The Minneapolis sound

“Minneapolis has a rich history of folk, punk, rock and country music, but there’s also a genre known as ‘The Minneapolis Sound’: a blend of R&B, jazz, funk, punk, new wave and rock ’n’ roll. Prince, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Morris Day and André Cymone all contributed to this unique music (which included a heavy reliance on Linndrum machines and synthesisers). It dominated the airwaves in the 1980s and beyond.

No Minneapolis icon compares to Prince, and the city shaped his life and work. Duluth-born folk troubadour Bob Dylan also remained connected to Minnesota by re-recording songs at the Sound 80 Studio in Minneapolis’ Seward neighbourhood (where Soundaround offers tours).

Minneapolis has some of the best live venues in the world, including First Avenue, which is housed in a former Greyhound bus depot. Prince made it iconic when he featured it in his 1984 film Purple Rain – his famous ballad of the same name was also recorded live inside these walls.

The Dakota club is the place for jazz, soul, R&B and blues musicians.the Armory (housed in an armoury built in 1936) has been headlined by Jackwhite and Lizzo (a Prince protégé).

Soundaroundtours focus on places associated with Prince, Minneapolis Sound artists and the downtown music scene. You can download a geo-location-based app that’ll direct you to the sites, then audio files will tell you their stories.” Kristen Zschomler is a historian and guide who co-founded Soundaroundtours (soundaroundtours.com) and the International Centre 4 Prince Studies.