MNZ Interview: Muzic Speak S01 / E08 – Minuit

After more than a decade of silence, the Kiwi trio with the French name – Minuit – are back. Known for their electrifying live shows and genre-defying sound, Minuit carved out a cult following through the 2000’s, touring from Hanoi to Helsinki and leaving a trail of rib-rattling beats and lyrical brilliance in their wake.

Fronted by the enigmatic Ruth Carr, and backed by sonic architects Ryan Beehre and Paul Dodge, Minuit’s music is as addictive as it is distinctive. And now, they have reunited for a limited run of shows in 2025.

Muzic.NZ’s Lisa caught up with the band to talk about the reunion, the memories, and what fans can expect when Minuit takes the stage once more. Spoiler: it’s going to be loud.

Starting with introductions – who are the members of Minuit and how did you all get involved in music?

Ryan – Dad’s record collection.
Paul – played in bands in high school.
Ruth – If I’m gonna be brutally honest, I started learning the drums to play in bands as I got sick of only seeing guys in bands! Eventually I got replaced by a drum machine, (early example of human job replacement by AI…?), so I pivoted to singing.

After a decade away from the stage, what inspired the decision to reunite?

Ryan – Cost of Living Crisis.
Paul – We have a soft spot for Ōtautahi.
Ruth –  I’m still alive!

Minuit has always been known for electrifying live shows. What can fans expect from this reunion tour?

Ruth – Lots of dancing and singing, and singing and dancing.

With shows already sold out, how does it feel to have that level of excitement from your fans?

Ruth – It truly is.. pretty…crazy…amazing…lucky.
Paul – For this reunion we’ve been looking back through old suitcases of photos to post, and been thinking heaps of really early days. When we formed in Nelson in the midst of those 1997 vibes, a goal was to play at The Gathering (NYE dance party on the Takaka Hill). So when Murray Kingi gave us a 2pm afternoon slot we genuinely felt like “this is it! it’s as good as it could get!” So yeah, Minuit has surprised us more than anyone I think.

Are there any songs you’re especially looking forward to performing live again?

Ryan – Forever, Species II, Except You.
Paul – I Hate Guns is pretty chaotic live, lol.
Ruth – We aren’t doing any of my favs… Na, just jokes.

You’ve played everywhere from St. Petersburg to Amsterdam – what’s the most unforgettable gig you’ve ever played?

Ryan – Somewhere out the back of a pub in Ireland, I forget the name of the place.
Paul – I think Giles Cooper used to email every NZ band who was travelling to Europe saying, “hey do you wanna play in Vietnam on the way?” Not sure how many bands took him up on the offer, but we were like, ‘of course!’
Ruth – In the ancient past, we played support for Chemical Brothers when they came to Auckland. It was our first time supporting a ‘big name’ and we were pretty excited! I thought we’d get to meet them, chat music, hit it off, and maybe, who knows, we could jump on their world tour! wow! That would be amazing! Well, I learnt a lotta lessons that day. You don’t get to see them, let alone give them your music, you pay the lights person to just turn on the lights then leave them on static, you pay the sound person to turn on the sound system, (but they have it a lot lower level than the main band, so it makes sure they are truly banging when they come out), and then you see them walk off in the distance with the “welcome to NZ” presents you bought them. Reality checks are invaluable.

How has your approach to preparing for live shows evolved since you first began performing?

Ryan – We prepare now.
Ruth – To be honest, it’s still pretty much the same! Try and remember the words!
Paul –  A lot of what we used to do was often improvised, cos we were playing off the machines and we knew the set so well, so we never actually rehearsed. For these shows however, we had to rehearse.

The 88 went gold while Find Me Before I Die A Lonely Death Dot Com became iconic. What do those releases mean to you now?

Ruth – Sometimes when I listen to them, I am amazed that we actually made them.
Ryan – Grateful to be a part of their creation and for the opportunity.
Paul – Like any music, I think humans have memories attached to it, around what they were doing at the time they listened to it, right? And I love it when people come up and say, hey this track meant such and such to me. There are tattoos out there with Minuit lyrics. But it’s not always just the music. I remember Ruth spending literal hours with tweezers separating 100s and 1000s into colour piles to create the Find Me album worlds maps cover art. So funny.

Minuit tracks have featured on shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Lucifer – did you ever imagine your music would reach such global audiences?

Ryan – No.
Ruth – I guess any creative hopes for a reach, but you never know if you can get one, that’s fo’ sure!
Paul – That came about through the small-but-mighty Native Tongue publishers. It was their sheer audacity that pitched us to those shows, and the connections they had. Hearing Aotearoa on Bones – no-one could have predicted that! haha

What does Minuit mean to you now, compared to when you first started out?

Ryan – Friendship.
Paul – Feels lucky to have had the opportunity.
Ruth – Now, I’m still really amazed we did it, surprised we stayed at it so long, happy that we are still friends, and a piece of me still can’t believe that it was me in the band.

Is this reunion a one-time celebration, or is it the beginning of something more?

Ryan – Ask Ruth.
Ruth – Definitely not the beginning of something more! It’s a really happy exclamation point at the end of a lucky time.

If you could give your younger selves one piece of advice before launching into the music world, what would it be?

Ryan – Don’t do interviews.
Paul – Say yes to stuff.
Ruth – Invent Facebook.

Catch Minuit Live
Saturday 23 August @ Go Live Festival, Ōtautahi (Christchurch)
Saturday 30 August @ Meow Nui, Pōneke (Wellington)
Friday 5 September @ Double Whammy, Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland)
Saturday 4 October @ Theatre Royal, Whakatū (Nelson)

Top Photo Credit: Louise Hatton