If you’re looking to unlock the secrets of the universe, Ringgo Ancheta aka Mndsgn suggests a good beat. “Life has so much to do with rhythm and timing and pocket,” he says. “The more I understand and come to learn about music, the more I learn about life.” Ancheta feels his latest release Rare Pleasure (Stones Throw)—a jazzy, groove-laden collection that sees him picking up a microphone—represents the Mndsgn sound fully formed. He shares some truths about the ephemeral nature of being, and how jamming on a Roland JUNO-Di is all you need to uncover magic.
B-boy Beginnings
What were your first experiences with music? I heard your brother introduced you to hip-hop at a certain age.
My family wasn’t the most musical, so my relationship with music came from dance. I used to b-boy, and the music is so synonymous with that. When my older brother started learning how to make beats, he showed me how he was making them. He used the demo version of FruityLoops. You could export but couldn’t save your sessions. It was like, “Alright, that’s done.”
I read that you met your Klipmode crew via Myspace and AOL Instant Messenger. That’s was such a beautiful era of the Internet.
It’s a lost era, and I got a small taste of it during the pandemic. Everyone was home so it was a little bit of that time. I met Knxwledge first, through a hip-hop forum, and devonwho and Suzi Analogue through him. I thought Knxwledge was in Europe. We were talking online, and I was like, “Wait, you live in Philly? Dude, I’m going to drive to your house tonight.”
Jersey Chill to Cali Beat Scene
You were born in California but grew up in New Jersey. Did those locations impact you?
The weather has a lot to do with my creative climate. Jersey having its feeling enabled the state of mind that allowed me to create. When I go back and listen to my older work, I feel that coldness. Not in a negative way—there’s just something brisk about it. The state of mind out here is a lot warmer.
The L.A. Beat Scene is famously influential. What inspires you about that world and your peers?
The community here is like the X-Men. Everyone has their own thing. I don’t feel people are trying to beat each other. It’s a celebration of uniqueness and originality. In hindsight, that’s what brought me here. So many people doing such cool things and doing their own thing. It’s good energy to be around. There’s a different level of competitiveness because it’s not like trying to do the same thing better. It’s like, “What’s my voice and my sound?” Once you get a grasp on that, you don’t feel as much anxiety.
Behind the Mic
The new Mndsgn record, Rare Pleasure, has your voice all over it, literally.
My last record Body Wash, which came out in 2016, was the first time I tried to make a body of work with a substantial number of vocal songs. It’s a lot more refined on Rare Pleasure. If I could, I’d say this was my first record. Everything I made previously served as building blocks to getting here. I feel confident and grounded in terms of my relationship to my craft.
How did you push yourself to this new stage one?
It’s hard to pinpoint. A lot of it had to do with trying not to overthink things. Whenever you’re doing something, there’s that voice that’s like, “Well, I don’t know if we could.” Get rid of that and you have a possibility instead of an impossibility. “I could get so-and-so to play this part,” or “I can write these chords and then have a band come in.” Thinking freely instead of, “How am I going to do that?”
"If I could, I’d say this was my first record. I feel confident and grounded in terms of my relationship to my craft."
A Collaborative Spirit
You worked with friends to bring the instrumentation to life.
It was a team effort, and this is the first time I’ve done it to this caliber. I couldn’t have done it without the help of Swarvy. He plays on the record, mixed it, and was the bandleader during the sessions. Everybody knew what to do based on the energy. I hope to recreate that when we’re able to play shows again.
I didn’t get the title until I got together with the musicians. This was right before the pandemic hit. Everyone was touring, going here, going there. It’s crazy to think we all came together in such an effortless way. That’s when I was like, “This is literally a rare pleasure.” The title made a lot of sense. Whether it’s a rough or joyful experience, it’s a rare gift to experience life.
Gear Game
The SP-555 is key to Mndsgn performances. How does Roland gear play into this album?
I don’t have a ton of gear, but a good amount of it is Roland. The 555 has been in my live set for a while for effects and texture. I love the effects on it and the sound presets. I’m so comfortable with those. I’ve also got a vintage Chorus Echo.
Along with the 555, I have a JUNO-Di I used on Rare Pleasure and the record before that. It’s on the “Medium Rare” lead sounds and melodies, “I Hope You’re Doing Better,” and “Mask.” I start up Ableton and jam on that keyboard. Roland has been super-synonymous with the sounds I use. That’s actually how “Medium Rare” came to be. Me jamming and being like, “I should record this. It sounds nice.” Save it for later, revisit, start recreating in the studio.
"Think about what you want to do. Of those things, think about what you feel is impossible, then make that possible."
Last Words
What advice do you have for those seeking to make their mark on the music world?
Think about what you want to do. Of those things, think about what you feel is impossible, then make that possible. Keep exploring the possibilities. Saying, “People aren’t gonna be into this” or “This is too weird” are symptoms of “I can’t.” It’s all very elementary, but they’re things you can’t afford to forget. Have more of an “I can” mentality. If you say you can, you will.
