Minihi is the creative outlet of percussionists and composers Zands and Louise Anna Duggan. Together, they create a uniquely percussive take on contemporary instrumental music.Between them they have worked with artists and ensembles ranging from the Royal Philharmonic to Lady Gaga and together they recorded on Thom Yorke’s Grammy nominated album ‘Anima’ with the London Contemporary Orchestra. Mezzanine caught up with them to find out more and hear the inspiration behind their 'Circulation' Mixtape.

Where are you based at the moment?

ZD: Hackney in North London.

Can you tell me a little about the concept behind the mix?

LD: We wanted to showcase some of the more recently released instrumental or soundscape music out there. There is so much incredible music being made right now that we could easily have made a 12 hour playlist! It should be quite a dreamy trip!

Are there any tracks that are special to you from your selection and why?

LD: We love them all for the individualism and creativity but tracks like Moonmoons, Camera’s Rolling, Inari and Gambetta are special as we are friends with the performers. We feel very lucky to know such creative people.

Did you have a musical upbringing?

ZD: We’ve both played from a young age and grew up playing in various bands and orchestras. Although our parents weren’t musicians themselves, music was always an important part of life. Louise’s mum is an artist and she would paint to music whilst I come from an Irish background where there’s a rich musical heritage. 

What does your studio look like at the moment?

LD: Very full! We had been working exclusively out of our London home during the Covid lockdown and filled the place with a load of instruments and sound equipment. Essential bits of equipment are our vibraphone, hammer dulcimer, Juno and Novation Peak.

Tell us a bit about your journey as a musician. How aware are you of involving your personal experiences into your creative process?

ZD: We see each of our pieces as capturing experiences we’ve shared, places we’ve been and people we’ve met. We first met whilst studying in at the Guildhall in London, so our whole relationship and life has always been intertwined with music.

LD: Individually we have worked as performing musicians with a wide variety of artists and ensembles so our individual styles of writing and playing have evolved differently. Hopefully this is what gives Minihi a unique musical voice.

Do you ever think about who might end up listening to your work?

ZD: Although our music comes from a personal place, we hope that it will continue to evolve and take on new meanings when released into the world. We imagine that our listeners are curious to discover something new.