Hailing from Vancouver, Canada’s LaLaLand of weirdos with a long history of birthing electronic and synth-driven artists, it’s not surprising maQLu ended up finding her inspiration in synthetic tones, distorted samples and experimental noise. Her work explores tensions between animal energy and electronic textures and her lyrics often dwell on violence and taboos.
Fans have described her music as “a beautiful abomination” while reviewers have said maQLu’s music is “a breath of fresh air in the electro scene” [James Wright of Soundsphere Magazine] and “an orchestration of foreign, unsettling industrial rock” [Tom Harrison of The Province].
Her debut EP, Blood, was unleashed in April 2010, receiving airplay as far away as Australia and charting in several markets across Canada. The follow-up, Black, followed suit and bested its predecessor, hitting as high as #6 on !earshot’s national electronic chart in November 2010.
2011 saw the release of The Maqlu Tarot, a 22-track experimental compilation originally composed for CiTR Radio’s annual 24 Hours of Radio Art, as well as a third rock EP, Haze,and a CD version of all three industrial/alt rock EPs, blood.black.haze, all of which also found their way onto the airwaves.
maQLu’s latest EP, Futureghosts, explores themes of longing and loss set to mostly sparse and quivering synthetic grooves. Futureghosts also finds maQLu exploring sounds that could almost be considered traditional—strings, semi-operatic vocals, lutes, organs,and horns—warped and brought into submission against distortion, glitches, and layered drum loops.
maQLu is currently working on a new full-length industrial rock album for release in 2013 as well as several experimental and spoken word projects.