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Tokimonsta’s ‘Eternal Reverie’; Oakland's 100-Year-Old Produce Market

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Doug Mayeda, the produce manager at Village Market, inspects lychee to purchase for the store at the Oakland Produce Market in the Jack London Square neighborhood of Oakland in the early morning hours of July 2, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

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You can hear elements of hip-hop, R&B and even jazz in Tokimonsta’s intricate drum loops, synths and bass lines. On her latest album, Eternal Reverie, the Grammy-nominated producer found inspiration in a Brazilian record, and created music tinged with the memories of a close friend. For our series on California composers, Reporter Clare Wiley brings us this profile of Tokimonsta and the devastating setback that almost stole her ability to make music.. 

Summer is peak season for many of California’s fruits and vegetables, but that produce makes a lot of stops on the way to your table. One of those places is the Oakland Produce Market, which supplies small markets, restaurants and other food providers with the freshest foods. You don’t have to work for a grocery store or run a restaurant to shop here, as long as you buy in bulk. For her series, California Foodways, Lisa Morehouse got up in the middle of the night to meet some of the people who keep the Oakland Produce Market humming. 

 

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