Wrapping up Tim Wilson/Urban Lights’ residency on Carbon Sound is Big Reece, a DJ with decades of experience and deep roots in the Twin Cities. 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 were featured in Urban Lights' residency. 

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

I've gone through all the different phases of it. I would say the evolution has been more with the music. Going through all the different genres of music and the different eras of it. I’ve evolved by being able to transition between all the different genres, being around long enough to know how they intertwine.

Love for the music. I was just always a hobby. It took me a long time before I took it serious. I probably was late teens, early 20s, when I started to take it serious. But before that, it was just the love of the music, you know, just a strong love for it. And I knew I was never a rapper. I was never good at that.

How did you get involved with Tim and Urban Lights?

I was one of those guys coming in purchasing records, you know, with the record pool. That was way back in the ‘90s.

Today I'm going to do a little bit of what I would call my personal favorites, or the type of hip hop I like. A lot of what we call “boom-bap.” A lot of that combination of heavy drums, samples, and strong,  punchline-heavy bars.

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

New and old-school Hip-Hop from the Urban Lights Faders Up resident.


New and old-school Hip-Hop from the Faders Up resident.

Urban Lights Presents: Big Reece (5/14/25)

Hip-Hop Mix from Big Reece | Urban Lights x Carbon Sound

Minneapolis-born and New York City-based artist sahn stopped by our studio to perform two tracks from his latest project "20". 

Video – Ruben Schniederman, Alexander Simpson 

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more

The Minneapolis-born artist performed two tracks from his latest project “20”


sahn - blonde (live for Carbon Sound)

sahn - yuma (live for Carbon Sound)

sahn performs two tracks at Carbon Sound

Tekk Nikk is a St. Paul-based DJ, producer, and live act with deep roots in the Twin Cities scene. Today, she runs 

, an electronic record label whose Parallel Lounge series has featured local and Midwestern favorites like TML, Sard, and Mutual Identities. She also assists with 

, an open format music series featuring artists with ties to the Midwest underground. As a DJ herself, Tekk Nikk is known for her rare finds that feature intricate, psychedelic grooves.

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

I started out doing live hardware and it takes a lot of time and effort to write a dance set with that. So, I wanted another way to to perform and to play to a dance floor.

Does using hardware and DJing tie into each other? Or are they completely separate?

They definitely tie into each other. I have used tricks from how I perform a live set to a DJ set and vice-versa.

I have helped run labels for the last eight years and I thought it was time to start my own.

How would you define the sound of the label?

It's pretty eclectic electronic and club music. It's ambient, it's techno, it's kind of any form of electronic music.

Textured and hypnotic dub techno from a St. Paul label owner.


Textured and hypnotic dub techno from a Minneapolis label owner.

Tekk Nikk (5/7/25)

Woman with glasses and baseball cap in Polaroid photo

Dub Techno mix from Tekk Nikk | 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 May 5, 2025.


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 May 5, 2025

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.

I was introduced to 8umana's voice during her performance on the last night of 

 and haven't forgotten it since. "Vocal Fry" starts simple and blossoms into a funky, bouncy bop thanks to Zak Khan's production and 8umana's precise melodies. - Julian Green

In his first single since the release of 2024 EP 

, Mati delivers a pensive track highlighting the beauty of perspective. In “still fed,” Mati counts his blessings and finds light in dark times with the triumphant line, “OJ and ramen noodles, I’m still fed.” - John Kueppers

Up-and-coming Nigerian artist Eja Nlá has had a busy april — from opening for Ruger at The Cabooze to releasing “Corazon,” his first song of 2025. Corazón means heart in Spanish, and it’s fitting for this super catchy love song. - Natalia Toledo

KayCyy, sign crushes motorist - SADDEST TRUTH

BLOOD SMOKE BODY x SHERMAN - "Amerie" (Official Video)

SYM1 - Right 1 4 Me (feat. moistbreezy) (Official Music Video)

Mack OC, Ozone Creations - FEEL IT [Official Music Video]

EuphoriasRoom - Notorious * Euphoria (Official Music Video)

SK ByTheWay "Activate my Sexy" - Drown The Mic Performance

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

Author

John Kueppers

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


Carbon Sound's Best Minnesota Music from April 2025 graphic

Natalia Toledo | MPR

Carbon Sound's 1st of the Month

Bill's Garden

SADDEST TRUTH

LITTLE

SUMN TO SAY

Mati - still fed (Official Video)

Goon Tribune Live at Greenway Recording

SK ByTheWay  "Activate my Sexy" - Drown The Mic Performance

UGMN TOP 10 CYPHER 2025

Minnesota Music Releases to check out from April 2025

With 20 years in the game, DJ Advance is an integral part of the hip-hop scene in the Twin Cities. Mixing regularly in bars, clubs, and arenas in addition to being a regular on former hip-hop station GO 95.3, he’s made a name for himself with unique mixes and keen crowd-reading abilities. Born Vance McCain, DJ Advance is dedicated to connecting his community through music. He plans to celebrate two decades of DJing with a weekend of events in the Twin Cities.

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

This is year 20 for me. I'm planning to celebrate this summer with a weekend of events. My long term goal  is to start some type of scholarship for the kids, God willing. 

I was heavy into production and needed a way to make money if I wasn’t making money off of music right away. So, me and my brother ended up throwing basement parties and I was DJing those. I loved it and it kind of just went on from there.

I think that I feel like the game has become more accessible. In the early days, you had to find the right people to connect with. It was a lot more hustle to try to get out here. Now, with social media and so much digital content, it's a little easier to get your name out there without leaving your house. That's the huge difference. 

What have been some of your favorite moments as a DJ?

Probably DJing on Sway in the Morning. It was an electric day.  Vic Mensa did his famous freestyle there 

. So, I was kind of in that moment of history.

I think a DJ’s job is to help people get through whatever they're getting through. You might be going through something and you could dance the night away and forget all about it. I rely heavily on that thought process. I feel like music is a gateway for people to feel a lot better than they did before. I know when I listen to music, it changes the way I feel. If I'm listening to something uplifting, my whole vibe changes. So , that's my purpose in DJing; to uplift people and get the community together.

A little bit of everything. I want to show all the styles of music that I like to listen to through this mix. It's going to be up and down kind of, but I'm gonna make sure it makes sense.

Original Hip-Hop and R&B mashups from a Twin Cities institution.


Original mashups and more from a Twin Cities institution.

DJ Advance (4/30/25)

Man with glasses smiles in Polaroid photo

Hip-Hop, Remixes, and more from DJ Advance | Carbon Sound

k3ko sat down with Carbon Sound’s host Sanni and talked about upcoming music, her On The Radar experience, BandLab, and more.


The Message - k3ko

moonlight

The K3ko "On The Radar" Freestyle

John Kueppers | MPR

Interview: k3ko

We're proud to have UNBOTHERED as our next resident DJ curator. 

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. 

House and Broken Beat from the UNBOTHERED boss.


UNBOTHERED Presents: Yasmeenah (4/23/25)

House & Broken Beat mix from Yasmeenah | Carbon Sound x UNBOTHERED

All of the tracks added to rotation on Carbon Sound the week of April 21, 2025.


New Music on Carbon Sound - Week of April 21, 2025

Performing as a DJ and live PA, Ross Hutchens, AKA Lonefront, is one of Minneapolis’ best and brightest. Raw and hypnotic, Lonefront aims to arrange and orchestrate textures to illicit dance and introspection, depending on the event. As a producer and label head of 

, his talents have taken him across the country to warehouses in San Francisco, Phoenix, Detroit, and New York City. He’s played in Säule, a club in Berlin’s legendary Berghain dedicated to experimental dance music. Lonefront’s works have been played by DVS1 and other techno heroes from around the world. Recently, he won a 

. Not one to rest on his laurels, Lonefront stays busy producing new works and live sets late into the night.

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

I studied violin when I was in elementary school and always wanted to play guitar. I moved to Minnesota from the Bay Area when I was 18 to study at Macalester in St. Paul. I didn't know what I wanted to do at the time, but , music was what I wanted to do once I got there. I decided to study guitar while I was there. I kind of always wanted to be a performing artist. 

After a while, I started getting into electronic music from acts like DJ Rashad and Teklife. I started messing around with Ableton since a lot of my friends at the time had it. A different friend noticed I was getting really into making beats, so they invited me to Future Classic. That was my first time hearing techno out for real, for real. It changed me overnight. 

I went home and wanted to learn everything about house and techno. I watched all the documentaries and switched up my approach with music. Instead of trying to make more modern stuff, I was listening back to older sounds and trying to learn more about how those styles of music were created. I learned about different drum machines like the [Roland TR] 808 and 909. Around that time, I started working at the store that sold modular synthesizers. I was surrounded by a lot more people involved in all that and started learning more about synthesis. Through working at that shop and getting really familiar with synthesizers, I started using a modular when I performed live, and it's kind of been my thing.

That was the first thing that I started getting into after going to 

. I wanted to start collecting records and figuring out how to beat match and DJ. I had friends at the time who had controllers and we would hang out. I learned how to DJ that way.

Eventually, I got a record player and would casually beat match here and there. Once COVID hit, my roommates and I would spend like all day long beat matching the same 30 records. All of us got our chops through that period of time.

A lot of people describe it as raw, hypnotic techno. For the sake of convenience, I tell people it's hypnotic techno. From a musician standpoint, though, I feel the songs I create are sonic explorations of textures. Orchestrating textures to illicit dance and introspection into the nature of sound. I feel like the sort of raw, hypnotic side of techno is a really open ended genre to explore.

When did you start to notice that people around the country and world were paying attention? Do you feel that way?

Yeah, definitely, over time. I feel very grateful to have been afforded the opportunities that I have. A lot of that success came around 2021 after I 

 got started, a lot more people are paying attention to what's happening with dance music in Minneapolis, specifically.

How do you describe the Minneapolis scene to people when you’re abroad?

I like to say it's the best kept secret in the country. When Future Classic was still around I would say that Minneapolis has one of the best techno clubs in the world, especially when we look at North America.

I always tell people about the legacy that's been here this whole time, even if the industry came and went and focused on other places. Roots of dance music here that tie to the early 90s Midwest rave go even further back with funk, hip-hop, and all the other styles that feed into rave music. There’s a rich history and I think a lot of lot of things have changed really recently, too. 

I really celebrate the newer generation that has showed up. Not just being attendees, but taking it in their own directions. Getting inspired and sharing things with others. There’s a rich tapestry with what we have going on here. We don't have the same infrastructure as a lot of other cities to go late hours, there aren’t a lot of places in downtown that facilitate a lot of this, but there are a lot of good things going on.

You were recently awarded a grant from the McKnight Foundation. How did that come about?

I’ve applied to grants handful of times over the years and it's never worked out. The big difference this time was that I had a lot more experience behind me. When I went to write the application, I had a story to tell based on everything I had worked on and achieved up to this point. I think that that played a big part in resonating with the judges. It’s great to be recognized for creating music in the space of culture that techno resides in. A lot of legacy music institutions, especially in academia, don't recognize dance music as a valid, authentic form of musical expression — Maybe because they don't quite understand how it connects to their framework of Western music. But that blanket statement that doesn't apply everywhere, and it's cool that Knight Foundation can see the vision.

I'm gonna play a collection of stuff that I  has been influential the style of music that I produce and play live as Lonefront. A snapshot into what I really love about this music.

Lonefront (4/16/25)

Man with beard and beanie smiles in Polaroid photo

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