Text by CLOT Magazine
With a selection of deep and dark cuts, the rising electronic music producer MINOS is presenting our next mixtape.
The London-based, Italian/Colombian electro producer fuses complex synth-work with powerful harmonies. MINOS is a classically trained pianist. However, her love for the dancefloor has naturally guided her into electronic production.
Her musical training feeds directly into her synth work, which is also underpinned by intricate grooves and an overall love of sound design; if that wasn’t enough, her upbringing in Dubai and Tokyo has instilled a deep interest in the futuristic, which shows up in her music, along with an appreciation for diverse and multicultural sounds.
Minos’ music is also inspired by a sense of apocalyptic chaos and confusion; Minos’ knack for rich harmonies and killer grooves becomes her main emotional weapon. She makes no exceptions deploying complex and evocative synth-work for optimum dancefloor effect where her music combines a passion for dancefloor dwelling with meticulous sound design and storytelling.
The first release, Compose Urself EP is the first representation of how the world of MINOS is beginning to take true form. As she facilitates an immersive journey through this rapturous world, With this project, the artist seeks to captivate the listener both in mind and in body, carrying them away into her rapturous world.
This is achieved through her careful attention to sonic detail, wherein every layer and every sound tells its own story, culminating in a unique symphony of acousmatic elements and facilitating an immersive journey through this fantastical world.
For this mixtape, MINOS says it includes a lot of the music and artists that inspired her for the Compose Urself EP and that continue to inspire her in the studio these days: I called it “Hidden Depth” because the music is deep and dark and you really feel it in your gut…I love music that entrances you and makes you explore your depths. I don’t think people spend enough time to do it.
What was the creative process like for the production of your last EP? What were you technically and conceptual (if so) exploring with it?
Before working on this EP I had just finished producing a sci-fi audio drama called The Andromeda Project, which is set on a dystopian foreign planet called Thesson (where there are also a few pretty dope underground nightclubs). I reused some of the samples from the audio drama and continued telling the story of Thesson through more elaborate dance music. Those who know me know that I love telling stories;
through words, through music, through sounds, through drama. Here, I wanted listeners to feel transported and, most of all, stir them to fucking dance and let go after the dystopian drama we’ve just experienced on Earth.
What are your main inspirations for your productions these days? and how do you want to see taking your sound into?
Lately, my moon in Cancer has been acting up. So I’ve been an emotional wreck. But in a good way! So now I’ve been inspired by sonic elements and instruments that pull on those heartstrings a bit more. I play a lot of romantic classical piano and I love the way the big guys like Theo Parrish and Aphex Twin incorporate the piano into their work, so I’ve been trying to weave that sound into some interesting experimental dance music.
How does your classic musical training influence or inform your dancefloor-oriented work?
Producing a dancefloor track is like composing a symphony – each sound in the DAW is like a player in an orchestra. Sometimes players get cool solos, sometimes they just play in the background and no one ever really notices them, yet everybody serves an important purpose and, together, we tell a dope story. I generally get quite technical when I produce and I really think about tonality, polyphony, dynamics, thematic development, form, function and texture. I definitely overthink it all sometimes and then it doesn’t feel natural anymore…I’m still trying to find the balance.
What is your relationship with technology nowadays, and how do you use it for your practice? And how do you cope with technology (screen/digital) overload?
My EP was made entirely digitally, perhaps too digitally, I think I need to reconnect with the real world a little! But the real world sucked for a while if you know what I mean. It’s so easy to get trapped behind a screen and in the Ableton and promo vortex, especially after all these house arrests. I’d normally spend a lot of time outdoors to get away from screens, but I live in London now… Instead, I make a point of having some aeroplane-mode time every day. It’s really good for your soul.
