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 7th 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”).
Stream “espiral” here.
Watch the visualizer for “espiral” here.
qué les pasó a mis amigos? will be released digitally on August 7th via Domino, with a 12” vinyl edition arriving November 20th featuring remixes by Loidis, Guedra Guedra, and Brenda. Pre-order via DomMart and digitally now.
Smugglers Way is proud to present its first-ever label showcase at London’s prestigious ICA on September 3rd, 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 3rd 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.”
Tracklist
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)