TLDR; I prefer the Erlang syntax. Since I use Erlang VM for hobby / side projects, it's easier for me to come back to after some time away.

You can't go wrong. Inevitibly, which every you start with, you'll learn both.

My personal journay started with learning Elixir. I soon discovered that I was reading Erlang docs, encountering Erlang stack traces, and using many fantastic Erlang lirbaries. I decided I wanted to be build stronger Erlang experience and havn't looked back.

I still create Elixir projects from time to time, especially to leverage Ecto (for databases). Also, on my todo list is to play with the Phoenix (web framework) project.

I'm suspect my journey is rather common, I see Elixir developers comfortable with Erlang and vice-versa. Though, I'm sure each has a perference like a dominant hand. You'll find yours as you explorer this fantastic technology.