Casey MQ: How Studio Ghibli inspired the LA musician’s new album

During the pandemic, Casey MQ, the Canadian artist best known for his innovative approach to electronic music and his skills as a multi-instrumentalist and record producer, co-founded what many called one of the silver linings of that period: Club Quarantine. 

Taking place on Zoom, the virtual rave was a go-to for the then-emergent hyperpop scene, featuring star-studded guest appearances from the likes of Charli XCX, Caroline Polachek, Yaeji, and Lady Gaga, as well as artists such as Dorian Electra and 100 gecs, whose careers would take off around that time. 

MQ is more than just a party maven, though. He has produced for heavyweight artists such as Oklou, Flume, Shygirl, Eartheater, and Namasenda. The musician is also an award-winning film composer, winning the Canadian Screen Award for Best Original Song at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards for “And Then We Don’t”, a song he co-wrote with Tika Simon for Thyrone Tommy’s musical drama Learning to Swim.

How would you describe your music?

Casey MQ: Whenever I listen to my music casually, particularly my forthcoming album, I like to listen in moments of stillness, long train rides with my headphones on or driving through the city. This album feels like something you walk towards rather than run. Ultimately, for me, it provides a landscape of introspection where my thoughts or ideas can collide. I wanted to make an album that you could wrap yourself in and feel like you would be taken care of but free to roam in your inner world — going back in time during the present towards the future. So many beautiful albums like this exist for me, so I was hoping to be a part of that, in a way. 

What is your earliest music memory?

Casey MQ: This is the earliest memory I have agreed upon in my head. I was watching Willy Wonka, starring Gene Wilder, in the basement of my childhood home. My mom was running a daycare at the house, and I have this image of jumping up and down on the couch listening to “Pure Imagination”. I don’t know if any of that actually happened, but it’s what I remember in my head (that last sentence is the crux of what my album draws from).  

What’s the worst advice you’ve ever been given?

Casey MQ: I had a piano teacher tell me to stop listening to pop music if I wanted to be a serious classical pianist. She said the only way to do that was to listen to opera exclusively. Even if there was any merit to that advice, I would not do that… 

Would you share the most recent note from your notes App?

Casey MQ: Count Baldor and I were sending each other haikus we were writing back and forth, so I put down this one. 

Do you have any recurring dreams?

Casey MQ: I have versions of a dream where multiple people surround me in an open field. Nobody is close together, and an equal distance separates each person. Then there’s a big flash in the sky, and everyone falls to the ground as if gravity pulled them down. Nobody can get up, and I’m trying to crawl ‘home’. It’s kind of intense [laughs].  

What would be your funeral song?

Casey MQ: OK, I have had this one in my back pocket since I was 20. Very recently, Mary Lou (Oklou) and I were discussing this exact question, and as soon as I played her my choice, we started crying because it was so sad [laughs]. So, I might rethink this question over the next few years. The song is ”Not Yet Remembered” by Brian Eno and Harold Budd. I don’t know… it’s just got funeral energy. 

Who is your nemesis?

Casey MQ: Currently, Highland Park Impact. They’re a team I faced in the co-ed soccer league I play in. We lost to them today, so…

If you could only listen to one musician for the rest of your life, who would it be?

Casey MQ: If it did come down to one musician, it would be Debussy. His music paints so many pictures, and I feel like there are always little secrets in his music and harmony, so I would continually discover new things.

What fictional character do you most relate to and why?

Casey MQ: I spent the year reading Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, and because it was so long, I read it daily. I felt so connected and related to so many of his ideas and winding paths. At points, I felt so inside the book that his words would orient a lot of my day and headspace. I really loved it, though. I want to reread it.

Your favourite corner shop snack?

Casey MQ: I have a particular fixation with candy and have some highly regarded favourites. Hands down, the best candy is Sweetarts Ropes (any flavour, it doesn’t matter). I don’t know when that candy came on the scene, but if it’s at the shop, I purchase that above anything else. And then maybe a beer if I’m in the mood. 

Would you share the most recent picture or screenshot on your camera roll?

Casey MQ: I recently took this picture of Zsela at her single-release party. I co-wrote and produced a few songs for her upcoming album. I love her music and can’t wait for that album to be released. 

And the last meme you saved?

‘Grey Gardens’ is out now via Ghostly International