I grew up listening to Prince mostly because of my pops. Living in a suburb south of St. Paul for all of my childhood, I didn’t appreciate the Minneapolis music scene until I got out of it and left for college out West.
There I started to appreciate hip-hop and R&B on a much more personal level. Getting in much deeper with Prince, Atmosphere and other Minnesota acts towards the end of college, including Solid Gold, GAYNGS and Mel Gibson & the Pants. Finally, in the Bay Area I found Polica, Tickle Torture, thestand4rd, and most recently, Morly. Well, kinda.
I stayed in Minneapolis for a few years after college and covered my first show, Theophilus London at The Loft, in early 2012. There I heard one of the openers and fell in love (with her voice). It belonged to Katy Morley, now known as Morly. I remember tracking Astronautalis and her down to see if they had any music released. She didn’t, but I remember her telling me something was in the works.
Four years later and I run into her music while researching a post on Minneapolis (this one). Her voice is even more touching and her piano playing stands out more.
It’s good to have such talent sprouting from the Twin Cities. A lot of which have Prince all over them. Here’s a dozen or so and their songs.
A Taste of Minneapolis tracklist
Tickle Torture – Forgotten
POLIÇA – Lime Habit
Solid Gold – Synchronize
GAYNGS – Faded High
Mel Gibson and the Pants – Paper Shaper Shifter
Doomtree – Flex
thestand4rd – Tryna Fuk
Morly – If Only Chords
spooky black – Without U (Prod. Greaf)
Morly – Seraphese
Gigamesh – Control (feat. Caroline Smith)
Flora Cash – For Someone
Brother Ali – Uncle Sam Goddamn
Atmosphere – The Outernet
OTHERtone Prince Special
