Mndsgn

Mndsgn is a producer whose off-center spins on hip-hop and synthesized funk have made him a fixture on the Stones Throw label roster. In addition to Yawn Zen (2014) and the more song-focused Bodywash (2016) and Rare Pleasure (2021), his three proper Stones Throw albums, his extensive discography includes a slew of secondary releases, EPs, and beat tapes. These include full-length collaborations with the Koreatown Oddity and Prophet, and the mainly instrumental Snax series, including the 2023 release Snaxxx.
Born Ringgo Ancheta in San Diego, California to former members of the Philippine arm of the Aum Supreme Truth Cult, Mndsgn (pronounced “mind design”) was raised on the edge of a New Jersey commune without electricity, and didn’t encounter hip-hop until he hitchhiked to Philadelphia to experience the modern world. A downtown resident explained sampling and beatmaking to him, and by the end of the day, Mndsgn acquired some equipment. Trips back to Philadelphia led to a move to Los Angeles, where he issued EPs and MP3s on labels like Klipmode and Fresh Selects. The Stones Throw label signed the producer in 2014 and released his spaced-out debut LP, Yawn Zen, that year. After the mixtape diversion Vivians, a Koreatown Oddity collaboration issued on cassette by the Akashik label, the producer delivered his proper follow-up in 2016 with Bodywash, inspired by post-disco R&B.
Two years later, Mndsgn produced Wanna Be Your Man, the return of underground funk musician Prophet, and also self-released the hip-hop-oriented Snax, a mixtape that combined new productions with remixes. The more collaborative Snaxx, another secondary full-length, came out in 2019, and Mndsgn collaborated with Lionmilk for the brief ambient album Forever in Your Sun (2020). Rare Pleasure arrived in 2021 with a breezy, R&B-oriented sound informed by film music and psychedelia. Labelmate Kiefer and fellow L.A. natives Carlos Niño and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson were among those who provided instrumentation, while Devin Morrison and Anna Wise contributed vocals. Both vocalists reappeared on 2023′s Snaxxx, which also included two guest features by the Live. ~ David Jeffries & Andy Kellman