Miane

Spanish producer and DJ, Miane personifies one—if not all—of the founding tenants of dance music culture. Her intense DIY spirit drives her to push the limits of sonic manipulation. It flows through every chunky beat and funky bass line that bounces from within her. She beautifully harnesses the heart and soul of Black music, lovingly paying homage to those that paved the way for the culture’s very existence. Her 2019 EP House So House, on Hot Since 82’s Knee Deep In Sound is the perfect example of the care she takes in wrapping stirring vocals in pumping drums and shoulder-shaking bass lines. Her musical DNA is coded with the sounds of the Black diaspora. “I grew up with soul music, R&B, and house. My aunt introduced me to R&B, and my grandfather always showed me soul music,” she says.

Her relationship with music was informed by a close circle of influence. At 10, she was drawn to house music as it reverberated through the walls of her apartment. Her upstairs neighbor introduced it to her. That same neighbor would continue to influence her life in innumerable ways. “[It’s] Really hard to forget,” she explains. “I was 10 years old and she was always with dance music on the speakers. I have been growing up with my ear at her door and that was when my interest began little by little.” As her ear became more finely tuned, Miane says the relationship flipped. “In the long run, she ended up asking me where I found the music.” Yet, while she recognizes what her family and friends impressed on her, she takes full ownership for her deep understanding of what moves a dancefloor. Miane hand-picked what she liked from her vast catalog of influence and wrapped in all in rhythmic sensibility all her own.

She started her journey as a musician under her given name, Taty Munoz. She always had a stage name picked out, but she didn’t feel like it was the right time to use it. She wanted to establish her sonic footprint first, “Miane's name had been around for a long time, but I was just looking for the right moment.” The years that she spent learning the craft were fruitful. Her list of major DJ support was a clear indication that her potent talent was in hot demand. Adam Beyer, Richie Ahmed, Dennis Cruz, Leftwing & Cody, Danny Howard, and Hot Since 82 were all fans of her work. In 2012 she was nominated for best tech-house artist of the year by DjMag. And as her status continued to grow, she leaped and moved to the mecca of club life, Ibiza. The upstairs neighbor who had introduced her to house music all those years ago moved with her. Her years of experience coalesced when she took on the name, Miane. More an evolution than a rebrand, she finally felt comfortable adopting the persona she created years ago. It was an intense change, especially for someone whose career was already well established. But she’s never been afraid of change. She tells me, “I keep learning a lot, and I love it … For me, this change was very big and I feel very good about the decision.”

2019 was the year that Miane came into her own. Releases on landmark labels like Knee Deep In Sound, Moon Harbour, Toolroom, and Rawthentic confirmed that she had arrived. After nearly a decade on the grind, Miane was recognized globally as a force to be reckoned with. Even when COVID knee-capped the industry, she continued to make landmark achievements.

The release of “Who Are You?” marked a major turning point for the producer. Chris Lake was already teasing his remix of the song in his sets, and house heads everywhere hung in anticipation of its release. It has all the hallmarks of her previous work, with a touch of refinement. The lilting vocal echoes over stark syncopated beats and a deep rumbling bassline. “Who Are You?” has a sense of longing, emotional and driving. Released on Chris Lakes Black Book, it was her most successful track. Lake’s remix followed and garnered over four million streams. “I love this song,” she says. “I really enjoyed making it and I had a feeling that something good was going to come later, it was one of the productions that lifted me more than once from the studio’s chair.”

While the vocals for “Who Are You?” aren’t hers, she has at times injected a bit of her voice into her music. She says she’d like to continue doing so. “It's true that sometimes I recorded and added parts of myself but not how I really would like,” she admits. She laughs as she continues, “for that I have to improve my English.”