Ela Minus & Nick Léon announce collaborative EP 'qué les pasó a mis amigos?' - out 7 August

Ela Minus, the Latin GRAMMY-nominated Colombian artist and producer, and Nick León, the Brooklyn-by-way-of Miami producer and DJ known for his dystopian club music, have announced qué les pasó a mis amigos?, a new collaborative EP due out August 7 via Domino’s Smugglers Way.

The three-song digital EP — its title translates to “what happened to my friends?” — was co-produced by Minus and León and is announced today alongside new single “espiral,” a track that seamlessly blends León’s rhythm-forward club production with Minus’ emotionally incisive, punk-informed approach to electronic music. Driven by León’s pulsating drums and the duo’s hypnotic synth work, Minus’ vocals soar as she moves between vulnerability and urgency, with lines like “Lo di todo / por salir” (“I gave it all to get out”).

qué les pasó a mis amigos? will be released digitally on August 7 via Smugglers Way, with a 12” vinyl edition arriving November 20 featuring remixes by Loidis, GuedraGuedra, and Brenda. Pre-order via Dom Mart and digitally now.

Smugglers Way is proud to present its first-ever label showcase at London's prestigious ICA on September 3, featuring the debut performance from Ela Minus & Nick León, alongside sets from Alexis Taylor & Mike Simonetti and Guedra Guedra, celebrating a run of recent releases. Announced today, tickets go on sale Wednesday, July 1, at 10am BST. Get tickets here.

Born from years of mutual admiration and an instant creative kinship, qué les pasó a mis amigos? captures two singular voices in electronic music finding common ground in uncertainty, connection, and emotional survival. Across the EP, Minus and León channel heartbreak, fractured friendships, disillusionment, and perseverance into a collection of songs that are melancholic yet relentlessly in motion.

Ela Minus and Nick León first met in Mexico City in 2024 while each stood on the precipice of career-defining releases. For Minus, that was DÍA, her acclaimed sophomore album that expanded the shadowy synth-punk aesthetics of her earlier work into something more colorful, vulnerable, and emotionally expansive. For León, it was A Tropical Entropy, his debut album and a deeply personal portrait of Miami rendered through humid textures, buried melodies, and dystopian club rhythms.

Though there was never any pressure to collaborate, the pair immediately recognized a shared sensibility. Questions around artistic purpose, emotional burnout, and human connection naturally became the thematic backbone of the project: What happens if we stop listening? What happens if we stop the music? What happens if we leave everything to chance? The resulting EP became an answer in itself.

Their collaboration evolved organically over several years, beginning with ideas exchanged in Mexico City before taking fuller shape in Los Angeles in 2026. In the interim, the two artists continued crossing paths creatively — León remixed the standout DÍA track “QQQQ,” while Minus appeared on León’s A Tropical Entropy track “Ghost Orchid.”

“It was so free,” León says of the process. “There were unspoken understandings of what we wanted to do. That’s not normal.”

“We immediately felt this kinship,” Minus adds.

With qué les pasó a mis amigos? — mixed by Patrick Holland and mastered by Heba Kadry — the pair embraced experimentation without expectation, creating music that not only expands both of their artistic worlds, but also lays the groundwork for future collaborations. As León promises: “There will be more music together.”

Tracklisting

Side A:

1. qué les pasó a mis amigos?

2. lose my cool

3. espiral

Side B:

4. qué les pasó a mis amigos? (Loidis Reconfiguration)

5. lose my cool (Guedra Guedra remix)

6. espiral (Brenda Remix)

About Ela Minus

Ela Minus is a Latin GRAMMY-nominated Colombian artist and producer whose boundary-pushing electronic music has earned widespread critical acclaim. Her 2025 album DÍA was named among the year’s best albums by Billboard, Rolling Stone, Paste, and Stereogum, with Pitchfork describing standout single “QQQQ” as “the sort of glow-stick-twirling thumper that could topple a Coachella dance tent.” Blending cutting-edge production with deeply personal songwriting, DÍA marked a significant artistic evolution for Minus and further cemented her status as one of electronic music’s most compelling voices.

Minus recently appeared in Synth History: Ela Minus, the first feature-length documentary from Synth History founder Danz CM, exploring the making of DÍA and her relationship with synthesizers and performance.

About Nick León

Nick León creates immersive, dystopian club music informed by the sounds and tensions of South Florida. A self-taught producer and DJ, León first emerged through collaborations with artists including Denzel Curry and Robb Banks before establishing himself as one of electronic music’s most adventurous rising voices. His acclaimed projects include the Aguacero EP, Xtasis EP, and his 2025 debut album A Tropical Entropy, which earned Pitchfork’s Best New Music distinction. León has also collaborated with Rosalía, Tokischa, Erika de Casier, Shygirl, Isabella Lovestory, and PinkPantheress, while bringing his immersive live A/V performances to festivals including Rewire, Dekmantel, and Mutek.