IN CONVERSATION WITH MILD MINDS
Interview by Samo Šajn
GRAMMY nominated producer Mild Minds is redefining electronic music with GEMINI, his sophomore album on Foreign Family Collective. More than just a follow-up to 2020’s MOOD, it blends turn of the century club influences with deep emotion, using breaks, airy pads, and chopped R&B samples to bridge dance floor energy and melancholic introspection. Its stark visual identity reflects on our evolving relationship with technology, mirroring the album’s themes. As he embarks on a North American and UK tour, we spoke with Mild Minds about his artistic evolution, Y2K-era influences, and finding humanity in digital spaces.
‘GEMINI’ draws heavily from turn-of-the-century club music. What is it about this era that resonates with you artistically?
Honestly, for me, it was mainly that it was something I hadn’t explored yet, and I found it interesting and different from my previous projects. I liked the grit and working with drum patterns that aren’t stuck to 4/4. I also feel quite nostalgic for that era, as I grew up in it before phones and social media took over our lives. There was a different, less intertwined relationship with technology.
The album's visual identity features screens, technology, concrete, and a minimalist industrial look. Can you talk about how this visual language connects to the music?
I wanted to give a nod to club culture from that era, the CRT screens representing the Y2K era, and the concrete, bricks, and fences representing the bygone clubs and music events of that time.
You've mentioned that ‘MOOD’ was about taking creative risks, while ‘GEMINI’ represents seeing the rewards of those risks. How has this evolution shaped your approach to production?
I would say they were both equally risky. For example, on this album, I sang less, which was a big change. More than anything, the fact that MOOD did well (when I barely knew what I was doing) gave me the confidence to keep exploring what I like and not overthink how other people will receive it. I trust my own taste more now.
The track "1 DAY 2 LATE" explores themes of missed opportunities. How personal are these narratives in your songwriting?
They’re just as often external ideas and scenes I set. For example, the song you referenced was about the idea of being one day too late to save somebody. MOOD was more personal, I was singing about the ending of a working friendship that went really sour. It was cathartic to let it come out in a weird way. I had never done that with music before.
Your production style often creates a dialogue between club elements and emotional depth. Which track on ‘GEMINI’ best exemplifies this intersection?
Both I NEED U and GEMINI are my favourite examples of that, recontextualizing sounds with more emotive chords and vocal samples to emphasise the emotion or sense of longing in the lyrics, rather than having to tell too much of an obvious story through my own vocal.
The album's structure seems to tell a story from "I NEED U" through to "LAST CHANCE." Was this narrative arc intentional?
Honestly, it’s a collection of emotions for me, not quite a narrative. It’s open to interpretation, and that’s what I like and why I’m here. I like people to form their own personal interpretation. Last Chance, for me, is actually about one final hurrah before getting too old to do certain activities anymore.
The album explores the relationship between nostalgia and innovation, particularly in how it approaches turn-of-the-century sounds. How do you balance honoring these influences while pushing electronic music forward?
Sometimes, going backwards is going forward. I think you can see that in the fact that, although there are strong references and nostalgia in the sounds, samples, and chords, there isn’t really music from the past that sounded exactly like what’s happening now around this album and the scene. We look backward and take little pieces in order to innovate.
Your live shows are known for translating electronic nuance into physical space. How has the emotional content of ‘GEMINI’ influenced your live approach?
Honestly, I’m really loving these new songs in the set, they’re quite energetic. They make some of the slower, older tunes from pre-2020 sound a bit dated, haha. So I’m keen to keep the energy up and get a few more of them into the set once the album is out.
After achieving success behind the scenes, what continues to drive you as a performing artist?
I’ve just always loved being creative. This project, in particular is the most direct route to do that. It’s a combination of design and emotional exploration for me. When you earn money doing what you love, that keeps you going. I think if I were fighting to survive doing this, I wouldn’t feel the same way, but right now, the new success of this has allowed me to spend more time in the studio, diving deeper.
