By José Gandue @spinning zone
Cover art by Zonagirante Studio
Perhaps the first characteristic we should highlight of Gabriela Jimeno, AKA Ela Minus, She is an inventor of sounds, a title we can't bestow upon too many musicians. And there's something we need to say at this point about how music has changed in contemporary times: We often remember songs based on the sound textures used rather than the melodies or lyrics they contain. This Colombian artist, a long-time resident of Brooklyn, bases much of her professional growth on building her own electronic instruments., searching within them for their own resonant universe, their portable laboratory of auditory experiences With which, little by little, but with a firm step, he has been occupying a prominent position on the world music scene. The release of Day, His new album is a clear confirmation of this process.
Already in the final months of last year We had been warning that Ela Minus was going to release a dominant record this month, one that would establish itself as a benchmark. He had confirmed it with his singles Combat, Upwards and, especially, Broken. Now it completes the package, presenting 10 tracks that confirm our happy suspicions. This album is powerful, exciting, and particularly innovative. It's an album full of hits that could be played on any self-respecting radio station, but, of course, without compromising the artist's commitment to experimentation, to adventure, to the need to say and sound different. Tunes like I want to be better, Idols, QQQQ y Onwards, They are hymns of profound content and revolutionary in their construction scheme. These are recordings that celebrate the strange noise, the din that drives the dance, while avoiding the easy path, the mediocre demand of dance for dance's sake, and instead promoting the intelligence of movement. Perhaps it's too much to say this, but Ela Minus's music invites individual and, subsequently, collective therapy, in which the body confronts the prevailing sadness., shaking the skin in a subversive way supported by distinct and exciting sounds.
Day It's a brilliant compilation of songs that we know will delight eardrums around the world throughout 2025, in festivals, theaters, and auditoriums on every continent. Make no mistake. Behind Ela Minus is a powerful independent record label., such as the British Domino Recording Company, whose catalog contains names like Franz Ferdinand, Beth Gibbons and Arctic Monkeys, Among others. Dates are already scheduled in Europe, Australia, Mexico, and Colombia. If possible, don't miss it. It's bold to say this in the middle of January, but I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say how difficult it will be to obtain better material among the releases of 2025 than that offered by this album.
