Against the Clock is a series where we give an artist 10 minutes in the studio and see what they come up with. You can watch all the past episodes here.
In this episode, we linked up with Mndsgn (pronounced “mind design” – it’s a reference to a Nas lyric, in case you were wondering) in his Los Angeles home studio.
Although he’s settled on the West Coast, and its sleepy sound fits his sleepy keys like a glove, Mndsgn was born in the Philippines, where his parents formed part of the Aum Supreme Truth Cult. The Cult’s ventures into terrorist activity caused them to flee the group in the late 1980s, and after being granted political asylum in the US they settled in rural New Jersey.
Since moving West, Mndsgn has signed to Stones Throw Records, who released his debut album Yawn Zen last year. He’ll be taking his twinkling fingers (check that bird’s eye view!) to London later this month, performing for Soundcrash on May 30.
Photography by: Eric Coleman / Edited by: Laith Majali / Special thanks to: Laurent Fintoni
