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 

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


Julian Green

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


Evan Clark for MPR

Visit Saint Paul

St. Paul Star Program

State of Minnesota

papa mbye at Amsterdam Bar & Hall (April 10, 2025) | Carbon Sound

Watch papa mbye at Amsterdam Bar & Hall

Taylor Ngiri Seaberg stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about their work as a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, applying for grants as an artist, their upcoming project Manic Pixie Dream Boi, and more.


The Message - Taylor Ngiri Seaberg

Rage Against The Machine - Testify (Official HD Video)

Flyleaf - All Around Me

Tash Sultana - Jungle, extended version (Live at The Current)

Dealer's Choice

Taylor Ngiri Seaberg "Reason" | Pardon the Noise (S6, E2)

"Un Espacio Para El  Corazón" A Global Artist Exchange in Ciudad de Mexico

John Kueppers | MPR

Interview: Taylor Ngiri Seaberg

Büttäh is a DJ and producer based in Minneapolis. As a multi-genre DJ, he describes his style as “bass music.” Taking the legacy of reggae and dub and its influence on all genres of electronic music, Büttäh’s sets put an emphasis on rhythms that make you move. Büttäh is also an instructor at 

, a Minneapolis membership-based electronic music school.

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

Seeing people rocking parties and stuff my whole life. Going to concerts and seeing my homies DJ and being like, “damn, that's cool. I want to get into that.". So that's really what kind of drove me. I also wanted to spin my own music, too. 

It's awesome, because with the history of bass music, it comes from reggae, with that deep, 30 hertz sub bass. Anything that with rhythm that could make you move,  that's what I categorize bass music.  I can't really give it a genre. 

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

Being able to teach at Slam Academy now. I mean, obviously, playing the concerts, playing the festivals, bigger shows, is awesome, but being able to share knowledge with the stuff that I've learned.

Slam Academy is an electronic dance music school. It's a membership-based type of school. You can learn how to DJ, we teach kids Ableton, sound design, all that. It's basically just a musical playground for artists. I got into it through a mutual friend.

How would you describe your DJing philosophy?

Just have fun, man. A lot of people get too in their heads when they're playing and stuff. For the most part, as long as people are out there dancing, you're doing a good job out there, 1,000%.

I got a multi-genre set. A lot of people like to categorize me, and I don't want to stay in one lane when it comes to DJing. So, I'm gonna do a little multi-genre set and take you on the journey.

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.

Bass music in all its glory from a Minneapolis up-and-comer.


Buttah (6/11/25)

Man with bucket hat smiles in Polaroid photo

UK Garage and Dubstep from Büttäh | Carbon Sound

Büttäh (6/11/25)

Cadence and Mattie from NUNNABOVE sat down with Carbon Sound’s host Sanni and talked about what it’s like to be in a band with your siblings as well as the rewarding experiences that have come with it, including meeting and opening up for Chaka Khan.


Cadence and Mattie from NUNNABOVE sat down with Carbon Sound’s host Sanni and talked about what it’s like to be in a band with your siblings as well as the rewarding experiences that have come with it, including meeting and opening up for Chaka Khan.

The Message - NUNNABOVE

Cadence and Mattie Nun posing for a polaroid photo in the carbon sound studio

Cadence, Sanni, and Mattie posing for a photo in the carbon sound studio

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO? | EP 4

Interview: NUNNABOVE

Truly Humble Under God is the DJ alias of Minneapolis-based producer and rapper Major Sosa. With a heavy emphasis on exploring regional styles like footwork, New Orleans bounce, and ghetto tech, T.H.U.G. weaves a thread through Black electronic music while adding a deep-fried, meme-pilled filter to it. Many of the tracks he played in are self-produced and unreleased. There’s nothing else that sounds like this mix. 

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

Dance music always fascinated me, but it never was something where I was like, “I'm gonna do this.” A year ago I got the opportunity to start. It's been up ever since.

I like to think of it as a collage of what's around in the world that I see. It's a lot of dance, I'd say, like, a lot of movement.

Yeah. I started off in a group with my homies, Human Error. I started rapping on my own a little later after that, and then kept doing that. That's partially what got me into DJing, wanting to put the rap stuff into that context of a weird rave scene or something that.

Is there a common thread between DJing and producing for you?

For sure. Early on I tried to keep them separate, but I think they come together naturally… It's kind of cool to be able to incorporate what I make into what I DJ and shit like that.

I’ve been trying to play with a lot of originals. A big thing for me is egional sounds, so I've been working a lot with ghetto tech shit from Detroit and a lot footwork recently. But, yeah, a lot of  just cool shit to get vibing. I did some some weird other techno shit that I've made a while ago, but that's about it.

Jungle, Footwork, Techno, and just about everything else from a Minneapolis maverick.


T.H.U.G. (6/4/25)

Person with dreadlocks smiles in Polaroid photo

Ghetto Tech, Jungle, and Footwork mix from Truly Humble Under God | Carbon Sound

Truly Humble Under God (6/4/25)

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.

KayCyy, Brinx Parker - Falling On Purpose

LOKOMOTION (mr. fuego) - Fanaka Nation ft Trio Mio [official music video]

Mayyadda - Yesterdays to Tomorrows (Official Music Video)

student 1 - safe/hiding (Official Music Video)

sahn - blonde and yuma (live for Carbon Sound)

Room3 Album Release Show - First & Second Set

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

Author

John Kueppers

Natalia Toledo

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


Carbon Sound's Best Minnesota Music from May 2025 graphic

Concrete Rose

CADAVER

Falling On Purpose

Carbon Sound's 1st of the Month

Finesse

Hip-Pop II

Duality Of Life

FOMF - AkediaTheRapper

Moise - AURORA (Featuring Deva)

sahn - blonde (live for Carbon Sound)

sahn - yuma (live for Carbon Sound)

Room3 Album Release Show - First Set (4/27/25 at Dakota Jazz Club)

Room3 Album Release Show - Second Set (4/27/25 at Dakota Jazz Club)

Minnesota Music Releases to check out from May 2025

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.

 to represent UNBOTHERED for this month’s edition of the residency. D. Untethered is a Minneapolis-based DJ who also runs The People’s Sound, a mobile sound system that is 

integral to Minneapolis’ May Day programming

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

Listening to internet radio when I was a kid. At the age of 15 and 16, I felt like I was jacking into the mainframe, hearing all different kinds of music. When I got to college, I started following some DJs around that I had classes with called the the Crunchy Bunch. And then I met DJ Nola within a year and a half or so meeting them. I started following her around northern Minnesota, where I was going to school at. Before you know it, I just bought my own turntables and decided to do it.

You also run a sound system. How did that come about?

Following George Floyd being murdered in 2020, I, would walk over to the square to see what was going on. Some of those first protests were people trying to see what was going on and what to do. I noticed right away that there just wasn't really quality sound, there was a lot of folks walking around megaphones and d stuff like JBL speakers, but there wasn't any PAs projecting people's voices so everyone could hear them.

Within a week’s time, there were sound systems spontaneously just popping up. A DJ getting, a pop up tent, sound, and then feeding people oftentimes. I just thought that was really cool. The first time I ran into Yasmeenah was there on Juneteenth, and she was with the Black Visions Collective., I just got profoundly affected by that. It was a combination of seeing that, seeing myself, being able to do it, and then asking the community for help. So, I reached out to some promoters to see if I could borrow some sound, and I was able to get a small QSC sound system initially. Later I was able to do a fundraiser, raised about $7,000, and was able to buy the first real sound system. That was the start of 

You’re here today as a part of UNBOTHERED’S residency. What has been your favorite memory of working with them?

 was when it really all came together. Between Yasmeenah’s connections and relationships that she was able to kind of bring in such wonderful talent for that first event. I felt like that was the first time that we had this all-Black rave in Minneapolis. It was her vision to put that event together.

I feel like we both have a strong kind of connection with the Midwest when it comes to like underground music, and our collaboration comes out of a love for this music, and for the culture. We really want to take care of BIPOC folks in our scene that are oftentimes marginalized.

I put together a sunny house set. When I was putting this together, I was thinking about May Day and how I felt after. Trying to capture a vibe of being out in the sun with your friends.

UNBOTHERED invites frequent collaborator and scene stalwart D Untethered for a sunny house mix.


A sunny house set from a frequent UNBOTHERED collaborator.

UNBOTHERED Presents: D Untethered (5/28/25)

House mix from D. Untethered | Carbon Sound x UNBOTHERED

BYZARRA AKA DIE/ASPORA is a Minneapolis-based DJ and visual artist known for the innovative, boundary-pushing sets. Recently back from a debut set in New Orleans, BYZARRA has also been featured on 

 based in New York City and will be playing at 

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

Christian Ybarra. The two aliases I use are “BYZARRA” and “DIE/ASPORA.”

How do you delineate between the two aliases? 

When I think of DIE/ASPORA, I think more alt, heavier, grittier. It was the first alias I started using. I associate it with my more goth stuff or harder tech. When I think of BYZARRA, I think of very euphoric, 90s rave-influenced stuff. Kind of cerebral, I guess.

The fun thing about having more than one alias is there's a point where you can go into gray areas, like no man's land. I’ve been living in that groove as of recently, figuring out the middle ground is. But I would say probably it's a leaning more BYZARRA for this set.

I wasn't trying to DJ at first, believe it or not. It was just something that kind of fell in my lap. I started going out with a good friend of mine, Persephone, when she was hosting more events, and then she started DJing. The promoters wanted to get me on, too, and I was like, “okay, we'll see.” I wasn’t against it, but it was not something I was actively trying to do at the time.

Prior to getting into music, my  background was more in visual art.  That's what I went to school for. It's been a really wild journey, and I'm glad. I have no regrets as to how everything came about.

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

At this point with so many years into it, I feel like there's a level of trust that our local dance floors in the Twin Cities have with me. The party goers, the dancers, they know whatever I'm going to give them is going to be something they are not really expecting, but they're ready for the ride. I'm grateful for that, because that trust, a dancer's trust, you don't just get that right away.

I've been in a break-y bag. I played a show down in New Orleans for this underground queer, DIY space. I played a break-y, sassy set down there.What I'm going to be playing today is not necessarily aggressive, but maybe kind of diva-coded.

Everything but the kitchen sink from a Minneapolis innovator.


BYZARRA (5/21/25)

Person wearing bandana stares intently in Polaroid photo

Electro, Techno, and Breaks from BYZARRA | 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 19, 2025.


Image for New on Carbon Sound Spotify playlist

New on Carbon Sound

Old on Carbon Sound

New Music on Carbon Sound - Week of May 19, 2025

Taoheed Bayo stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about all of his creative endeavors: from events and short films to magazines and books.


The Message - Taoheed Bayo (Tbuzz)

Sanni Brown and Taoheed Bayo posing for a photo

Stories

Watch papa mbye at Amsterdam Bar & Hall

Interview: Taylor Ngiri Seaberg

Büttäh (6/11/25)

Get the Carbon Sound app

Interview: NUNNABOVE

Truly Humble Under God (6/4/25)

Minnesota Music Releases to check out from May 2025

UNBOTHERED Presents: D Untethered (5/28/25)

Connect with Carbon Sound

BYZARRA (5/21/25)

New Music on Carbon Sound - Week of May 19, 2025

Interview: Taoheed Bayo (Tbuzz)

See more stories →