https://youtu.be/AyQNZ1igBoY

If one is unfamiliar with MNDSGN (sounded Mind Design) they probably enjoy the nescient underpinning of that boulder they happen to call “home.”. While that may have come across as pompous and or representative of the sort gatekeeping attitude other music reviewers and certain fans seem to carriage, I meant that in the “I can’t wait to show you more!”…. Sort of way. Anyways this Los Angels based, Jersey-born producer is no stranger to cheffing together beats incorporating flavors of ’80s funk, classic soul, jazz, and samba as he effortlessly tops off the most intimate elements of these genres to express joyful and vibrant musical synergy. And his influences seem to stem more from interpersonal experiences than anything else—from being raised on gospel music at church, to coming from a culture of b-boying at home, to forming the Klipmode collective with fellow beatmakers such as Knxwledge, before relocating to sunny Los Angeles in 2011.

    Rare Pleasure is Mndsgn’s second proper album (in between the mix of collaborations and mixtapes) since 2016’s Body Wash, which highlighted the producer’s ability to pull at the strings of nostalgia by weaving together ’70s synths and funk sounds. In the song “Hope You’re Doin’ Better,” Mndsgn dreamily follows the title’s wish with the sincere promise in the 1^st verse, “You’re not alone / You know you got a friend whenever you need one / Pick up your phone.” Also the woozy neo-ballad titled ‘Masque’, compliments “Hope your doing better” so smoothly it allows one to recall a sort of familiar Frank Ocean, but at his haziest. Elsewhere, ‘Medium Rare’ might be the standout, cut from similar cloth to ‘Masque’ but imbuing the blueprint with jazzy flourishes of piano and saxophone, while holding onto the artistic integrity of  late 70s and 80s sonics.

    Mndsgn began exploring these themes  on his Stones Throw debut Yawn Zen (2014), which he followed up with Body Wash (2016). Raw, mixtape-style records Snax and Snaxx followed in 2018 and 2019. Rare Pleasure’s personal and musical forces bring depth and texture to the album’s tracks. Together, they establish a soundtrack to scenes of vulnerability (romantic intimacy in “Slowdance;” fear in “Colours of the Sunset;” self-care in “Medium Rare)  confided by Mndsgn to the listener through his sensitive instrumental ear and cinematic storytelling approach. Sensitive themes are paired  with recurring musical motifs that echo throughout the record, drawing from library music, and soundtrack music. Whether it is the 1970s Quincy Jones-tinged “Rare Pleasure II,” thicc bump-and-roll of “Rare Pleasure III,” or the bossa nova hustle of “Rare Pleasure IV,” these are storytelling  moments executed to the fullest without the use of language.

    By caring for a loved one’s mental health as well as his own, Mndsgn has transformed his skills as a beatmaker producer into something far more exceptional while bestowing his first slow-burner album of his catalog.

What happens when you put some of the most influential names in orchestra, hip-hop, bossa nova, and hybrid jazz from across the world in one room? Truth happens. Truth happened then, on February 22, 2009.

In 2009, Brian Cross (aka B+) organized a series of live events at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex in Los Angeles. The Timeless series captured the lasting impact of several artists on the world of hip-hop and beyond. Live, fully orchestrated performances by Ethiopia’s Mulatu Astatke and Brazil’s Arthur Verocai bookended the Suite For Ma Dukes, a tribute to James “J Dilla” Yancey, by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. The tribute began with a few words from the artists present:

“How’s everybody feeling’? I just wanna say I feel blessed to be here, to hear JD’s music being expressed in this way is just another step towards how great his music, how wonderful and how divine it is. There’s not many times I created music that I felt like it was the most divine music and being able to do that with J Dilla it was some typa connection that I couldn’t describe to anybody.”

Wonderful, divine, great: Common couldn’t have put it any better. I mean, from his unique vantage point as a revered legend in rap and frequent collaborator with late producer James Yancey, better known by his future moniker J Dilla, his word is essentially truth. Which is a word that comes as close as I can think to describing the essence of that room where the Timeless series blossomed for the celebration of sound and as tribute to Dilla: truth.

On Mochilla Presents Timeless: Suite for Ma Dukes Miguel Atwood-Ferguson pays tribute to Dilla by interpreting his music for a 60-piece orchestra featuring special guests Bilal, Dwele, Posdnuos, Thundercat, Talib Kweli, Karriem Riggins and more. This coming together of artists was nothing short of magic set to music. This premiere performance left many in the sold out crowd in tears, with famed BBC personality Giles Petersen saying “That’s just about the most powerful thing I’ve heard. Brilliant.”

Any lover of hip-hop could talk your ear off about the impact J Dilla’s production made on everyone in the scene. Full-length books have been written about him, his style, how he pushed music forward and played with composition and form in new and inspiring ways. Inspiring to many, including Questlove and Erykah Badu. Take it from Kanye West himself, producer of producers:

“Me and Common would go play basketball and hang and all that. But me and Dilla just focused on tracks. He had the organic feel but still the sonics were breakthrough, and he could give you a warm sound that still cut through speakers. It’s like he was making Quincy Jones production sessions inside his MPC.”

JD’s influence is astounding given the brevity of his time on earth: he passed away at 32 due to lupus. Just 32, and his legacy inspires musicians from around the world, from across genres, to get up and come together and dance and sing and even cry. That’s all another way of saying “to heal.”

That’s what I felt, at least, when I first came across the DVD recording of this performance on YouTube so many years ago. I have been a fan of Dilla for a long time, namely of his hallmark album “Donuts,” without really understanding the impact of his work. I simply felt the music. It spoke to something in me which wanted healing. Take this song, for example, the Timeless performance of “Fall in Love,” a song produced for Slum Village.

Hearing the iconic melody set to an orchestra for the first time was like falling in love. The symbols crashing, the bells reverberating in the first minute. Then the horns like slow and serene rivers, with high woodwinds prancing over the drumbeat, held tight by Riggins. The build-up burning, then letting up into the sliding violins which seem to close out the song, but then come in deep horns and shimmering synths and everything comes together. And then, of course, the cheering crowd, their clapping throughout like a pacemaker. In the recording, a camera pans over to a seat left open with a cello leaning against it as the music swells—Dilla’s instrument. That is where he would have sat.

This rendition is not unlike the original sonically. Its musical essence remains intact and in many ways is both heightened and deepened with the love of collaboration. They find new valleys and caverns in the track to explore and build upon. Every member of the room, from the audience to the backup singers to JD’s mom herself, Ma Dukes, is involved and enthralled and in love.

Brilliant, truth, love: take from this review what you will, but from the recordings of that event? You would have a hard time denying these elements from making an impression on you. Take a listen, you might fall in love.

Recklessly driving with your friends because there seems to be no consequences for the young and lavish. Casual sex, religion, and drug cooking girlfriends. Unrequited love, pleasure, and universal meaning. This is, Channel Orange. Frank Ocean dives deep into themes of unrequited love and privilege in Los Angeles through his groundbreaking album, Channel Orange. His genius is the reason why I am writing about an album that came out 10 years ago. Frank, we miss you. Stopping myself from revisiting this album every day is almost impossible as Ocean’s poetry fills my car, my room, leaving me cathartic EVERY DAMN TIME. 

“Bad Religion” is one of those songs that is a whole experience in itself. With Ocean’s steady rhythmic chord structure  placing you in a cathedral right from the start, it begins the experience of placing you in that religious setting. This story takes place in a taxi cab where Frank is drinking himself deeper and deeper into despair while using the taxi cab driver as his personal therapist. He compares unrequited love to “ a one-man cult”, or is he talking about religion? That’s just the beauty of his work, it somehow leaves the listener guessing and understanding all at the same time. At 1:30 the listener is introduced to inconsistent claps. The offbeat syncopation shows that Ocean is relating to how something is not adding up in his life. As we get further and further into his mind the music becomes more grandiose following more consistent claps that fit the natural accents in the chord that we were hoping to find as some sort of closure. His cry that he lets out in the chorus, “If it brings me to my knees” brings the listener closer to him. It is as if he is asking us to really listen to him, to really pay attention to his words, to his cries. 

“Pink Matter”, with the help of André 3000 is just another one of those songs that leaves you in an otherworldly futuristic “wtf was that” kind of state. The slow funky guitar riff consistently playing throughout the piece creates a groovy familiarity while listening to lyrics like “Sensei replied, “What is your woman? Is she just a container for the child?” That soft pink matter.” Ocean seems to be introducing new futuristic ideas through pleasure and the power of women. Following,  “What if the sky and the stars are for show And the aliens are watching live From the purple matter?” leaves the listener working hard to figure about what Frank is really trying to say. His worship for women’s ethereal qualities is displayed throughout the song especially in Ocean’s use of melisma while he cries out, “Pleasure.” He seems to idolize the female form in this ode to women. 

“Lost” has to be one of the most unconventional love stories introduced to us by Ocean. Its bright cadence throws off the listener to the meaning of his words. Ultimately this song introduces a scenario where Frank is a drug dealer who travels across borders, and even across seas while his girlfriend is cooking the drugs for him to sell. Ocean is scared that this game will ultimately leave his girlfriend lost, and him alone. Interestingly, Ocean chose to use a melody that doesn’t leave the listener in tears from this modern love story but in a groovy state where you just can’t help but sway from side to side. The chorus, “Now you’re lost, lost in the heat of it all” is backed up by an allegro series of notes. Again his constant use of melisma through the word “lost” is used for emphasis on his journey through this turbulent relationship.

Oh Frank, what goes on in that beautiful mind?