On Nov. 1 Casey MQ and Junia-T released “Redbird” as their first ever collaboration. The track came about when Casey and Junia were hanging out and swapping music. Casey pulled out “Via Láctea” by Carlos Walker and it spoke to Junia. He chopped and sampled the track into a beat and fired it off to Casey. From there Casey wrote in the lyrics and produced a B section.
“Redbird” is winter escapism track with two sides to it: an unsettling haunting side contrasted by a more uplifting cinematic section. It captures the best and the worst of the winter season – both the darkness and the enchantment.This marks Junia-T’s foray into producing with Ableton and features live instrumentation courtesy of Vincent Yuen Ruiz, Brigit O’Regan and Ben Foran. It’s a collaboration that’s been long overdue. And Carlos Walker (unintentionally) made it happen.
“Redbird” is our Song of the Day.
About: “Redbird”
Redbird was conceived while Junia and Casey were hanging out and sharing music. Casey presented one of his favourite ballad’s called Via Láctea by Carlos Walker. Junia was so inspired by the tune that he chopped the sample and sent it to Casey. From there, Casey began developing lyrics and melody as well as a ‘B section’ to further expand the track. Casey describes the lyrics as ‘a reflection on months that lead into a typical Toronto winter and how we find ways to cope with the colder season. The days blur together through various vices while an overwhelming desire for sun and daylight permeates.’
The track comes about for Casey after years of growth through various projects including his band ‘Unbuttoned’, producing and co-producing for other Canadian artists including Zaki Ibrahim, TiKa and Cadence Weapon. Casey has been an active film composer since completing a residency at the Canadian Film Centre. He has composed feature films that have premiered at TIFF & Hot Docs. Junia-T has been a bonafide producer in the Toronto community for many years and is currently supporting Jessie Reyez on all live performances and tour dates as her DJ.
A prolific artist, Casey MQ hosts a regular monthly radio show on Montreal based station ‘n10.as’ called Melancholic Sounds. The shows are hour long mixes of musical interpretations of reflective and melancholic music. Casey is also an alumni of 2016’s Montreal Red Bull Music Academy. Off the heels of releasing this single, Casey intends to release his debut EP early in the new year.
Fashion Magazine has said that ‘Casey MQ digs his voice into a song, his choruses sound like intimate conversations.’ Together with Junia-T, this new release decidedly marks a further extension of both their artistry.