Mia Mendi on setting trends rather than chasing them

After a decade of building their sound through labels Hydera and Species, UK duo Mia Mendi are making their long-awaited Armada debut with "Lose Yourself" featuring Blake Light. The track arrives as the duo hits their stride with a refined creative split: James commanding stages worldwide while Meti pushes production boundaries from the studio. Their approach balances instinct with strategy, looking at what's trending and pushing it 10 to 20 percent further in a new direction. We caught up with James and Meti to talk about finally landing on Armada, building tracks around melodic hooks rather than grooves, and why being genre-fluid keeps them ahead of the curve without losing peak time energy.

After years of primarily self-releasing through Hydera and Species, what made Armada the right home for "Lose Yourself"?

Meti: We’ve been trying to sign to Armada for 10 years! James: It’s one of dance music’s most well established labels for sure. Meti: Yeah, iconic.

You said the track emerged from "pure instinct" and a single rolling groove you locked into early. Take us into that studio moment.

James: You could say a lot of things about how tracks come together in the studio, but at the end of the day most people just get in there and “cook”. That’s what we did with Lose Yourself. Meti: We spend a lot of time with Blake Light and we’ve successfully found a way for us to co-produce together - him from Brussels, us from Liverpool - via Discord.

What specific production choices on "Lose Yourself" keep that balance between experimental edge and dancefloor accessibility?

Meti: Over the last few years the scene’s bass lines have been somewhat rigid, the bass line that we made with Blake Light is really melodic however, and I think that gives the track the appeal that it has.

With Meti currently focused on production, and James on live performances, how has this split strengthened your overall artistic output?

James: Output is way easier now. If you’re in a duo you’re at a much greater advantage than solo acts. Meti: There’s no shame in saying that in a duo there may be one person who is better at DJing and one person who is better at producing. James: It’s a completely different skill set as well. Meti: Yeah, for sure, and I think with James being a DJ first and producer second, and me being a producer first and DJ second, it’s really helped make our duo dynamic work.

Running two labels gives you a curator's lens. How does that perspective influence what you create as artists?

Meti: I think we always try and find something unique. James: Yeah, that is true. Meti: Our obsession isn’t really genres, Mia Mendi over the years has dipped in and out of quite a few different styles. What really attracts us is unique composition, unique synthesis - just something that sounds a little bit different. James: Something that makes it stand out. Meti: But still peak-time.

For producers reading this, what makes a groove worth building an entire track around versus just a cool loop?

Meti: It’s a difficult one because I wouldn’t really say that we build a track around a groove. I think for me, I like a hook, I like a hooky vocal or melody. I’d build the track from the musical component rather than the drum component. James: Which is kinda ironic because when I look for tracks, the first thing I ask is “Does it have a hot groove?” That’s the first thing that grabs me in.

What does "Lose Yourself" represent in your evolution, and how has your approach changed since 2015?

James: So since 2015 there’s always been a bit of a central ethos for us as a duo in that we’re multi-genre, genre-fluid, and we always play a progression through sets. So, ‘Lose Yourself’ is directed more into techno, but we’re still pursuing sounds within tech house and melodic as well. Meti: I think over the last couple of years we were too fixated in sticking within one genre and we wanna get back out of that linear mindset.

You "set trends rather than chase them." In practical terms, how do you stay ahead of the sound without losing the dancefloor?

James: We always want to make something unique, play tracks that are unique. But we still have to keep an eye on what’s going on in the scene. So we look at what’s trending and then we push it that extra 10-20% further in a new direction. Meti: I think this approach helps us to stay true to ourselves but also produces in line to market desires.