WHEN SHE WAS growing up in Heerlen, Holland, Maartje Dekker would never miss Cultura Nova, the city’s theatre festival. She was enthralled by the amazing parade of floats, the people in strange, otherworldly costumes, the circus vibe of it all. Today that influence can be clearly seen and heard in the world of Dekker’s cinematic pop ensemble, Mayra Orchestra.
“When I was in arts school in Maastricht,” she tells Prog, “you couldn’t study art and music, you had to choose between the two. Which I thought was strange. I chose music, but really missed art. I loved circus, and painting and drawing and making films. When I was writing songs I always had visual ideas too.”
World Of Wonder, Mayra Orchestra’s 2013 debut album/DVD, is a sumptuous, fantastical artistic statement.…