Minimal Schlager: A Murcian Duo Making Waves from the Underground to the Global Stage
The regional spotlight warmed to Minimal Schlager as they accepted the Best Other Trends Album award for Love, Sex & Dreams (2022) at the Murcia Region Music Awards, beating out rivals like Fur Voice and Yuss Cawa. A brief tour through Madrid, Barcelona, and Gijón toward the end of November became part of the LSDTour, pushing the band’s reach across seven countries with fresh material in tow. A SXSW appearance in Austin helped cement their international profile, highlighting the influence of the two Murcian sisters, Alicia Macanás and Fran Parisi. As they navigate the vibrant underground scenes in London and Berlin, Minimal Schlager stands as an Anglo‑German collaboration in both home and art. Their sound blends contemporary synth-pop with a clear eighties vibe, a point confirmed in interviews with La Opinión.
Where did Minimal Schlager begin, and what sparked the partnership behind this distinctive project?
Fran Paris: The two had always written music together, often leaning toward punk and noise. The turning point came when a drum machine was added, opening the door to a broader, more accessible pop sound.
The project started gaining traction in 2022, though the duo has been making music since at least 2019.
Alice Macanas: The first demo arrived in late 2019, and the pandemic paused their formal debut. Yet they used the downtime to work at home, refining their voice, and forging notable collaborations with Eddie Argos of Art Brut and Laura Lee in Berlin, including a Christmas song and a music video-ep featuring many artists. The pair could be seen moving between London and Murcia, often amid sparse airport scenes during travel disruptions.
Early live performances mattered more than ever. The first gig came just months after formation, with a small bar audience and a televised broadcast that created a surreal, once-in-a-lifetime feeling of dancing in a new musical world.
Their debut EP, Voodoo Eyes, released in March 2021, established their position, and September brought the full-length Love, Sex & Dreams, which drew positive reactions from critics and fans alike.
Franco Parisi: The reception surprised them, especially for a debut album, and it opened doors to new venues, collaborations, and shared stages with artists they admired.
SXSW in Austin brought international attention, potentially shaping Minimal Schlager’s identity as a modern, globally aware act. The festival remains a milestone, with memories of sharing stages with artists like Beck and Dolly Parton and discovering a wider audience amid the festival’s busy schedule.
While the album carried the sensibilities of the London Underground, the project remains distinctly international in character. The artists hail from Murcia but emphasize the Anglo‑German nature of their work—from where they live to stylistic influences—and how this fusion informs their sound. They describe their music as Spanish in essence, refined through the markets of London and Berlin, where krautrock and synthwave influences sit beside their synth-pop core.
The LSD Tour broadened their horizon, taking them through England, Germany, Hungary, Austria, and Switzerland. For a band still forging a live identity, traveling abroad so early posed challenges, yet it also revealed a taste for risk that fuels Minimal Schlager’s appeal. Touring has been essential to their growth, with France, Switzerland, and Austria adding to a seven-country itinerary. There is hope to add more dates in Spain as the year progresses.
Will a return to the region happen soon?
A Murcian admirer smiles, hoping for more chances to perform close to home as well.
The latest milestone arrived with the Best Album award in the Other Trends category at the Murcia Region Music Awards. The duo admits they never expected such recognition and view it as meaningful validation after years of building their career abroad. They hope this accolade translates into regional invitations for performances and festivals closer to home.
Discussions of local reception versus international support recur for the duo, who have spent significant time abroad. London’s scene is described as teeming with talent, while Murcia offers its own rich landscape. In their view, the quality of bands in Spain stands up to that of the UK, signaling a robust and evolving music scene on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Murcian press didn’t announce their music, but a new spotlight has emerged
On origins and experience, Alicia Macanás and Fran Parisi speak candidly about their journeys. They have collaborated across a range of styles, pursuing DIY approaches and embracing frequent relocation as a catalyst for growth. The current project marks a formal recording phase after years of experimentation.
The duo also discusses labeling Minimal Schlager as synth-pop with eighties influences, noting that labels matter less than the music’s authenticity. They prefer to shape their own path and even consider starting a personal label to ensure audiences understand what Minimal Schlager stands for.
What they call a signature is a blend of retro synth textures with a modern sensibility. They believe staging and visuals contribute to the first impression, giving their live show a distinct experimental edge that appeals to new listeners while staying true to the core pop foundation.
Nana del caballo grande opens their album, a track shaped by development during a period of concentrated work in Dresden, Germany in late 2021. Much of the album’s voice emerged during a quiet, intensive phase spent at an arts center, which helped crystallize their approach to recording and performance.
Looking ahead to 2023, the duo plans to refine a new compilation featuring remixes, rarities, and occasional new songs while continuing to perform and record. A forward-looking wish remains: stronger support for concert venues, enabling more ambitious projects and larger audiences.
In the end, Minimal Schlager stands as a testament to resilience and curiosity. Their journey from a Murcia-based starting point to international stages illustrates the power of taking risks, engaging with diverse scenes, and letting music travel beyond borders. The duo’s broader ambition is to keep expanding their live footprint and to bring more of their unique synth-driven flavor to audiences across North America and beyond, with a growing sense that the world is a track away from home.
Sources and attributions are noted within interviews and coverage of the Murcia Region Music Awards and SXSW performances.