MUTEK 2024 | Ela Minus, Appearance or Resurrection?

A few years ago, shortly after the release of her album Acts of Rebellion (Dominoen 2020), Ela Minus granted us an interview. Then came a short recording with DJ Python and then nothing until this single from the US-based Colombian artist: expressed in Spanish, Combat hints at a new creative cycle.

She was a drummer in a punk band in her teens, then was admitted to Berklee College of Music (Boston) and left her native Colombia to become a true percussion pro and discover her talent as an electro producer. She then moved to Brooklyn and began building her own modular synths. Her first recordings wowed the crowds, an album was released, we loved the recording, we talked to her, and now she’s on stage at a renowned festival.

Electro-pop, dream-pop, synth-pop, synth-punk all rolled into one. After Marie Davidson’s discharge, Ela Minus’ set at the SAT wasn’t particularly destabilizing. Her obvious talent as a songwriter and synth-pop producer was evident, as were a few singular embellishments, but it remained intelligent pop, with forms constructed like hits, with intro, chorus, bridge and chorus, right up to the applause.

For a mid-evening show, it was invigorating, but I would have preferred more of the conceptual side of things, and more of the exploratory components, despite the song form. These downsides, it has to be said, were probably not shared by the majority of the mutékiens and mutékiennes who came to meet Ela Minus, who could become a star for real by hitting this very nail. Appearance or resurrection? Either way, we can’t wait to see what happens next.

Photo Credit: Frédérique Ménard-Aubin