It’s a pleasure to present the latest collaboration, a simple love story, in all its complexities, from dj and architect, Modulor and multidisciplinary artist Marisa Mu.

With an introduction that acts as a manifesto for the entire selection, Teresa has created a mixtape that carries the listener away on reverberating synth lines and through stripped back and natural soundscapes, traversing elements that seem to have sprung from a forest on their own accord, yet are simultaneously not of this world.

Marisa has captured this journey through her signature use of bold yet soft colours, every transition and shift in energy is captured, and translated into her own language - colour, oils, pastels and crayons layered across each other to tell a story. Each little movement and brushstroke on the canvas captures the array of different feelings, sounds and movement.

What comes to the fore in this collaboration is the journey, the complexities, the stillness, the push and pull. Little voices, through spoken word or pockets of chorus, in Modulors mixtape and brush stokes, lines and spray paint, act as yardsticks throughout this sonic and visual journey to help us remember the form in which we are embodying after drifting for so long in an ethereal and transcendental space.

Teresa aka Modulor is a Naarm based dj, originally from the north of Spain. She is an avid vinyl enthusiast focused on collecting everything from house to techno, electro to acid and breaks. Her selections are full of nuanced sounds that fuse together to create journey sets, something she has perfectly displayed for us in this three hour long mixtape.

‘This mix is my version of non-club music. I wanted to create a long mix, hoping someone will play it in one go on a Sunday morning and ride the trip I went into when recording it. It’s deep, experimental. It’s not linear. It’s a reflection of how I’ve been feeling for the past year, discovering a person who has musically influenced me, the ups and downs, hope, fear of loss and disappointment. It’s definitely not perfect but it’s full of emotions.’

Modulor is also one half of Olivas, who make regular appearances around clubs and bars in Melbourne and are hosts of shows on Kiss FM and Hope St Radio. With such a busy dj schedule and full time work as an architect, Teresa stays grounded by honouring a regular practice - ‘the main thing that truly grounds me is my regular practice of ashtanga yoga. It requires focus, being present, as well as patience and perseverance. Like music, it is a practice of transformation of energy. It is the best thing I have found that keeps me sane’.

‘Music shakes my emotions, is a tool to travel to a different place and time, to dream while being awake. It sets up the mood when listening to it. Learning to make music has helped me listen even more in depth and appreciate every nuance and little sounds part of a musical composition’.

Check out more of Modulor’s music via her Soundcloud or Instagram.

Purchase the digital download of her mixtape here.

‘When the embers of a flame
Catch your eye
May it remind you
Of our souls
Moving to a song
for the mute
That only you and I could feel
The beat of the love
We shared
— An endless rhythmic flow
to the love
that we shared’
by Marisa Mu 2024 - created in response to Modulor’s mixtape.

Tracklist:

The orb - A huge evergrowing brain that rules from the centre of the ultraworld (Orbital Dance Mix)
Stellardrone - the belt of orion
Neural network - Lambent
James Bernard - UWC02
Prototype 909 -transit
Deep Space Network - Zenn La
Eduardo de la Calle - Scattering Hamiltonian
Tagliabue - Persuasione
Shjva - Eye
Sabla - Forespath
The Lotus - A perfect swim
Adham Shaikh - Journey to the sun
Queniv - Modular test
Space Biology - Dub Zone
Virginia - Pulse
Koloah - Invisibility
Drames Rurals - Es Buida
Launaea - Aeri (Simone Bauer Interpretation)
orphic - acdxd (marco shuttle remix)
Vand - Kaneda
Loscil - Vespera
Nthng - Wordless Mass
MDA Analog - Rainful memories
Hiroshi Yoshimura - Singing Stream (Spring mix)
Dream Dolphin - Iruka Tachi To Asonda Kioku / Under Water
Too Smooth Christ - I’m just passing by
Optic Eye - The Listening
Purelink - Head on a swivel
Near Stoic - 077 068 069
Ken Ishii - Loop
214 - Not what they seem
Diffuse arc - information theory
Plant 43 - Soft Twilight Field
Pauline-Anna Strom - Mushroom Trip
Interstellar Funk - Northern Winds (feat. JASSS)
Alfred Czital - Transit
XY0815 - BOQ
Vita - Ovatow Reclock
Model Alpha - Blanche

Marisa Mu is a Blacktown-born, East Timorese Hakka Chinese artist whose prolific, interdisciplinary practice spans across painting, textiles, sculpture, poetry and performance, centred around community engagement. Marisa Mu is an artist who is dedicated to writing her own narrative, exploring themes of Queer Expression, Intersectional Feminism, The Asian Diaspora and Body Liberation through an intuitive and organic process.

Marisa’s focus on community and passion for advocacy and visibility has manifested in Tits & Co. a project of which she is a co-founder, that gives a voice to underrepresented artists, and supports female and gender-non-conforming peoples through exhibitions and events. You don’t have to spend too long with Marisa to realise how dedicated she is to her creative practice, the catharsis of painting that has enabled her to merge her personal narratives and cultural histories. Having put in the hard yards in her 20’s, balancing working full time, sustaining a creative practice and travelling the world, the fruits of her labour are well and truly coming to life.

‘This was a bit of an experimental project for me actually. I haven't really been in a position before where I was being teamed up with a producer and having to work directly to that music. It was something very different for my practice just because I kind of love silence or I listen to what I like to listen to which is predominantly jazz, blues or RnB only, so it was interesting to create something that was responding to someone's own language, which is music’.

Marisa essence is the physical embodiment of her work - paradoxical. Colourful, bold and full of movement yet grounded and peaceful with a gentle touch. She reflects, ‘I think the thing that a lot of people are surprised to hear is that regardless of how loud I can be, I actually am someone that really loves silence. That's just been part of my personality type I guess because I spent so much time working in solitude anyway’.

When it comes to rituals and staying grounded, Marisa cites ‘the non negotiable for me when it comes to being ritualistic is I do a lot of self-talk, and I do it out loud. I also tend to do a lot of journaling, I journal almost daily, and I guess the biggest practice that I do when it comes to journaling is expressing my gratitude. So if I'm going through a slump period, or I'm feeling quite reclusive, or if I feel like I’m having a bit of a creative block, I try to ground myself by acknowledging the privileged position I have as an artist’.

Her recent works explore a more abstract visual narrative - ‘During covid I guess I found a lot of reprieve and a lot of cathartic kind of like, therapeutic meditative practice through doing abstracts and that form started with inviting a friend into the studio and we would collaborate on a piece together and what would unfold would be not only a conversation but a beautiful kind of visual language would evolve between the exchange that we had which was a few hours talking shit working on a piece together. And they weren't necessarily artists themselves, they were just like everyday people that also found a lot of pleasure in painting for the sake of painting and I think that stemmed into this whole playfulness and this whole new other world for me which felt more aligned and a more liberated, freeing kind of avenue’

After that Marisa had an artist residency and sold out show at At the Above, and has been exploring this language and where it might take her - ‘I’m going to do an artist residency next month in February in Canberra where I’ll be working on my own self published book, which will be complementary to my solo show that's happening in March in Fitzroy. I'm also taking the big leap and moving to the big apple mid year so I’ve got about six shows to get through before that happens but you'll hear more about those shows soon.

You can find more of Marisa Mu’s work on her Instagram or Website.

Purchase a limited edition, fine art print here.

012 Modulor x Marisa Mu

011 IVAANA x Sophie Bullen