Mind Against

Alessandro and Federico Fognini, the Italian brothers behind Mind Against, started producing together in 2011 in Italy and have been based in Berlin for most of their professional career. Their 2012 debut EP Cagliostro on Life and Death announced the project, and through the mid-2010s they steadily built a reputation in the European melodic-techno scene through releases on Hotflush, Innervisions, Afterlife, and their own HABITAT imprint. Their relationship with Tale of Us's Afterlife label has been the spine of their work since around 2017. The Days Gone EP (AL010, 2017) marked their formal arrival as core Afterlife artists, the Afterlife Voyage 006 podcast (2018) became a reference point for the label's editorial sensibility, and Walking Away (2020) was widely cited as one of that year's most acclaimed melodic-techno tracks. Their continued presence on the Afterlife mainstage at events worldwide has placed them among the central architects of the genre as it operates in the 2020s. In 2023 they launched HABITAT, their own label and art platform, with Criseide as the inaugural release. The label's founding statement framed it as a manifestation of the duo's broader artistic philosophy — pushing the boundaries between music, art, and technology, and providing a curated home for emerging melodic-techno talents. The HABITAT compilations and the platform's expanded creative direction have given the duo an editorial presence beyond their own releases. Live, Mind Against headline Afterlife events globally, regularly close major Afterlife mainstage slots, and have been a constant fixture at venues like Hï Ibiza, Amnesia Ibiza, the Brooklyn Mirage, and the European open-air festival circuit. For listeners following the Afterlife / Anyma / melodic-techno crossover that has substantially expanded the audience for trance-adjacent music in 2020-2026, Mind Against are one of the central names — and HABITAT one of the most-watched young labels in the broader scene.