IQU

Hailing from Olympia, Washington, the lo-fi electronic trio IQU—pronounced ee-koo—features keyboardist Michiko Swiggs, bassist Aaron Hartman, and multi-instrumentalist K.O. on guitar, turntables, and theremin. Their earliest work took shape through free-form improvisation blending analog synths, upright bass, guitar, and dance beats, yet evolved toward more structured songwriting once K.O.’s employer, Calvin Johnson of K Records, offered studio time at the label’s facility. The resulting 1998 release, Chotto Matte A Moment!, fused drum-n-bass textures with lo-fi and punk urgency; that same sonic contrast placed the group on bills alongside Unwound, Sonic Youth, the Flaming Lips, and Hovercraft. Throughout 1999 the band maintained an active schedule of touring and recording, issuing the summer collaboration Girls on Dates with performance artist and filmmaker Miranda July. Mid-2000 brought the full-length Teenage Dream, while four years afterward IQU resurfaced with Sun Q, favoring a larger and more refined production approach.