Track By Track: MINOS – Compose Urself

Italian-Colombian producer MINOS may be something of a new name on the block, but her refined ear for groove and sound design has been with her for years.

A classically trained pianist with a deep passion for the dance floor, MINOS marries these two loves through her creations, which are led by rich melodic synths and finely tuned grooves, always with a touch of futurism.

Last year saw her first production see the light of day: a collaboration with Paolo Cicilioni called ‘Affectivity’. Coming via Abu Recordings, it’s this label that will now house her debut solo effort, Compose Urself. Themes of apocalyptic chaos and confusion guide the metallic electro rhythms across the release; each track has its own distinct mood but, as a whole, they’re tied together by tight drumwork, atmospheric pads and rich melodies.

Following the release of the EP she guides us through the inspirations and process behind each track on the release…

‘Compose Urself’

I started working on this track when the pandemic first began. I think we’ve all kind of shut away the memories of Spring 2020 but if you think about what we all lived through, it was fucked! Everything was so chaotic, everyone was going insane, there was so much anxiety and nonsense, it felt like the apocalypse.

I think this track reflects the chaos of the time whilst also trying to make sense of it and offer a sort of immersive, fantastical escape. Quite soon after the chaos, life during 2020 became so dead and so static – I wanted to make something that felt like a burst of energy that could get people out of that monotonous limbo. The vocal is my dear friend Rhiannon’s lovely speaking voice (who already sounds like a dreamy fairy) that I manipulated turned into the omniscient cosmic being that takes us away to that alternate reality where everyone is raving.

‘Listen With Your Eyes’

One cold night at uni in 2017, I was jamming with my esteemed friend Conrad on his Native Instruments Machine and, by some miracle, I played the main bell pad you hear in this track. It was one of those holy shit moments. Those six notes I played really stuck with me and I spent years trying to figure out what to do with them. Then, one night I was alone in the studio in 2019 and I had another holy shit moment. I called over a rapper acquaintance of mine who happened to be in town (and who wishes to remain anonymous) because I knew with all my heart that he would be perfect for this track. He came round and, as a rapper of a certain regard, was like wtf when I asked him to write something for an electro track. But the guy killed it. I don’t think he even really understands how well his voice fits and how special it was. If you’re reading this, thank you so much <3

‘Interrogator’

In order to create music that I’m really happy with I need to lock myself away for a while, so the lockdown was great for that. I had just finished my Masters in Sonic Arts when I started this track so I was super inspired and I naturally got really involved with the sound design here. I wanted to tell a story through sound that also made listeners dance and, as I produced it, the story kept getting more and more complex and detailed… It took me weeks to finish, it felt like composing a symphony. There is something quite invasive and persistent about this track which is why I called it “Interrogator”. However, the exact story I was trying to tell is actually quite obscured in my own mind and so I’m constantly intrigued by what others tell me they imagine when they listen to it. 

‘He Loves You’

This track was actually the first track I ever finished that I was truly happy with. This was in 2019. After so many years of making music and trying to understand what your sound is… the feeling you get when it finally starts to come together is indescribably amazing. It’s quite an existential moment. I think that’s why this track sounds so explorational, and so deep, dark and mysterious. Also, I was in the middle of a love affair with a deep, dark and mysterious guy.

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