Many of us thought that the Minneapolis sound began and ended with our purple forefather Prince, but Chicago-based label Numero Group has taken it upon themselves to prove us wrong in that assumption with the release of Purple Snow: Forecasting The Minneapolis Sound. I mean, of course there were other formidable Minneapolis funk groups, but who were they and how did their names get so muffled out of the picture that Prince alone seems to be the only living vestige of that tone and time? What most people don't realize is that Minneapolis (and more broadly Minnesota) has one of the most impressive and dynamic rosters of musicians to hale from a single geographic hub in the entire country (let's not forget Bob Dylan, Brother Ali and Atmosphere are all fellow Minnesota natives)
The compilation chronicles the come up of the clean sophisticated funk chops of the Purple Mecca both before and after it received the Paisley Park treatment. The comp LP brings together some choice and rare cuts from the likes of Alexander O’Neal, Rockie Robbins, Haze, Sue Ann Carwell, Prophets of Peace And Aura, and Cohesion. Not to mention the purple one himself on 94 East's "If You See Me" and another extremely successful production team that may very well be forever indebted to Prince with Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis' pre-Time groups Flyte Tyme and Mind & Matter. All in all, it's the perfect crash course in what influenced Prince from his hometown and it provides us with a testament to how he influenced the sound of his city. You can stream Purple Snow: Forecasting The Minneapolis Sound below.
