Nothing invites self-reflection quite like a traumatic event. For Colombian producer-singer Ela Minus, the pandemic meant taking stock of the things she’s thankful for while longing for the sweetness of a life that might have been. The sentiment is at the center of “Pájaros en Verano” (“Birds in Spring”), the first single from a new EP with DJ Python titled, simply, ♡. The pair’s collaboration was sparked by shared appreciation for Leslie Winer’s 1993 LP Witch, a foundational trip-hop album that threads despair through soul, hip-hop, dub, and punk stylings. As Minus bemoans “all the days that never happened and the nights that didn’t exist,” she doesn’t hesitate to express her gratitude for a relationship: “I can’t complain/’Cause I got you.” The bright tones and crunchy percussion of DJ Python’s sparse production—made with a single sampler and synthesizer—echo some of Minus’ own early singles and give her words room to breathe. The result is a score well-suited for heading into—or out of—quarantine, a lament that’s tempered with hopefulness for moments to come.
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