Soundset 2009
Canterbury Downs is synonymous with horse racing, Shakopee, and suburbia. Definitely not the place you would expect to find over 15,000 people intent on listening to independent hip-hop for 8 hours. That, my friends, is the beauty of Minnesota and Soundset.
Local label, Rhymesayers Entertainment, put on Soundset for the first time last year outside the Metrodome: urban Minneapolis being the perfect place to celebrate Twin Cities’ local artists. Thanks to a holiday weekend and America’s favorite pastime, the Twins took over the area and Soundset ’09 was relocated to Shakopee. Even with this switch, the crowds were massive and the acts were on it. If rhymes are candy and Soundset is a store, then thousands of fans were the proverbial kid. With over 30 artists, a B-Boy and B-Girl battle going on, tagging, and 3rd Lair skating it was easy to get lost in the music and the crowd. The Fifth Element Stage was home to friend of The Dustbowl, Kristoff Krane, as well as Heiruspecs, Cunninlynguists, Sims (from Doomtree fame), Blue Scholars, and many more. The Main Stage connected the coasts with Haiku D’Etat representing the West and Immortal Technique and Sage Francis reppin’ the East. Don’t fret, Midwest pride was strong with Brother Ali, P.O.S., Atmoshpere, and Eyedea & Abilities enchanting the crowd: all of it so very good. There’s a lot more to be said about Soundset but I’m personally very happy to have been introduced to Eyedea & Abilites and am looking forward to the drop of their new album, By The Throat, on July 21st. Rhymesayers and Soundset are definitely putting Minnesota, or as I like to call it Money$ota, on the hip-hop map.
Saraya Boghani
sboghani@frontiernet.net
Kristoff Krane-Skyway Sessions
We recently had the pleasure of working with the very talented Chris Keller, aka Kristoff Krane, for our first segment of Skyway Sessions. Mr. Keller is a multifaceted artist working in various groups, such as Abzorbr, Saturday Morning Soundtrack, and Eyedea & Abilities. He strings lyrics and beats together the way an authentic composer orchestrates an overture. Creating unique pieces, Krane is on his way to becoming the next big thing in the ever-expanding Twin Cities music scene. You can expect a lot from Kristoff Krane this year. Not only will he be featured at Soundset 2009, he is also releasing two EPs, Picking Flowers Next to Roadkill (which he is considering turning into an full-length) and EP 3 with Abzorbr (available May 23 on iTunes).
Kristoff Krane’s most recent album This Will Work For Now was released last September and is available on iTunes and through his Myspace.
— Haley Rheinhart & Rachel Summers —
blog.dustbowl@gmail.com
The Dustbowl 