Music
Laurel Halo
born 1985 · electronic musician, composer
Ann Arbor-born electronic composer whose Detroit-influenced experiments, beginning with the Wire's 2012 album of the year Quarantine, made her a leading figure in experimental music.
- Born
Ann Arbor, Michigan
age 41- Birth name
- Laurel Anne Chartow
- Detroit years
- 1985–2009
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Laurel Chartow was born and raised in Ann Arbor, at the western edge of metro Detroit, where she learned piano, guitar and violin. Playing in free-jazz ensembles and working as a college radio DJ, she absorbed the electronic music of nearby Detroit alongside that of London and Berlin, influences she has continued to name. She moved to New York in 2009 and began releasing music as Laurel Halo; her debut album Quarantine (Hyperdub, 2012) was named album of the year by The Wire. Chance of Rain (2013) moved toward abstract techno, while Dust (2017) returned to song with collaborators such as Julia Holter and Eli Keszler. She moved to Berlin in 2013 and to Los Angeles in 2023, composed scores for film and for a Hatsune Miku virtual-pop project, and released the ambient Atlas in 2023. Her Detroit ties remain audible and visible: in 2023 she played an all-night event at Detroit's Marble Bar.
Highlights
- Quarantine (Hyperdub, 2012) was The Wire's album of the year.
- Albums Chance of Rain (2013) and Dust (2017).
- Composed the score for the documentary Possessed (2018).
- Cites Detroit electronic music as a core influence.
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Performed here · 2023
Marble Bar
Detroit music venue (opened 2015 in the former Detroit Eagle space) where she played an all-night Texture party in March 2023.