In this interview, producer Yvette Rollins joins KGNU’s Indra Raj to talk about the upcoming Melanin Funk Festival 2025, taking place on Friday, September 12th in downtown Boulder. Rollins shares how the festival began three years ago as her “love letter” to Boulder, highlighting community, music, and culture. This year’s event will feature DJ Barry, SSI and the Fafa Family, and hip-hop duo The Reminders, creating a vibrant block party atmosphere reminiscent of New York–style community gatherings. Rollins emphasizes the festival’s role in celebrating BIPOC voices and talent on the Front Range while being open and welcoming to all ages.
Indra Raj: This is KGNU Community Radio. My name is Andra Raj, and I’m very happy to be in the studio with Yvette Rollins, the producer of the Melanin Funk Festival 2025, happening on Friday, September 12th, right here in Boulder from five 30 to 9:00 PM Welcome to KGNU.
Yvette. Thank you so much for
Yvette Rollins: having me, Indra.
Indra Raj: It’s wonderful to have you. I’m so glad you reached out. Tell us all about the Melanin Funk Festival.
Yvette Rollins: Okay, so the Mellon Funk Festival started three years ago. It is actually a love letter for me to boulder. I’ve been in the music business for forever working at EMI music publishing where I produced all of the events for them.
So for people that were on our catalogs, I would do the showcases for them, and then people in Boulder got wind that that’s what I do. And so. I, began producing shows in Boulder and, three years ago, downtown Boulder asked me to be a part of a series that they did, and I was like I’m [00:01:00] gonna be a part of it.
But I wanted to make it so that it would be like a continual thing. And so I named it the Melanin Funk Festival and three years later, here we are. And so I’m super excited.
Indra Raj: Yeah, so it happened every year for the past three years we’ve had it. Yep. And. Tell us exactly where it’s gonna be. It’s gonna be next to the Deon Bay Tea House downtown on 13th Street.
Yes. It’s like the
Yvette Rollins: Civic Center. Mm-hmm. and it’s property that is owned by the city. It’s literally right next door to Deon Bay Tea House. It’s that parking lot thing. That’s that lot. That’s right. Right.
Indra Raj: Okay. So tell us about what. People can expect from five 30 to 9:00 PM on Friday, September 12th,
Yvette Rollins: so they can expect to hear on the ones and twos from DJ Barry.
He’s awesome. He’s gonna be the DJ for the night. They are also can expect to hear from SSI and the Fafa family. Typically they get ssi, but we have [00:02:00] SSI and the Fafa family. Super excited about that. Of course the reminders, which I hope that people get a sense as to the passion that I have for Boulder, like through this music.
Indra Raj: I’m just looking at the poster here, DJ Barry, his style is fun, soul Global Grooves. And so he’s gonna be kind of providing the music throughout the night in between sets and at the beginning. Correct. Okay.
. And then, so Lassie and the FFA family, big friend here at KGNU, we had the whole crew in, I wanna say about six months ago ahead of some shows that they were doing. And of course, Afropop Reggae Fusion. Just the best. We love them. And then the reminders are a hip hop duo and they are just so incredible.
We’re so lucky to have them here on the front range. Yes. All of these Yes. Musicians.
Yvette Rollins: Amazing. Yes. Amazing. We’re lucky. We, like you said, we are extremely lucky to have this talent here in Colorado and I, I’m extremely [00:03:00] lucky and I feel blessed to have a relationship with them. I. Call, pick up the phone email and they’re like, oh yeah, definitely.
We’ll, we’ll do it.
Indra Raj: That’s great. So
Yvette Rollins: I, I feel blessed.
Indra Raj: And so it’s basically just gonna be a big dance party. It sounds like it’s gonna be a block party, like New York style
Yvette Rollins: block party. We don’t have a stoop, but just imagine community getting together and I don’t know if a lot of people here in Boulder know, but.
Block parties it’s a movement in New York. It’s where community get together is where we collaborate. And typically a lot of our blocks in New York have it like before school. So we’re doing it a little bit different here. But it’s that theme.
Indra Raj: And will there be. Food and drink or just the entertainment?
What other things can people expect? It’s just the entertainment.
Yvette Rollins: Okay, great. And we are, we will have a beverage a mobile, non-alcoholic beverage vendor. Who will participate, but outside of that, no, no food. It is a short [00:04:00] window, so we’re not gonna have food. We may but as it stands right now, unless a vendor in town who’s hearing this would like to participate and be a part of the Melanin Funk Fest, I welcome.
Yes, I welcome you.
Indra Raj: Yes. Wonderful. And so open to all ages.
Yvette Rollins: Everyone is welcome. I know people are like, oh, the melanin funk fests. I have a fr a couple of friends is like, well, can I come? I’m like, absolutely. You have melanin too. Just not as much as I do. But you have melanin.
Indra Raj: Yes, absolutely.
Yes. And so, you know. You and I are both women of color living in Boulder. Yes. There’s not a ton of us. So you know, obviously the name of this Fest festival was intentional on your part for sure. To sort of call out like, Hey, we have a vibrant community of people, of Bipoc folks in this city and the on the front range who can perform and.
We should
Yvette Rollins: celebrate that. Oh my God, absolutely. That is it. You hit the nail on the head. It is my pleasure and my honor to [00:05:00] put on this event for people of color because there are so many of us in this town, not us. So many, let me, not so many, but there are some of us who are here and the ones that are here I kid you not like, are.
Incredible and amazing and doing great work. You yourself are doing work like you’re amazing. Oh, Dr. Sheila Davis, Dr. Every and there’s so many doctors here too, like they have more doctorate degrees than people in New York have of GEDs. You know, like it’s incredible. And so they should be honored and supported.
Absolutely.
Indra Raj: Yeah. Lifting those voices that maybe don’t take Center stage as often in our community. Correct. Correct.
Yvette Rollins: Absolutely.
Indra Raj: That’s what we’re all about here at KGNU too, so we’re really happy to support this. And yes, the Melanin Funk Festival 2025 Block Party happening Friday, September 12th from five 30 to 9:00 PM next door to the Deshaun Bay Tea House on 13th Street in [00:06:00] Boulder.
Yvette Rollins: Yes.
Indra Raj: Thank you so much. Thank you so much for being here, Yvette. Yes,
Yvette Rollins: my pleasure. Thank you.
