At age five, Christi first played an off-brand toy keyboard—a simple sine wave for each note, no effects, and a handful of pre-programmed children’s songs housed in a red plastic casing. The tiny keys squeaked louder than its built-in speaker, yet it unlocked something deeper: a way to engage with sound as more than just notes, but as a physical, resonant experience.
As an autistic person, the harmonics of analog synthesis became more than just a creative outlet; they became a form of regulation. Even in the harshest sound designs, there is a harmonic resonance that roots her—like a tree spreading into rocky soil, resilient and optimistic.
By her teens, she was self-teaching sound-on-sound recording, bouncing tracks between computer and cassette to build evolving compositions. As her process developed, she began sampling sounds on Minidisc and looping in Acid Music Studio, which led to deeper production work in Digital Performer, then to Reason and Ableton Live.
Now, her workflow integrates hardware and software synthesis, using Ableton Live alongside tactile instruments to arrange and refine her work. At the core of her setup is the Nord Piano, its red casing a quiet reminder of the toy keyboard that started it all.
Christi Mahu – Meditative, Melodic, and Expansive
Work published under Christi Mahu explores texture, movement, and emotion, capturing mood and space through layered synthesis, evolving drones, and rhythmic swells. Designed for deep listening, introspection, or movement, her compositions blend ambient, cinematic electronic, and trance-like elements with a sense of delicacy and clarity.
Whether meditative and expansive or bright and energetic, each piece is crafted with intention and emotional depth, evoking joy, optimism, or tranquil calm. Her music invites listeners into immersive sonic landscapes, where evolving textures and rhythmic flows create a space for both stillness and motion.
Ternary Spore – Raw, Unfiltered, Hypnotic
Ternary Spore embraces imperfection, spontaneity, and raw energy, capturing the unpredictable nature of live synthesis. Every track is recorded in a single take, often directly to cassette with minimal editing, allowing the machines to dictate the moment rather than sculpting them into perfection.
Spanning ambient noise, industrial textures, and hypnotic dark techno, Ternary Spore thrives on instinct over precision, movement over structure. It is a space for feedback loops, distortion, found sounds, and unpredictable rhythms, forming an ever-evolving sonic experiment.