A resident of Brooklyn via Bogotá, Ela Minus cut her musical teeth playing drums in a Colombian hardcore band before moving to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music, double-majoring in Drum Set and Music Synthesis. Today she's an analogue electronics auteur whose musical horizons are seemingly endless. On her debut full-length Acts of Rebellion (Domino Recording Company) Ela alternates between propulsive grooves and floating ambient soundscapes--the latter Eno-esque instrumentals given evocative names like “pocket piano,” “let them have the internet” and “do whatever you want, all the time.” These titles reflect Ela Minus’s lyrical approach elsewhere where she advocates for self-determination, empowerment and the search for one’s own natural rhythms. Speaking of which Acts of Rebellion makes for ideal late-night listening (“I never feel more myself than when it’s dark” she sings at the end of “dominique”) projecting a womb-like warmth onto the listener. (Jason Lee)

LPR Presents will present another night of The Hum, the curatorial, programming, and production child of Rachael Pazdan. A night of "womanly" collaborations will be held this coming Monday at Greenpoint venue Good Room.  The lineup is of particular importance to us here at The Deli because it features some favorite artists we've covered in the past including Buscabulla, Ela Minus, Beverly, Escort, Novelty Daughter and NOIA. You can purchase tickets over at the LPR site and we've created a playlist of our favorites while you wait for the festivities. 

-Andrew Strader

We are ready to declare Latasha Alcindor, popularly known as “LA,” the winner of both our Readers' Poll and the overall Best of NYC chart (which includes votes from our jurors). 

The rapper has created a solid trajectory for herself.  From SXSW to NY Fashion Week to NYLON, she is garnering attention for her sharp delivery and feminist message.  On the recent NYLON rap session, LA raps, “I switch up to this bigger picture.  These ladies ain’t my competition, this is all militia.  We switching up the paradigm to a femme state of mind, only reason Trump is here, God tellin ‘This is time.’”  In her new video for “Revoke Thee,” LA unleashes a torrent of warnings against the smack talkers out there.  It’s an old school boom bap banger perfect to test the bass on those new headphones.  Latasha is currently an 'Artist in Residence' at Williamsburg's National Sawdust.

Kudos also to Ela Minus and Raycee Jones, who placed second respectively in the overall chart and in the readers' poll - you can stream them below!

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Here's the full list of the finalists in the Electronic/Hip Hop category.

	Akinyemi		6%	81 votes
	Argonaut and Wasp		0%	10 votes
	Ben Talmi		0%	9 votes
	Cafune		0%	3 votes
	Ela Minus		0%	6 votes
	Glassio		1%	24 votes
	King Neptune		3%	44 votes
	Latasha Alcindor		46%	555 votes
	Macula Dog		0%	1 vote
	Maggie Rogers		0%	5 votes
	NOLIFE		0%	1 vote
	Pronoun		1%	17 votes
	Raycee Jones		36%	444 votes
	True Blue		0%	2 votes
	Von Sell		0%	2 votes

By now, most of us have seen a friend or family member break out the old acoustic guitar and play a mellow set of tunes right there in our living room. Maybe you yourself led the sing-along and did the playing? These days, private concerts are something of a new trend, and Sofar Sounds is a big part of it. Everything started in London, about six years ago, when two guys realized that most live shows felt kind of soulless. They started Sofar Sounds (aka Songs from a Room) as a way of booking intimate secret shows. Its website claims Sofar is now in over 200 cities worldwide; NYC is among them and (full disclosure) The Deli has helped book a show at a hush-hush location in Dumbo Heights on November 2! It's going to be a (NYC) ladies-only line up with Amy & the Engine, Ela Minus and Breanna Barbara, three very different but equally talented artists. Miss it not, there will be free magazines as well!

Buy and or apply for a ticket here, and check out all the artists performing that night below!

Brooklyn by way of Bogota artist, Ela Minus, crafts intricate electronic melodies that feel avant but strangely absorbing. Her instrumentals, which are strong but subtle, are paired with a quirky, gossamer vocal performance, and the combination of the two--especially on standout track "Volcán"--creates an unexpectedly bright track that might make your day. Ela Minus has a new record scheduled for a November release. Catch her live at Sunnyvale 10/22 with Miniature Tigers, and in the meantime stream her below. - Olivia Sisinni