Minus Gravity aims to alter your mood. This hip-hop and R&B-fusing trio originating from San Antonio and now based in Los Angeles wants listeners to experience and feel a full spectrum of emotions when hearing their tracks – happy and sad to heartbroken. The sounds suit getting hyped up for a night out at the club, fit right into the DJ’s playlist, and then bring the laidback vibes for chilling out later.
Consisting of members Mic Apollo, Sir Blaze, and Rob Will, Minus Gravity began working together when they were back in high school and have been prolifically releasing new music since. Among their latest offerings is Moods Vol. 1, embodying their approach with a total of 38 tracks. Videos have dropped for “G.O.T.,” “I Do,” “Lying,” “Your Friends,” and “Working for Free.” Their latest, “Forever,” came out on April 7.
Going independent after working with labels has allowed Minus Gravity to craft the sound they aspire to and release music on their terms. The group had a chance to speak with us recently about their approach to their career and new track “Forever.”
How did you all start making music together?
Apollo (me) and Blaze met in middle school and became best friends…Later us two met Rob in an art school for dance and acting we all ended up at. Everyone there was like, “You have to hear him sing.” So he sang for us, and we’ve all been making music together ever since.
What was your approach for getting visibility online early in your career?
We were really just ourselves. Everyone in our hometown always thought we were weird because we always dressed differently. We shot a video names “Swaggy” with all the most popular people in our city at the video shoot and that got passed around the city until the single started playing on the radio. That was like our first widely known song in our city.
You call your sound “mood music.” What does this mean, and how does this characterize a Minus Gravity track?
We are always asked how to describe our music or sound and we say mood music because it’s a song for every mood we go through on the day to day. Being in love…being heart broken, wanted to cry, or wanting to smile. We have it all for you…Mood Music.
Tell us about Moods Vol. 1: What was your concept for this release?
It was basically putting together moods we go through on the daily and putting that into sections of the album order. So, if you’re in a certain mood, you can go to a certain part of the album and let that mood play. It’s more of a playlist than an album.
With 38 tracks on this release alone, how did it all come together?
We basically had these songs that we weren’t able to release because of prior situations, so it felt good to just put all of these songs out and into the air for everyone to enjoy in a dope playlist fashion.
Where does “Forever,” your latest single, fit in the album’s concept?
It’s in the “Fall in love mood” portion of the project. It’s basically saying whatever we go through, wherever we are in the world, no matter what happens to us, we have each other forever.
Your first EP dropped in 2016. How has your sound evolved since then?
Our first EP as Minus Gravity, correct. Before that we went under the name “BDS Monstaz” and have songs all the way back to 2006 or earlier. Our sound evolved every single year, and you can tell by the music if you go back.
How do you go about creating a track together?
We’ve been making music around each other for 15 years, so at this point, it’s like breathing…being in a space where you truly know someone and appreciate someone, it makes it that much easier.
You’re now releasing music independently, after dealing with some label issues. What does this mean for you, in terms of creativity and how you plan to release new music?
We just feel free – free to try things and do what we truly want. It’s been our vision from the beginning, so we’re just going to keep building on that. Becoming better every day while still being students of the game. We have so much new music coming, and we can’t wait.
As Minus Gravity is fairly prolific, what do you have planned next, in terms of upcoming releases or projects?
We have a project named “Ownership,” which is about 95% done. We can’t wait to share that and just a lot more shows as it becomes safer to connect with people live. We just want to continue to get better at what we love to do every day.
Ivan Yaskey is a Philly-born EDM and synthpop enthusiast and interviewer who recently relocated to beautiful Boston, MA.