Based in Mexico City and London, multidisciplinary electronic producer Reifier is unveiling her debut EP ‘The Unfolding’, which came out on Friday, 13 February. The solo project of composer, producer, engineer and vocalist Daniela Mandoki, Reifier synthesises experimental electronic music, narrative composition, and performance-led sound design. Her work is deeply shaped by a background in theatre, where she has composed and performed for stage productions internationally, lending a cinematic and emotionally driven sensibility to her electronic output.

'The Unfolding', is a dreamscape of whimsical and delectable sounds perfect for a long study session, or a moment of life contemplation. Her uniquely bold and flavourful voice commands attention, whilst the musical elements dance through time and space - leaving you yearning for more. Reifier gave us insight into the project, with a tasty track-by-track below:

“Invertia” 

Invertia is the first track on the album, even though it was the last one to be created. What I love most about this song is the opportunity to collaborate with the wonderful cellist Belén Ruíz, who created incredible sonic textures and harmonies for the second part of the track.

Another special element is the bridge solo, which I played using an Indian instrument called the Gochipand, later processed with effects to achieve a unique and distinctive sound.

“Glimmer” 

“Glimmer” is a song about how damaging it can be to be in a toxic relationship or environment where we are unable to be ourselves, and how we often believe that being surrounded by people makes us safer, when that isn’t always true. The song begins with very few elements, reflecting how external stimuli fade away and how what once frightened us most—silence and being alone—begins to feel, for the first time, like a safe place.

In the second part of the song, more and more elements are gradually introduced, as this solitude evolves into a complete inner world where I can find all the sounds I had been searching for outside. In fact, the first and second parts of the song were created months apart. Over time, I came to understand that I needed that distance and to be in a different emotional moment in order to arrive at the conclusion of “Glimmer.” 

“The Unfolding“

“The Unfolding” was the first song from my work as Reifier to be completed. The composition began with an underwater recording which, combined with different effects, brought to life the sound textures at the beginning of the song and became the starting point for its development. This is a very personal track, as it speaks about my process of realizing I was attracted to women and how accepting that allowed me to let go of many fears and prejudices, finally feeling comfortable in my own skin.

For the video, I knew I wanted to create an ode to women and to how incredible they are, with all their differences and each one’s unique beauty. That’s when I decided to collaborate with Mexican artist Soledad Violeta, knowing that her sensitivity and vision were exactly what the video and the song’s cover needed. The video was created using stop motion: Violeta printed each photograph and, frame by frame, built the story, achieving what I was looking for—for the viewer to immerse themselves in my journey toward self-discovery and, along the way, marvel at how incredible women are.

“The Flame “

The Flame is the most upbeat track on the album. The song began in 2023 as a transitional piece representing fire for the multidisciplinary concert Fragmentary. In 2025, after reading a horror novel about a monster hunting a woman, I was inspired to complete the track by merging these two ideas: the monster that follows you—whether anxiety or whatever pursues you—and how it burns everything in its path.

Part of the percussion was created using matches and real fire, generating an atmosphere that makes the listener feel surrounded by heat.

“Dreamscape” 

“Dreamscape” was my first single released under the Reifier project. As its name suggests, the song is a journey into the world of dreams. The lyrics describe the narrator’s path as she walks beneath the sea, where the real world and the dream world gradually merge into one.

“Dreamscape” was born out of an improvisation, and the main lead of the song was created from a grand piano sample. After being processed through multiple effects, it developed a unique timbre. Because the improvisation was recorded without a metronome, it was difficult to define the song’s meter, as I didn’t want to lose its spontaneous and strange character; for that reason, I decided to count it in 11/4.

To create the atmosphere and sonic textures of the track, I experimented with paper and the different sounds it produces when torn, crumpled, flipped through, and manipulated in various ways. The goal was for the listener to feel immersed in a world of imagination and reverie by incorporating uncommon elements rarely found in most songs.

“Sunder”

Sunder is the most minimalist track on the album. While building it, I kept trying to add more and more sounds, until I eventually realized that it didn’t need anything else—it already had what was necessary.

Like “The Flame”, it is inspired by fiction, or rather by other people’s stories, about how sometimes we have everything we’ve always wanted and still keep searching, even if that means losing what we had already reached.

This is the first solo (though not a very conventional one) that I incorporated into one of the songs. It emerged from a bug: I use the Push 3, which is MPE, and when playing a preset on a virtual synthesizer, the sound behaved as if it were constantly restarting. I then used another controller to generate the opposite effect, and that’s how the solo for this song was born.