Taaqtuq Ubluriaq: Dark Star
Album: Taaqtuq Ubluriaq: Dark Star
Song: Arctic Hallows
Date: October 30, 2020
The phenomenon of snow appearing to fall toward the sky due to abnormal winds has a term in Inuktitut: “piqsiq.” This is also the name of singing duo Tiffany Ayalik and Kayley Mackay, Inuit sisters who draw inspiration from the ethereal phenomenon of piqsiq in their music. PIQSIQ blends traditional Inuit throat singing, called katajjaq, with contemporary technology, a reflection of the modern evolution of Inuit culture in their home of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. After learning of the connection between colonialism and the suppression of katajjaq, the sisters were galvanized to spread their unique adaptation of traditional throat singing as a form of resistance and decolonization.
The northern regions of Canada spend most of the year in complete darkness. In many societies, the dark has negative connotations, evoking feelings of wickedness and isolation. Personally, I associate light with positivity and growth, while darkness represents death and fear. In their first and only album “Taaqtuq Ubluriaq: Dark Star,” the PIQSIQ sisters convey a new interpretation of lightness and darkness–or, rather, the extant interpretation of this dichotomy among Inuit peoples. Instead of a clear-cut distinction between good and evil, Ayalik and Mackay show the beauty of the darkness that envelops their home for most of the year. With the album release lining up with Halloween, they embrace the characteristic eeriness and mysteriousness of the season as they blend katajjaq with modern EDM and experimental tones. Simultaneously, they tell the story of a young woman named Ubluriaq, who explores the boundaries of humanity through an interaction with the Beyond. However, in my research, I could not find more details about this story or “the Beyond.”
The particular song on the album that resonated most with me was the fourth: Arctic Hallows. The artists write that the song “carries listeners both backward and forward at once via its retro, synthy, dance vibes with a twist.” I found myself entranced by the rhythm, which is suggestive of dance music while also incorporating haunting and vibrant throat singing. The song begins with electronic arpeggios that seem almost like rain or icicles, before the katajjaq fades in. There is a spectral aesthetic to the song, one that I imagine when I think of the Arctic. At the end of the song, the technological additions disappear and all that can be heard are soft throat incantations.
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/track/2CrvQbxZ4FTkN8cTNMsoZo?si=4d8b77084f7e47c6
Sources:
“About PIQSIQ.” http://www.piqsiq.ca/discover.html#/.
Brackenbury, Meaghan. “PIQSIQ ‘challenges dichotomy of light and dark’ with new album.” Cabin Radio, 30 October 2020, https://cabinradio.ca/48455/news/arts/piqsiq-challenges-dichotomy-of-light-and-dark-with-new-album/.
Warner, Andrea. “Meet PIQSIQ, Inuit-style throat-singing sisters and inventors of a new instrument called ‘the death harp.’” CBC, 25 June 2021, https://www.cbc.ca/music/meet-piqsiq-inuit-style-throat-singing-sisters-and-inventors-of-a-new-instrument-called-the-death-harp-1.6062520.
I absolutely love the song you have linked, Arctic Hallows. The progression of the music–the constant addition of new parts and sounds–is amazing and keeps you on your toes as you listen. I can also hear the blend of darkness and light that compete against each other throughout the song and offer a glimpse into the life of native communities into the seemingly eternal darkness of the winter months in the their home town of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories of Canada.