Revision 37: Kara Square
| Kara Square | |
| mindmapthat | |
 Kara Square | |
| Location | Columbus, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Active since | June 2010 |
| Role | Singer-songwriter, ccMixter admin |
| Genres | Folk pop, singer-songwriter, ukulele, sound healing |
| Instruments | Voice, ukulele, flute, tuning forks |
| Remixes uploaded | 113 |
| Remixed by others | 1,340+ times |
| Aliases | |
| Thinkroot Energy | Sound healing meditation |
| Ukuambient | Psybient/ambient ukulele |
| Links | |
| ccMixter | mindmapthat |
| Label | Thinkroot Records |
| Bandcamp | karasquare |
Kara Square is a ukulele-playing singer-songwriter, ccMixter admin, and founder of Thinkroot Records. She joined ccMixter in June 2010 under the username mindmapthat and was invited to become a platform admin in August 2011.
Background
Kara originally joined ccMixter under the name "Mind Map That" as an outlet for comedic songs that didn't fit her band Team Smile and Nod. She quickly embraced Creative Commons licensing and became deeply involved in the community. She describes herself as "a ukulele slinging, songwriting, and singing music maker."
She operates under several creative aliases:
- Kara Square — Her primary folk pop / singer-songwriter identity
- Thinkroot Energy — Sound healing meditation music using tuning forks, singing bowls, and binaural beats
- Ukuambient — Psybient and ambient ukulele compositions
Musical Style
Kara's music is anchored by her signature ukulele playing and vocals, spanning folk pop, acoustic indie, psybient, electronic, and even comedic/quirky songwriting. Her 2018 album Ukulele Glue was described as "a rip-roaring sonic demonstration of the versatility of the ukulele," with community remixes spanning indie rock, metal, folk, world, reggae, and electronic styles.
Recommended Tracks
- Celebrating ccMixter — A tribute to the community
- Broken Record - Vocals — Vocal track
- Calling All Sirens — Ukulele-driven
- Magic Unfolds (Vocals) — Expressive vocal piece
- Infinite Blanket - Vocals — Atmospheric vocals
- Never Stop Rising — Uplifting singer-songwriter
- Dig the Uke — Pure ukulele energy
- Guitalele's Happy Place — Guitalele instrumental
- The Great Ukulele Space Spar — A fan favorite
- Harmonic Ocarina Melody (2025) — Recent ocarina piece
Albums
- Look Both Ways Before You Die (2008), Mourning Time (2011), Dust from the Stars (2021) — Collaborations with Rich Ratvasky as Team Smile and Nod
- Love Songs for Everyone but Especially Uke (2013) — First Solo Album
- Square Meter (2014) and Roses & Thorns (2020) — Collaborations with Italian musician Piero Peluche
- Ukulele Duels (2015) — Solo Album of Ukulele Instrumentals
- Ukulele Glue (2018, ccMixter) — 17-track collaborative remix album featuring remixes by spinningmerkaba, Stefan Kartenberg, Unreal_DM, Airtone, Piero Peluche, and many others
Notable Achievement
Her collaboration with Turkish musician Murat Ses on "Endless Dance" (2015) won Akademia and Global Music Awards and charted on Billboard Magazine in 2016.