Chosen By The Funk Presents: Minneapolis Sound 2.0 - A Fundraiser For Hopewell Music Cooperative North
Minneapolis Sound 2.0 // A two-night music event and fundraiser at two Minneapolis venues. Music workshop with local musicians serving as guest instructors on the first night followed by an evening of performances featuring North Minneapolis community leaders on night two.
Prince was a piano prodigy and guitar god, but the instruments most responsible for shaping the Minneapolis Sound were less traditional: synthesizers and a drum machine called the Linn LM-1 Drum Computer. This dichotomy is precisely what Minneapolis artist and event curator Bobby Kahn is focusing on with his Minneapolis Sound 2.0 event.
Expanding on an event he threw last year under the same name, Kahn is once again working with Hopewell Music Cooperative North, a non-profit music school serving North Minneapolis. In addition to being an all around celebration of music, the event will serve as a fundraiser for the school. This year, the event will take place at two different venues throughout Minneapolis.
The first night, Friday, November 17, is at Slam Academy, an electronic music school in Northeast Minneapolis. The event, which is free, will feature performances by Hopewell Students and Faculty followed by a demonstration on traditional music composition by their faculty. Afterwards, the synthesizer and Linn Drum side of the Minneapolis sound will be highlighted, with demonstrations by local musicians Bionik, C.Kostra (aka Ryan Olcott of 12 Rods), DJ Adatrak and Tanya Leigh.
The event travels south to The Hook and Ladder Theater the following night (Saturday, November 18), bringing with it a hefty contingent from the North Side. North High dance teacher Tamiko French has put together a crew of dancers (known as Legacy Arts Collective), who will be performing dances to Prince songs. Prominent North Minneapolis community organizer and hip-hop artist Farr Well will be joining Mitchel Peterr (who has worked as a social worker serving students in North Minneapolis) and special guests for a hip-hop performance.
Kahn will also debut a new project called Bobby Kahn’s House Of Funk, which is a hybrid combination of performance art, DJ set, motivational speech, and religious revival. Kahn will send his message of love, positivity, and funkiness to the place where he feels it is best received: the dance floor. He will be joined for the performance by dancers and hype-women Rikyrah Snow and Tiza White. The performance fits nicely into the theme of the event, as Kahn completed Slam Academy’s DJ Program earlier in 2017.
Chosen By The Funk Presents: Minneapolis Sound 2.0 – A Fundraiser For Hopewell Music Cooperative North - Sponsored By The Lotus Uptown.
Night 1 – November 17, 2017 6-9 PM
Slam Academy
1121 NE Jackson St #142
Free
Featuring performances by Hopewell Students & Faculty
Music demonstrations by Bionik, C.Kostra, DJ Adatrak, Tanya Leigh and Hopewell Faculty
Night 2 – November 18, 2017 7-9 PM
The Hook & Ladder Theater
3010 Minnehaha Ave S
$10 advance/$12 door
Featuring performances by Bobby Kahn’s House Of Funk (with Rikyrah Snow & Marne Skusa), Mitchel Peterr & Farr Well with special guests, and Legacy Arts Collective (performing dances choregraphed by Tamiko French)
Attendees are encouraged to bring extra money as there will be many funky, Minneapolis-based raffle prizes available both nights, donated by local artists and businesses. Additionally, the event's sponsor - The Lotus Uptown - will be providing food for the event on Friday night which will be offered to attendees in exchange for donations. All funds raised from the raffle and the food will be given directly to Hopewell.
About Bobby Kahn/Chosen By The Funk
Bobby Kahn is an artist, community organizer, event curator/promoter, writer, funk aficionado, and lifelong resident of Minneapolis. He has been putting on events around Minneapolis and writing for various local publications for several years, but he has taken things to another level recently. On a mission to keep Minneapolis funky in a post-Prince world, Bobby has put on 8 events (and counting) under the name Chosen By The Funk in the past year, including a sold-out Prince tribute event in the 7th Street Entry on the anniversary of the icon’s death. He has also racked up thousands of views on his writing focused on the Minneapolis Sound for the Local Current blog and his own website (ChosenByTheFunk.com). Born a month before Purple Rain was released, Bobby didn’t have a choice in the matter when it came to having an affinity for all things funky.
Links
Night 1 Facebook Event
Night 2 Facebook Event
Night 2 Tickets
Chosen By The Funk
Hopewell Music Cooperative North
Slam Academy
The Hook and Ladder Theater
“Minneapolis funk evangelist Bobby Kahn celebrates Prince party, dreams of festival” – Local Current blog
“How Prince’s love affair with Detroit helped fuel the birth of techno” – Local Current blog
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