From funk to hip hop to reggae and beyond, producer and trumpeter Kyle
"HighStyleKyle" Borchert has left his mark on the Twin Cities' musical
landscape. Best known for his work in the award-winning
Midwest Carribean Album series 'Lightning and Thunder'.
Borchert has also worked on projects for such Midwest luminaries as
Atmosphere, I Self Divine, Black Blondie, Maria Isa, Kanser, Culture Cry Wolf,
More Than Lights, Los Nativos, Lazerbeak of Doomtree, Mayda,
Omaur Bliss, Aby Wolf, and many others.
A formally-trained jazz trumpeter, Borchert got his start in high
school and college jazz bands, eventually branching out to play in a
number of successful reggae and funk outfits. In the Twin Cities, he
has been a member of: Shangoya (the first established Carribean band in the
Cities), the ska band Umbrella Bed, the reggae band Jarija,
seminal hip hop/funk/soul band Leroy Smokes, as musical director for
reggaeton sensation Maria Isa, and pop punk Hip hop mashup band
Culture Cry Wolf. Kyle is currently the DJ/keyboardist/trumpeter for
funkstress Mayda, neo soul siren Ashley Gold, and is the trumpeter for
2019 City Pages picked to Click winner; Nur-d's live band. As well as working
as a resident DJ at; The Uptown Pourhouse, the 508, Pimento Jamaican Kitchen,
The Uptown Tavern, Saint Paul Food Truck Park, and several other
Twin Cities dance nights.
Working as both a producer and instrumentalist,
Borchert has backed up Bobby Brown, Rhymefest, Golden, Truthmaze,
Omaur Bliss, Casual Confusion, Slug, Prince Jabba, Innocent,
M.anifest, Muja Messiah, the Kamillion, Unicus, Yoni, St Paul Slim,
Peewee Dread and many others, all while doing his part
performing and helping compose eclectic, genre-defying
original material.
Leroy Smokes won the L.A. Music Award for "Best
Rap Album" in 2006, has been three-times nominated for "Best R&B"
categories at the Minnesota Music Awards, and was a top ten finalist
(out of over 7,000 bands) in the Fuse TV series "BodogMusic Battle of
the Bands." Lightning and Thunder Vols 1 and 2 both received several local
print accolades including Vol 1 being named one of the top 5 Local Albums
of 2008 by the City Pages. The 2021 Release of the long awaited Vol 3
is sure to be one of the most anticipated releases of the new year.
Kyle will immediately follow the last installment of the Lightning and Thunder
series with the first volume of his hip hop and r and b series; Time and Space.
The album features vocals by, Nur-d, Mayda, Ashley Gold, T La Shawn,
St Paul Slim, Big Zach,and many more. Look for both of these albums to
make a big splash in 2021!
