testament not only to a talent gone too soon but also to a close creative friendship.

were recorded over the last three years of Liara’s life, and their sources are far-flung. Assembling the album took a fair amount of detective work. “I started out by posting on my Instagram Story: ‘If you know anyone that has Liara’s tracks, let me know.’ Two people that run labels said, “Liara sent me a track that a demo to put out, and I still have it. Do you want it?’ And then a couple of the tracks are live recordings she did,” says Word.

Happily, Liara made sure to document everything. She kept very, very detailed records of exactly when all the tracks were made,” says Word. “I actually have exact dates on all the tracks; the live recordings as well. For most of it, she used Roland hardware, which she made most of her tracks with.”

Word estimates that she gathered “12 or 14” of Liara’s tracks altogether before whittling it down to the seven that appear on 

. “I struggled to decide whether or not I should release everything, or I should have it be more curated. And I did decide to have it be a more curated album,” she says. “I really wanted this album to feel really full and purposeful and intentional and not just like a blanket release of everything.”

Liara’s “hypnotic acid electro,” as Word calls it, was inextricable from her DJ performances. They were intended to be played in sets, not just showcased on their own. But track by track, this music has enormous presence. It’s a massive step up from the 

In dance music, the word “acid” refers to the wriggling, squiggling lines generated by the knobs of a Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer and its digital progeny, which can stretch and distend a simple melodic line in oft-disorienting ways. Liara, like many acid producers, likes layering those lines to create a playfully sinister atmosphere, as on 

There’s a great deal of, to use Jimmy Page’s term, light and shade in this music. Liara’s bass patterns have the insistent melodicism of vintage New Order—see the springy kineticism of the low end on “

”—and even when the arrangements are busy, they’re also free-ranging.

,” is robot boogie as pinball game. Its handful of jitterbugging synth lines all play hopscotch together, only to pause on the one to let you catch your breath. Dance music can often be rigid—that’s what holds 

back musically, in fact. Liara found a way to make it seem endlessly varied, and infused with what Word calls “her angelic power and soul.”

That enveloping sensibility is something Word saw Liara beginning to conjure in Iowa City, when they were putting on Femme Decks parties. “She talked a lot about the spiritual side of her performance,” says Word. “A huge part of her performance and production is tapping into the divine feminine. You can absolutely hear that stylistically in the music, where I think it encapsulates, sort of like the hypnotic, continuous flow of sound, where I think that that developed in a new and different way as she was transitioning and living in Iowa City. I was really impressed listening to some of those tracks and feeling like, ‘Wow, this is so much more fleshed out and put together even better than it has before.’”

will also be released as a limited-edition cassette—pre-orders will be available for another few weeks. The proceeds from the tape, as well as from a 

, will go to help bring Liara’s loved ones to Minneapolis for the murder trial in September.

A previous version of this story featured an incorrect spelling of Angelia Word’s name. Carbon Sound regrets the error.

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Michaelangelo Matos

Minneapolis techno producer Liara Kaylee Tsai's ‘The Last Angel’ is a testament not only to a talent gone too soon but also to a close creative friendship.


‘The Last Angel’ is our love letter to Liara. In her memory, a tribute to mysticism, celestial phenomena, magic, and ritual.

Liara crafted musical worlds that elevated the listener's state of being beyond the known. Her music is an invitation, a conversation, a meditation on love, desire, transformation, and unity.

Liara lived unapologetically, showing the way to a better world through compassion and advocacy.

“Everyone always says I stand out. I’m loud, I demand attention. I’m powerful. So much of that is because what they see of me in public is fearlessness. And an intense joy. I refuse to hide, and I refuse to let my joy go unnoticed.” - Liara in response to the ACLU article, ‘Trans Joy is Most Necessary When It Feels the Most Impossible’.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The tracks in this album were produced between 2022-2024 on Liara’s Roland hardware.

Produced and written by Liara
Belt of Venus recorded live on Dec. 23, 2023
Drench Co-written and Produced by Nightlight
Ricochet recorded live on Feb. 24, 2024
Mastered by Dylan Mentzer

Curated by Angelia Word
Curation Assisted by April Lee and Dylan Mentzer
Cover Art by Asher Gray
Cover Photo by Riel Sturchio
Words by April Lee and Angelia Word
Creative input from MacArthur and Mega Sola

Liara | Another Time Spell by Banana Pudding

Courtesy of Banana Pudding 

'The Last Angel' is a posthumous album from Minneapolis DJ Liara

Author

John Kueppers

Marvelous and Skye from The Cherry Pit sat down with Carbon Sound’s host Sanni and talked about all that The Cherry Pit has been up to.


The Message - The Cherry Pit

Marvelous @ The Cherry Pit 01.29.23

The Big Comfy Couch - Intro

John Kueppers | MPR

Interview: The Cherry Pit

Minneapolis-based artist Mati stopped by our studio and performed stripped down versions of two of his latest tracks.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more

Minneapolis-based artist Mati stopped by our studio and performed stripped down versions of two of his latest tracks.


Evan Clark | MPR

Mati - different (live for Carbon Sound)

Mati - say (live for Carbon Sound)

Mati performs two tracks at 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.

Dizzy Fae - Fairytale Love (Official Visualizer)

Mati’s plz dnt interrupt my swag Visualizer

Mati - plz dnt interrupt my swag (Visualizer)

Quita Lashae’s Drown The Mic Performance

Quita Lashae - Plenty Blocks (Drown The Mic Performance)

Natalia Toledo

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


Carbon Sound's Best Minnesota Music from June 2025 graphic

Natalia Toledo | MPR

SEND THE PIN

SO MANY FLAVORS

Carbon Sound's 1st of the Month

What You Get Away With

different / say

BEFORE I WAS BORN

HM07

Moise - SO MANY FLAVORS (Official Video)

K.Raydio - Coldblooded

Mati - different (Official Video)

Live at Greenway Recording

Minnesota Music Releases to check out from June 2025

Just like that, UNBOTHERED wraps up a strong DJ residency with a House, Afro-Club, and GQOM mix for Carbon Sound.

Dedicated to celebrating life and music through dance, UNBOTHERED is the brainchild of Yasmeenah, a DJ and event organizer based in Minneapolis. Through careful curation, UNBOTHERED has celebrated the Black roots of electronic music. Living legends such as Kai Alcé, modern mainstays like Ash Lauryn and Akua, and rising stars, local and national, have had some of their first-ever appearances in Minneapolis thanks to UNBOTHERED bringing them to town for unforgettable events.

As a DJ herself, Yasmeenah is a fixture of the Minneapolis scene with a healthy list of superlatives. Her DJ in the Park series last summer brought warehouse ravers (and their dogs and kids) into the sunlight. She has played nationally on lineups legends like Marcellus Pittman and even opened for Fred again.. when he came to town last fall.

Yasmeenah will represent UNBOTHERED during its residency on Carbon Sound. Expect deep explorations through the annals of house history every fourth Wednesday from now until July on Carbon Sound.

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

This is your second time in the studio. How has the last year treated you?

It's been busy, but a good busy. I'm really excited for what's to come

A little recap - You had your DJ in the Park series, you opened for Fred again.. How did that come together?

The Fred again.. show was really random. They hit me up, like, two days before the concert and were like, “hey, do you want to open for Fred again..?” And I was like, why not? It was a great experience. I've never played for that many people, and Fred again..’s team was really accommodating.

DJ in the Park was probably one of my favorite things that I did the past year. I really liked being outside and playing music for people outside of the nightlife setting. It was cool seeing  fellow party goers bring their children, family, and friends who normally don't come out at night. It will be coming back this summer.

UNBOTHERED is just a lifestyle. I feel like there are lots of things in this world that make us feel bothered. With UNBOTHERED parties, I want people to feel free to express themselves and release from their body. I think in order to do that, you have to allow yourself to be unbothered. 

Stay tuned for new mixes on Carbon Sound every 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

House, Afro-Club, and GQOM mix wraps up UNBOTHERED’s DJ residency.


Gqom and Afrobeats mix wraps up UNBOTHERED’s DJ residency.

UNBOTHERED Presents: Yasmeenah (6/25/25)

House, Afro-Club, and GQOM mix from Yasmeenah | Carbon Sound x UNBOTHERED

Photographer

Nick Greseth

Check out photos from this year’s Soul of the Southside Juneteenth festival in Minneapolis.


Nick Greseth for MPR

Photos: Scenes from Soul of the Southside 2025

Carbon Sound recently caught up with Minnesota’s own Dizzy Fae and talked about her journey of self-love and discovery over the last few years, her upcoming debut album, and a whole lot more.

Hello, this is John from Carbon Sound. I have a familiar face to some in Minnesota in with me today, I have 

. Thank you so much for being here today.

Thank you so much for having me, my home!

Absolutely! Welcome. How does it feel to be back in downtown St. Paul and then just the Twin Cities overall?

Yeah, it's pretty surreal. Like, looking out the window right now, I can probably see my high school, SPCPA. It's pretty surreal. It's nice to come back and always just be full of love when I'm here.

Well, I have family, so I try to come back a few times a year if I can. But last year I was super broke, so I didn't see no one for like, maybe two years max. But yeah, I like to make it here as much as I can, see my sisters, my grandma.

So family is definitely a part of the essentials when coming back here. Is there anything else you feel like you have to do once you're back here? Saw a run at Bde.

Oh, yes! Bde Maka Ska! I used to run there like, every day 2020, I was running every morning. I had this running buddy, and we would just go at it, like, 8am and it was kind of cute to run around it! And then I saw 

 is right there, and I'm like, "how did you get there??" So it's cool to see stuff like that happen, where it's just different things switch up around the city, things get added, things move. But it's such a beautiful run. I suggest everyone, if they're a runner or just a walker, check it out.

Beautiful area, Uptown Minneapolis. Don't miss out.

I agree. Where should I take my manager for some food?

I was actually gonna ask you that — because you mentioned Pimento, and I wasn't sure if there's essentials you have to come back and eat once you're here. I'll put the question on you (laughs).

That is a good question. I am so bad with finding places. It's just not my thing. I'm not a cook, I hope I have a chef. But I kind of want to try some really nice places out, let me know if you have any suggestions, because I'm completely sober, and something that's been really cool about that is I get high off food now.

Like foodgasms are a real thing. It's actually kind of insane. It's usually high-quality food, but I'm excited to dive into that more. And it's cool to maybe do that in my city, but it would be nice to go to a place where — because I'm of age now, where people that I know are probably working at restaurants. I might catch somebody, you know, like —

It's so fire. Last time I came here was for a 

, and I went to this place downtown St. Paul, and the people there knew me, and I got free dinner two times in a row, and I was like, "This my city!!"

There's gotta be some perks to coming back (laughs).

No for real! I'm like, this is super cool. But it's really nice to catch up with people around the city. So I always hope I see people that I know, or anyone that — this is like the one place I will sit and have a conversation with somebody. I don't know if that answered the question. I'm also open to new things. There's been so many things that have came about since 2020. I can see that things aren't as boarded up anymore, which is good to see.

Is there anything you view differently from that time and then now? You mentioned things not being boarded up as much, but is there anything you view differently about Minnesota? Is there any perspective change?

I would say the city just feels a little more intentional, which is really nice. Because it's always kind of felt like that, it's very calm here, very chill, like, "What's up, dude?" But I just feel like after 2020 there's been such a shift — I feel like internally in people, and not just in the city, but just internally, and then also in the city, I guess. And so coming back here, it just feels — the energy just feels more intentional here. And there's just, again, there's so many new places. So I feel like it's blossoming in a really cool way. It's just so special to me. I think what changes and constantly evolves is how special Minnesota is to me. Every time I come back, I'm like, "My city!"

There's always gonna be that charm or that twinkle.

Yeah, I would say that's the biggest thing that I noticed change in me, but in the city itself, it's constantly changing and evolving. I'm just trying to keep up. I got some homies here, I got good people here, so they keep me updated.

100%, and I feel like some frequent and consistent collaborators as well, whether it's producer 

, kind of all those in the mix. I could talk all day about Minnesota stuff, and we will get back to it at one point, because I do have some more questions, but I do want to talk about your music overall, and the new stuff that's been coming out, the new songs. And what I have at the top of this paper is universe builder, because I just feel like there's a lot that comes within your creative style, this realm that you're able to build for you and your fans, which is really cool, and so I kind of want to dissect that a little bit, and we can start with 

 I'm curious about the ideation of that song, the cover art, 

I love that. I love dissecting this world. I really have for a long time built a world, and I kind of want to take you through the journey of it real quick. It's pretty fun to talk about, but it kind of helps with all the projects I've put and where it's going. And I'll probably say this a few times, because I think it helps anybody at any time, get on the bandwagon, but understand me a little bit more. I'm a very visual thinker, and so I think of like, okay, boom — Alice in Wonderland. I'm in a field, it's beautiful, there's flowers everywhere. And then I'm reading my book, my cat is probably doing his thing, climbing up the tree. I'm like, "Get out of the tree!" I'm very in my element. And that is 

, my first mixtape. That is just me, free flowing, free forming, just kind of being who I am, what I am, in this space. And then it starts to get a little cold, and I'm like, "Oh, I should probably bundle up, figure out my next move. I can't lay here forever." And so on that journey of just being like, "Alright, my consciousness is starting to need a plan. Something is happening." That's my next mixtape, 

. So I'm kind of going, I see this river. I like to say chocolate, because I like to add a little pizzazz. And so I'm like, "Let me get on this river." I get on a boat that's going down the river, and there's a map in it. And I'm like, "Oh! Okay." I hold the map up, that's my EP 

. So now I'm like, "Okay, I have directions, an antenna. I have something calling to me to do what I'm supposed to do. I felt it earlier from NO GMO, and I was building from Free Form." So I'm like, moving the map around, upside down, looking at it. I'm like, okay, North West, South —  okay, period. I'm like, "I should probably get off the river, because the map is telling me that." I get off the river, I continue to follow the map. And then the map takes me to this door, and I look down, and the place mat in front of the door says, 

 And that's my last EP. Because now it's kind of at a point where like, "Okay, well, this is the map takes me, takes me right here, like, are we there yet? I think we might be!" So I look inside the keyhole. Hence, "My Baby Loves Me" at the beginning, when I started doing content, 

, then it zoomed in, and I look in, I'm like, "Okay! I see some in there." I open up the door, and that is going to be my next project. So that's gonna be my debut album.

Wow. They need you in writers’ rooms for shows. You just took me on that journey, and that's so crazy, because how much of that is planned out? Or did it kind of show itself over time? And you mentioned this map. How do you know to trust the map? What is that map?

It started forming around Antenna, when I thought about the map idea. Because if you think about the journey itself, I didn't really fully develop that I was on a mission until Antenna. Free Form, I was just kind of doing my thing. That's when I was just getting in the studio. My first session ever was — I was like playing around with covers, but my first session ever was in a room with Psymun, 

, and Sen 09. And Psymun and Sen 09, I don't know if he still goes by Sen 09, great producer, but they produced 

. That wasn't where I did that then, I was so — imagine being in that room. I was like, "Where do I fit?"

We just kind of vibed out, just hung out. And we all just kind of stayed friends to this day. So it's really cool, like Psymun and Corbin, but yeah, I just was free forming. I was just going into the studio doing my thing. Minnesota is a very big band place, so it's like being a solo artist — every solo artist that I know is really their own and in their own pocket. So you really have to find your own pocket while you're here. And so just to go back on your question on "My Baby Loves Me," I've constantly been on this journey of discovery and self-love and wanting to make my platform and who I am a outreach to anybody else that's in need of that, or experiencing that, and not feeling alone in a big world where it's like you're having a solo experience in connection to others.

Something I'm curious about that seemed like it kept coming up, and I'm curious how you can fit this into the equation, because I know it's important, is the idea of breaking foundation and building it back up.

I realized I was breaking foundation and building it up right after my mom passed. I think anyone that has grieved a very close loss, especially with a parent, it's like there's something that does naturally break down. For me, it was like this specific understanding and acceptance that had to take place at the same time. Everything I knew wasn't the same no more. I really did break down my entire foundation to the T. I mean, I've never been so sad in my entire life. That was the saddest thing I've ever gone through. But it really put me in a place where it's like, even if I was depressed before or anything else, it was like nothing has ever been that sad in my entire life. So I was able to identify where that came from, which allowed me to see everything so clearly. So I really broke down my foundations and my values, and I really, at one point, maybe like a month after, I was like, "Okay, I just need to make sure I'm drinking water, I'm eating healthy food, and I'm there for my sisters." And honestly, that was the only thing that mattered for me. Thank God that I'm in alignment, I think, to what I'm supposed to be doing, and spiritually guided. Because I was making music prior to that, there were like, bullets in the chamber, so I didn't feel like I needed to catch up, or "Oh, I need to have music ready." I had some stuff. I was like, "Okay, now I can just grieve probably the hardest part." But grieving’s so — it's not linear. It's something that's very — happens randomly, but that was probably the hardest time of my grieving point, which had me break down everything, like, "What do I need to do to survive?" And then "What's the type of person I want to be?" I don't want this to make me a mean person, I don't want to be a big, hard shell. I want to just continue to live in My Divine Feminine.

When did the art and creativity feel like it started to creep back in and form?

I would say it started to come back towards April 2022, or was it 2021? It was whenever I met Lido, the producer, that's when I feel like my creativity kind of came back. I always tell him this, but he's such an angel in my life. He's the first producer I started working with right after my mom passed, and he randomly reached out to me, if you know Lido, he's just kind of that guy. So for him to randomly reach out to me, it was just like — and I didn't have anything really going on. And we started working, and I was like, "Wow, this is nuts.” Our chemistry is just so beautiful. And so I think that's where it kind of came back. And then I made, Are We There Yet? He produced a lot of those songs, in addition to other producers I love working with, and that project has to do with the seven stages of grief. But I needed to put that out. I was like, "I need to put that out." I just have such an interesting outlook on grieving that I want to share with the world.

That through line of love, throughout your whole music and just your creative process, I can see that there and then with Are We There Yet? throwing in this idea of grief, I was just kind of curious to ask you, were there intersections between grieving romantic relationships and the loss of your mom? Because at certain times, it's interesting with heartbreak songs, because you can almost interpret it in different ways. And I wasn't sure if one was more centered around that loss, or was it more around romantic relationships?

Yeah, relationships have been a real thing in my life that I've just had to navigate, even just relationship with myself. I think to coexist is like — you not only are coexisting with people, you're coexisting with yourself, you're coexisting with your mind. I can't remember the name of the book right now, but he talks about how your mind is your inner roommate, like we're constantly coexisting. I grew up in a pretty toxic household, so I feel like me and my mom started having a great relationship towards her last days here, like her last few months — so grateful for that, oh my God. I thank God all the time for that. But I would say 2021, was a crazy year for me with relationships. I had my first love heartbreak, like I was in love with this person for the first time, and I ended up being like, "I gotta live my dream out. I gotta move to LA. I gotta do it." That was just a natural separation. And then around the summer, I was nannying for this lady, and the guy she was with actually pulled out a shotgun on me. So relationship with trust, that was a whole thing. I had to leave same day, I was like, "This is nuts." And then that year, the following few months my mom passed — I also wanted to, like, kms a few months prior to my mom passing, and I feel like her passing was a moment of the universe being like "Girl, not yet." Dark humor, but yeah. So then I had some friendships that kind of abruptly ended right after my mom passed, just a little unfortunate. But relationships, I feel like, had a lot to do with grieving, and I mean, that project in general. I have this song called 

 where I was just like, I think after my mom passed, I just was like, this stuff is so night and day, like we really are born to die and anyone can pass at any moment, we should talk about it. We're awake now, let's talk about it. And I just had so many epiphanies and realizations after my mom passed that I was like, I don't want to look back and be like — I mean, I just saw who was around her deathbed, and I was like, "I gotta figure this out." Whatever it is, I gotta be love. Because if I'm not love, I don't know, I just need to figure out how to be love.

And just you telling me that story, I feel like I can see your eye looking through that keyhole and giving yourself that love and whoever else might need it. That's really powerful, and just one more note on your mom. I'm just curious, if you're willing to share, day in and day out, what's the main thing you keep with you from her?

Well, you know what's crazy is, I want to do a TED talk one day on grief, but I talk to her every day. She's been such a big point of my guidance, I actually feel like she's with me more now than she's ever been. And that process has been really beautiful for me. And I have some crazy stories, I have crazy stories where she really does talk to me and she's really here, she's really guiding me, protecting me. She's with me every day, I literally talk to her every day.

Wow. So you have her in that sense, and then you have, what I just love, I'm very nostalgic person, so you have the memories. You have the Ne-Yo and Trey Songz concert —

What?? (Both laugh) That was so Nardwuar of you, that was so good. Yeah, that was my first concert. She really took us, and then Trey Songz ripped his shirt in three. Gave it to left, right and middle. I was like, "Okay, got it." Ne-Yo's such a good performer, though. That is so funny. And she gave me my siblings, she gave me my little sister, that's like, my best friend. She left me with a lot of great things for sure. That is so funny.

Well, speaking of performances, I know releasing music and coming to this point in your artistic career, you're just really excited to put some excited to put stuff out, excited to perform. What are you excited most about?

I'm just excited to perform again. I haven't performed since the Klituation, and then prior to that, it's been years. And I feel like I'm in such a place right now where this album, I think, is gonna change my entire life. I think it's gonna have people understand me more. I just hope that it gets to the right people, that's all I really care about. And I hope that people can gain experience from it, their own experiences, have their own memories to take with them, and I just hope that it helps people along the journey. Real life things are really nice. It's nice to post, it's nice to make content — I actually have fun making content. Doing what I have to do is fun, love that. I'm so excited to meet fans, and I'm so excited to see Dizzerts. When I was at the Klituation, people were screaming 

 I had to tell my DJ to, like, hold on. And it was like a mixed race of people, you didn't just see — I was speechless. I was like, "How am I speechless and I'm supposed to perform right now?" It was so cool, and I'm just so excited to see what Dizzerts look like, my fan base. I'm just excited to perform, that's where I started. I went on tour with Lizzo when I only had two songs out, so I had to make a whole repertoire of music that's never gonna be out — so whoever saw it, you saw it. But, yeah, performing, that's where I feel really at home.

First and foremost, wanted to say I love that you call Dizzy fans Dizzerts.

It's cute right? They're the sweetest, literally.

And that reminds me of another play on words, and just you talking about performances, I'm curious when the next Dizzyland is going to be.

I would like to look at Dizzyland as a part of Dizzy World, like it's a section of the world, and then Dizzy World is a part of Dizzy Universe. So Dizzyland, it will happen again, but it's just in a matter of time. I had a really cool lineup at that time, and I think I just got to perform a little bit more myself, and go on tour, and do all these things, but Dizzyland, it's not even gone or forgotten. I was gonna say "It might be gone, but it's not forgotten." It's just part of the universe. So it'll happen again for sure.

While I have you, I wanted to go back to Minnesota, and I'm just really curious how and when an artist knows when to make certain moves in their career, and just you being here and starting your career here and then moving out to LA, when did that feel like it was going to be a good fit?

I really wish I had some advice for that. I would say, if I could give any advice, in knowing when the right time is the right time, it's never the right time. And that's what makes it the right time. You really have to just leap and pray that there's a net. I didn't know — I told you I was in love! And then the universe said, "Get your booty to LA, cause we got some stuff to do." And LA opened so many doors for me. It wasn't like I moved to LA and everything started happening. That year my mom passed, that year the shotgun was pulled on me, that year my heart was broken from the person I thought I was in love with. You just really got to keep leaping and as time goes on, it will all make sense. And I think that's what's so cool about explaining that process, that journey from NO GMO to now, because that's really how it goes. You really just gotta have faith in whatever you believe in, and keep it pushing. There's really not a right time, though, and that is the right time.

Carbon Sound recently caught up with Minnesota’s own Dizzy Fae and talked about her journey of self-love and discovery over the last few years, her upcoming debut album, and a whole lot more.


Dizzy Fae Interview

My Baby Loves Me

Johnny Bravo

Are We There Yet?

Dizzy Fae - Body Move (Official Video)

Road to Dizzyland

Interview: Dizzy Fae

echo’s final mix for Carbon Sound: 5 hours, 109 tracks, 3 decks. echo left it all in the booth, recording until the camera ran out of storage and still playing after. Listen to echo’s final mix, “Just A Souvenir / Real Flesh and Blood,” now on Carbon Sound’s YouTube channel.

For this mix, echo weaved together house, techno, electro, disco, and UK garage. Each track chosen methodically and arranged meticulously. Starting the mix with “Page One” by Lemon Jelly, he challenges the listener to let go of the familiar and embrace the infinite potential of music.

Julian is wrapping up his time at Minnesota Public Radio and in Minneapolis. Since moving here in 2017 to attend the University of Minnesota, he has worked diligently to highlight Black music and elevate the local music scene. He launched The Vanguard, Radio K’s platform for Hip-Hop and R&B, in 2020. Using this experience, he launched Carbon Sound through MPR in 2022. Julian’s experience as a DJ and love for electronic music inspired the launch of Carbon Sound’s DJ sessions, which began in December 2023. Since then, Julian has booked, recorded, edited, and posted every single mix that Carbon Sound has platformed so far.

Julian is leaving, but Carbon Sound will keep on. Stay tuned for new mixes every other week 

echo’s final mix for Carbon Sound: 5 hours, 109 tracks, 3 decks. echo left it all in the booth.


echo's final mix (6/18/25)

echo's final mix | Carbon Sound

Sara Fish

Check out Sara Fish’s photos of Carbon Sound’s third anniversary party at the Red Sea on Friday, June 13.


Sara Fish for MPR

Photos: Celebrating three years of Carbon Sound at SYNTHESIS

Local rising star papa mbye curated a special lineup of his friends and collaborators for an unforgettable night of sonic exploration at Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St. Paul on April 10. Watch his full performance below.

This activity is supported, in part, by the City of Saint Paul Cultural Sales Tax Revitalization Program, Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, and sponsored by 

papa mbye’s full set from his April 10 performance for Carbon Sound’s Minnesota Music Month Showcase


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echo's final mix (6/18/25)

Photos: Celebrating three years of Carbon Sound at SYNTHESIS

Watch papa mbye at Amsterdam Bar & Hall

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