Contrasts are a part of Ela Minus process.
(She officially adopted the Ela Minus moniker in 2015.)
All of that resulted inDIA, her most personal and introspective piece of music to date.
Alvaro Arisó*
Your career path is very interesting.
You came to the United States for music school and then you started designing your own synthesizers.
Maybe it was my first influence, but its hard for me to say.
I wasnt really exposed to a lot of live music other than rock growing up in Colombia.
There werent really any non-Colombian bands or DJs touring.
So when I moved to the States for college, that was my first exposure to electronic music.
As soon as I made that connection, it kind of opened this door that I eagerly dove through.
The moment I left Colombia, I was over rock music, to be honest.
I moved to college and started studying jazz and synthesizers and music synthesis.
I started listening to things I wanted to make for myself.
I had this sound in my head, and I just needed to get it out somehow.
Part of your curriculum involved studying jazz music.
Does jazz inform a lot of the music youre making as Ela Minus?Definitely a lot.
I still listen to the music of my drum teacher, Terri Lynn Carrington.
She was my private instructor for four years in drums, so I think a lot about her teachings.
Everything she taught me about drums kind of applies to all aspects of music-making.
How has your production process changed since your early EPs?
Those early records [First WordsandKiddo] quickly establish your signature sound.
Those early EPs intentionally had a very specific sound.
I didnt have any budget, but I also didnt want one.
Do I have a synthesizer for all the drums?
One for all the basses?
One for all the chords?
Its growth by trusting that I can work in different ways.
I dont think its a negative thing.
I can never be a synth-pop American singer because Im not American.
I cant do what Sofia Kourtesis does because Im not making club music.
Sitting in-between all these worlds and forging my identity from this unique combination is a big driver personally.
Your lyrics are mostly written in English.
Im very committed to trying to be as honest and intuitive as I can with my music.
I have a go at stick to that language and develop the idea through improvisation.
Ive been living in English-speaking places for most of my adulthood.
Daft Punk and Phoenix too, many global north musicians that arent native English speakers.
But for some reason, its only a topic when its Latino musicians.
I think thats interesting.
The difference is in how they reflect the five years in-between making each album.
I was less focused on self-made rules as far as production or writing.
I felt freer to do whatever I wanted.
it’s possible for you to see them as two sides of the same coin.
That was always everyone elses interpretation.
And the day-to-day is all affected by these bigger things.
Acts of Rebellionwas the most honest thing I could have done at that time.
While makingDIAI realized that I could call out my own bullshit and started realizing more about myself.
Its important to remember thatActs of Rebellionwas released during a pandemic.
I was essentially going through a crisis while making that record.
Its a snapshot of dealing with and understanding that crisis through music.
It made me realize how I was blindingly optimistic and always putting on a facade.
WritingDIAI thought, Wait, who am I really?
This time, for my own sake, I needed to go deeper.
On Broken, there are lines like, Mother, Ive been a fool .
now Im broken and lyrical themes about a loss of faith.
Other tracks like QQQQ, specifically mention the end of the world.
and now Im broken.
Theres faith and hope in everything I do.DIAis a contrast between darkness and light and combat.
The record is a call to action, just likeActs of Rebellion.
But you also see the bright side.
You see the light, and you write about that too.
Its like reality with all its colors.
And that doesnt make you a nihilist or a pessimist.
Its important to talk about things so youre able to face and overcome them.
One song that longtime fans of yours will find interesting is I Want to Be Better.
As written, its a direct love song, which is unique in your discography.
Did this come out of a personal experience?It was 100 percent a personal experience.
It was kind of a movie-like moment where I was making that song.
Nicolas Jaar Im obsessed with everything he does for sure.
Hes someone I admire musically; the weight of what he produces.
What do you see next for yourself, personally and musically?I just want to keep making music.
Maybe Ill start writing music for films.
They know that they can make a career producing music without compromising their artistry.
And that means so much to me.
