Get to know rising star MINNO in this week’s Artist Spotlight!
A fresh artist in the electronic music scene, MINNO has been dominating our speakers and headphones over the past few months. This mysterious new artist hails from the East Coast and is seriously primed for the spotlight soon. Originally reaching out with the release of his remix of “Byron” by Woodes back in February, we have seen him develop rapidly this spring. He pressed on with the massive original tune “Voyage”, and absolutely blew us away with his remix of Kanye West’s track “Touch The Sky”. Now, we are proud to introduce you to MINNO. Listen to his exclusive guest mix below, and read on for our chat with him!
Stream EDMID Guest Mix 073 || MINNO on Mixcloud:
What led you to produce electronic music?
I’ve always been fascinated with creating music. I guess I was first introduced to it briefly in a music tech class in middle school. I downloaded my own DAW in high school and messed around with it casually through college, not making any specific genre of music. In college, I got really into EDM from hearing it at parties. Then once I graduated I started producing Electronic music and taking things more seriously.
Who are some of your influences as an artist?
In terms of production, Vanic, San Holo, Unlike Pluto to name a few. Also, The Chainsmokers before they moved over to Pop. Melodically, I get a lot of influence from indie bands. Portugal. The Man, Broken Bells, and the Black Keys are some of my favorites.
We loved your release, “Voyage” back in May. Do you have more original tracks ready to drop soon?
Absolutely! I’ve always kind of been making originals behind the scene as I do remixes. I wanted to hone my sound and production skills before I started to put originals out. I don’t have a timetable for my next original but hopefully sometime in the Fall. My next originals will definitely have vocals. So it’s a matter of me finding the right singers to fit the songs and finding a label I feel comfortable releasing with. Songwriting and creating lyrics and vocal melodies is one of my favorite things so I definitely want to do a lot more of it soon.
If you could play a set anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
I’ve heard Red Rocks is awesome so probably there. I honestly haven’t been to that many venues outside of where I’m from so I’m going off of videos I’ve seen. [Laughs]
Your remixes have been just as outstanding, how do you approach a remix to really put your twist on it?
Thank you! First off I’ve used a lot of great vocals from up and coming indie artists so that helps a ton. Then I just play off the vocals and do my thing. I try to just let out whatever my mind cooks up. Doesn’t matter if it’s weird and experimental, slow and sad, or just a banger. Music isn’t something you can really force, you have to be honest with yourself. I also don’t want to do a remix if I don’t think I can add anything to it or put in a completely different context. That’s why I tend to favor indie/alt rock artists because I know I can turn it into something completely different. Remixing other electronic artists can be very difficult because it’s hard to do something new with a song that’s already a similar genre to what I make.
Who is a dream artist you wish you could collaborate with in the future?
Kanye West. Also any of the Indie bands I mentioned earlier (Portugal. The Man, Broken Bells, and the Black Keys). They all have incredible lead singers that are great songwriters and have unique voices. I don’t know if any of them like electronic music or have any interest in doing that type of stuff but one can dream.
If you could only listen to three artists for the rest of your life, in any genre, who would they be and why?
Wow, that’s a tough one. My first choice would be Kanye West because he is a musical genius and his music is timeless. Second would be Portugal. The Man because they are my favorite band and also have made a crazy number of songs. And lastly, I’ll go The Chainsmokers. I feel like they get a ton of hate for absolutely no reason. Their music is crazy catchy, always bumps, and has definitely changed pop music in a positive way from a production standpoint.
Outside of music production and DJing, what do you do in your free time?
Well, I work a 9-5 type job that unfortunately takes up a lot of time. But as far as things I actually enjoy I like to play a lot of sports. I’m big on pick-up basketball and also play Baseball on weekends. Also dancing. Going out to a bar with my friends and going all out on the dance floor is pretty much what I live for.
Finally, what are your favorite pizza toppings?
Buffalo Chicken or Chicken Bacon Ranch. But if I know the place is really good I’ll go straight cheese. I’m from outside New Haven, CT and I truly believe we have the best pizza in the world.
