Laurel Anne Chartow, known professionally as Laurel Halo, is an American electronic musician currently based in Berlin, Germany. She released her debut albumQuarantine on Hyperdub in 2012 to critical acclaim; it was named album of the year by The Wire. She followed with studio albumsChance of Rain and Dust, as well as various EPs and the mini-albumRaw Silk Uncut Wood.
Biography
Laurel Anne Chartow was born on June 3, 1985 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she also grew up and learned playing the piano, guitar and violin. She draws influences from the music of Detroit, London and Berlin, as well as from her time in free jazz ensembles and as a college radio DJ. She moved to New York City in 2009, and later moved to Berlin in 2013.
Musical career
Halo self-released the EPs The Future Fruit and Ambrosia before signing with Hippos in Tanks and releasing the EP King Felix, which was inspired by Philip K. Dick's novel VALIS. She followed with Hour Logic in 2011. Her debut album, Quarantine, was released on the London-based label Hyperdub in June 2012. The album was named Album of the Year in 2012 by The Wire. Her second album, Chance of Rain, was released in October 2013. In 2015, Halo worked alongside Rashad Becker, Julia Holter and NH'Koxyen on the collaborative, 'telepathic' Terepa EP, in addition to providing a cover of a previously lost Karen Dalton song for the Tompkins Square compilation, Remembering Mountains. 2015 also saw Halo collaborate with John Cale and Lisa Gerrard for a performance of Cale's music at the Arts Centre Melbourne. In addition, Halo released In Situ, a double-EP for the London-based label Honest Jon's in the fall of 2015. In 2016, Laurel Halo composed the soundtrack for Still Be Here, a collaborative piece featuring the Japanese virtual pop star Hatsune Miku. It premiered at HKW in Berlin, Germany. In June 2017, Halo released her third albumDust, featuring contributions from Eli Keszler, Julia Holter, Michael Salu, Max D, Klein, and Lafawndah among others. The album received critical praise from numerous publications. In January 2018, it was announced that Halo wrote a score for the documentary film Possessed by Dutch design studio Metahaven and Rob Schröder. Later that year in July, she released a mini-album on Latency Recordings titled Raw Silk Uncut Wood, which she stated was inspired by her contribution to the film. The mini-album consists of six instrumental ambient tracks, and features contributions from cellist Oliver Coates, whom she also worked with on the Possessed score, and percussionist Eli Keszler. Halo also teamed up with Bristol-based musician Hodge on the collaborative EP Tru / Opal / The Light Within You, which was released on November 30, 2018, by Livity Sound Recordings. The two worked on the three songs together over the course of a couple years in Berlin.
