Colombian musician Ela Minus presents her debut album. Earlier this week she released her final single, ‘Dominique’. It’s the follow-up to a string of singles/videos, ‘El Cielo No Es De Nadie,’ ‘Megapunk,’ and ‘They Told Us It Was Hard, But They Were Wrong.’
‘Dominique’ is Ela’s most diaristic song on the album, documenting her time making the album last year in complete solitude. Minus’ voice is methodical and calm over quick beat sequences and glowing synthesizers: ‘today I woke up at 7PM // my brain feels like it’s going to break // I haven’t seen anyone in a couple of days // I am afraid I forgot how to talk // to anyone else that’s not myself // no quiero dormir hasta que salga el sol // no puedo dormir hasta que salga el sol.’ Despite its lyrics of withdrawal, ‘Dominique’ exemplifies acts of rebellions’ call to embrace the beauty of tiny, every day acts of revolution by carving out a personal space to expand on personal identity and creative endeavors.
Using only hardware to perform, write and record, Ela creates complex electronic music that exudes a warm vibrancy, along with a darker, almost celebratory understanding that our breaths aren’t infinite. Throughout acts of rebellion, you feel Ela’s personality and viewpoint; you sense her presence.
The cover features a photo of Ela with most of her face obscured, but her eyes sharply focused. She is asking us to make contact with her and the people that inhabit our lives. She is suggesting we leave our gadgets behind in favor of flesh-and-blood communities. She’s asking us to think, dance, and love, while she coaxes humanity from her hardware—machines that rattle and whirr alongside her and, in turn, make us feel more alive. Performed, produced and recorded entirely by Ela, acts of rebellion is a call to fight, to live, to be present.