To mark International Women’s Day, MEL steps forward not only as a producer, but as curator of CODE:HER, a women-led neurofunk EP on VTO Records. Fronted by her own uncompromising cut Enigma, the release wastes no time making its point. We caught up with her to talk creative control, grit over gloss, and building something that stands on its own terms.

Firstly, congrats on Enigma landing as the sampler for CODE:HER. Dropping it around International Women’s Day gives it a bit of extra weight, but more than that, it just feels like a strong move. It’s a bold track to lead with. No half measures. I’m curious how this all came together from your side.

Thank you! VTO originally approached me to contribute to an EP focused on women in neuro, with the idea of releasing it around International Women’s Day. Once we started talking about it, it felt like the project would have way more impact, and way more authenticity, if it was completely women-led and women-driven from the ground up. So I ended up taking the reins on the name, curation, the overall direction, and the artwork as well. ‘Enigma’ felt like the right track to lead with because it sets the tone straight away, we wanted this EP to be heavy and unapologetic. No soft intro, no half measures. It’s bold, it’s direct, and it reflects the energy we wanted for the whole project. Releasing it around IWD adds an extra layer of meaning, for sure, but we wanted this to be more than just a release tied to that date. We wanted it to be an authentic statement, not something that feels tokenised, and something that genuinely represents the artists involved and the scene we’re building.

Enigma doesn’t hang about, it’s tense from the first bars and just keeps tightening. When you were building it, did you know straight away this was the one to front the project, or did that decision come later?

When VTO came to me with this, I wanted to make something specifically for the EP. Enigma was written with the project in mind from the start, so it made sense for it to lead the project. The overall feel and vibe of the track set the tone for what the EP represents.

You’ve taken on the guest curator role for CODE:HER. What did that actually look like in practice? Were you deep in conversations about track direction and sequencing, or was it more instinctive, more about trusting the right people?

For me, it was really important that the girls' tunes genuinely represented them as artists, and I didn’t want anyone to feel like they had to change or tweak things to fit some template. I’ve been on the other side of that before, where labels send you paragraphs of feedback and basically want to reshape everything about a tune, and it just drains the life out of it. It can end up feeling soulless, and like your identity gets flattened into something generic and copy-paste. So I was involved in shaping the project both musically and visually, but always with that in mind. There were conversations about how everything fit together and how the EP should flow, and I was also in the driver’s seat when it came to the artwork and overall visual direction

There’s always a bit of noise around releases tied to International Women’s Day. Did you feel any pressure attached to that timing, or were you more focused on making sure the music hit properly and everything else was secondary?

For me, the focus was always on making sure the music hit properly and that the EP stood up on its own terms first. The timing adds context, but we were much more concerned with making something that was strong musically and creatively, and that genuinely reflected the artists involved. Neuro is still extremely male-dominated, so it was really important to me that this was taken seriously and not treated like a gimmick or a box-ticking exercise. There’s always a bit of noise when something’s tied to International Women’s Day, and it can easily slip into feeling performative or tokenistic, but releasing it on IWD just gave the EP more weight, as a celebration of women in Neuro.

The reese work in Enigma is properly sharp. When you’re designing basslines like that, are you someone who tweaks endlessly until it’s microscopic, or do you rely on feel and know when to stop?

It’s a bit of both, but the main thing for me is catching that vibe and energy first. I usually start to get the idea down and find the character. I don’t really like my music sounding too clinical or over-polished, so I try to keep the rawness. Once my idea is in place, I’ll go in and get more detailed, shaping the tone, the movement. But there’s definitely a point where you have to stop. It just starts stripping away what made it exciting in the first place and you end up completely over thinking it all.

Neurofunk right now feels incredibly polished, almost clinical at times. Do you enjoy that precision, or do you ever find yourself deliberately roughing things up to keep some grit in there?

I think a lot of producers right now really push their own style and vibe to a super high level of precision, and that’s cool in its own way. But for me, I’ve always been more drawn to rawness and grit. A lot of my inspiration comes from Bad Company, old-school Ed Rush & Optical, and Konflict, for example, where the records felt heavy, rough around the edges, and full of character. So yeah, I’ll definitely rough things up on purpose if it means keeping that energy and attitude in the track. For me, that’s where the excitement is.

VTO has a distinct identity, heavy, uncompromising. When you’re writing for them, do you feel like you’re stepping into a certain lane, or has your sound just naturally slotted into that space over time?

It’s been pretty organic, to be honest. I’ve never really sat down and thought, “I need to write in this lane for this label.” My sound has always leaned towards heavy, raw, and uncompromising anyway, so it’s just naturally slotted into that space over time

Pulling together an EP that centres women in neuro is important, but beyond the obvious headline, what excited you most about the actual music that came in from the others?

What excited me most was how strong and individual everyone’s music was. Beyond the idea of it being centred on women in neuro, the tracks just stood up on their own merits. Everyone brought their own vibe. It wasn’t about everyone trying to fit into the same mould; it was more about seeing how different styles and personalities could sit together under the same heavy, uncompromising umbrella

Was there a moment during this project where it shifted from just another release to something that felt genuinely meaningful? Maybe a rough mix session, maybe a message from someone. Those little moments.

I think it was when the chosen submissions came together, and I could hear the tracks side by side. That was the moment it really clicked for me. I remember thinking, “Yeah, this is really strong.” Hearing it as a body of work rather than just individual tunes made it feel like more than just another release.

Outside of the studio, what’s been feeding your creativity lately? Are you deep in other genres, obsessing over sound design videos, or trying to stay away from a DAW for a few days when you can?

Sometimes I have to completely switch off. My creativity feels like a battery; if I keep pushing it with DJing and making tunes, it just drains. So I’ll cut off for a bit, step away from the DAW, and then a week or so later it usually comes back on its own. So weirdly, doing very normal, day-to-day, mundane things gives me that respite. At the same time though, being around other like-minded DJs and producers always fuels me. Even if I’m not actively working, just being in that environment, talking music, hearing what other people are doing, that’s often what kicks things back into gear for me.

You’re stranded on a desert island with one turntable, a generator and one record. What’s it going to be?

Ed Rush & Optical - Alien Girl

Solid choice! With Enigma setting the pace for CODE:HER on VTO Records, MEL has delivered a statement that feels considered rather than ceremonial. The EP’s weight sits in the music first, its timing amplifying rather than defining it, and her curatorial hand ensures the project lands as a cohesive, uncompromising body of work.