Eden Cohen and Rami Shalom, a collaborative duo from the northern pastoral lands of Israel, make up Mintz. 2016 sees the release of their debut album on Polish imprint, Exotic Refreshment, based out of Leszno in the west of the country. From the Middle East to Eastern Europe, it certainly makes for an interesting proposition and one that’s symptomatic of the globalised dance music community.

Rather than follow the well-trodden path of a flurry of preceding singles, the album comes completely out of the blue, announcing Mintz to the world. Pulse of our Planet is a collage of underground house and techno, interspersed with warm ambient textures, with all 10 tracks linked together in a seamless flow of electronic energy. With props from the likes of Mr.G, Laurent Garnier & Sam Paganini, it’s undoubtably put this young duo on the map right from the off.

With little back catalogue to draw on and in search of some insight into their production process, we asked Mintz to offer up five records that have shaped their music and careers to date.

1. Thom Yorke – Harrowdown Hill (The Eraser Album) [XL Recordings]

When we need to choose an artist that changed our way of viewing things it is definitely Thom Yorke. A multi-talented singer/songwriter and part of the highly influential band Radiohead. Thom’s album “The Eraser” was a major breakthrough for us but we are always amazed by his work and his influence in the music industry.

2. Fairmont – Grizzly [Beachcoma]

When we hear Fairmont’s music we listen carefully to every note and sound, the ‘Grizzly’ tune is the proper Fairmont sound that we love! His signature synth sounds come out perfectly in Grizzly, through them he brings a combination of emotional melodies and clever notes that helps the track evolve. What really blows our mind on Grizzly is the use of the bubbly TB-303 acid lines! This release was published by the super Beachcoma label that is owned by Fairmont himself, we recommend all of you out there to pay closer attention to it, you will enjoy it!

3. Kraftwerk – The Robots [EMI Records]

Our love for analogue synthesizers is big and sometimes excessive & Kraftwerk definitely drove this passion we have for external hardware and the use of it in our productions as Mintz. The analogue sound and the computerized vocals has been a fascination for us all along. When we were teenagers Kraftwerk were a huge name in the global electronic scene. They were the “owners” and pioneers.

4. Roman Flugel – Wilkie [DIAL RECORDS]

The lightness with which Roman Flugel floats between genres in his productions is very unique.
Roman’s music is great to include in a DJ set, he moves from techno through electro, house and downtempo, so one or two tracks in your sets really make it colorful. This particular tune was chosen from his album “Happiness is Happening”, an album that made us feel like he’d torn up the boundaries of electronic music all over again.

5. Mathew Jonson – Typerope [Itiswhatitis Recordings]

Mathew Jonson is our guide in Live performance, a top producer and artist with the understanding of what the dancefloor needs. In ‘Typerope’ what caches our ears is the funky bassline all over the track, and that trippy melody that comes with it sends us to a look out through other dimensions.
A really great release by Jonson, it’s no wonder why this tune is supported by the top techno legends.

Pulse of Our Planet is out on Exotic Refreshment on January 26th.

Comments