Geo Aghinea
Oram Award winner 2023 for innovation in sound, music and related technologies
NEW watch my latest live performances at LSO St Luke’s x Drake Music
featured as one of Mastercard's music trailblazers x The BRIT Awards this year, as part of the Future Sound of Britain campaign
listen to my latest performances and interview with Max Reihnardt at Late Late Lunch Show on Soho Radio
listen to my latest EP ‘I’ll Hand You A Hand’
‘Eclectic talent whose music spans multiple genres and disciplines’ - Jamie Johnston, Phys Ed Recs
‘I did think of Bjork, but I also thought of Kate Bush’ - Max Reinhardt, Soho Radio
Information
Sonically reflecting their experience as a deaf musician hearing through artificial mechanisms, Geo Aghinea (b. 2001, Romania) is a London-based producer, composer and vocalist.
Geo creates distinct auditory encounters blending bold synthetic sonic organisms with ethereal alluring vocals. This approach to sound creation is a consequence of wearing hearing aids from a young age, which has shaped both their vocal expression and perception of the surrounding world of sound.
Their creative practice implements a multitude of feelings or stages of feelings, in an effort to form a richer soundscape that reflects how they sophisticatedly experience emotions as a human living in this contemporary climate.
This need to transcend the limitation of conventional, single-mood structures is evident in their avant-garde EP titled 'I'll Hand You A Hand’ released last year, featuring 5 self-produced and written tracks.
Standing at the intersection of art and music, Geo has performed both at renowned music venues including Servant Jazz Quarters, LSO St Lukes, The Baths and Control Club and in art galleries such as The Crypt Gallery, Brooke Bennington and Final Hot Desert.
Likewise, Geo’s music has been broadcast on Radio Romania Cultural and Soho Radio, where they were invited to perform and interview with Max Reinhardt.
Notably, Geo is recognised as one of the 2023 Oram Awards winners for their innovation in sound, music, and related technologies and featured as one of Mastercard's music trailblazers x The BRIT Awards this year, as part of the Future Sound of Britain campaign.
My Artist Projects: ︎︎︎ I’ll Hand You A Hand - EP (5 tracks)
Geo creates distinct auditory encounters blending bold synthetic sonic organisms with ethereal alluring vocals. This approach to sound creation is a consequence of wearing hearing aids from a young age, which has shaped both their vocal expression and perception of the surrounding world of sound.
Their creative practice implements a multitude of feelings or stages of feelings, in an effort to form a richer soundscape that reflects how they sophisticatedly experience emotions as a human living in this contemporary climate.
This need to transcend the limitation of conventional, single-mood structures is evident in their avant-garde EP titled 'I'll Hand You A Hand’ released last year, featuring 5 self-produced and written tracks.
Standing at the intersection of art and music, Geo has performed both at renowned music venues including Servant Jazz Quarters, LSO St Lukes, The Baths and Control Club and in art galleries such as The Crypt Gallery, Brooke Bennington and Final Hot Desert.
Likewise, Geo’s music has been broadcast on Radio Romania Cultural and Soho Radio, where they were invited to perform and interview with Max Reinhardt.
Notably, Geo is recognised as one of the 2023 Oram Awards winners for their innovation in sound, music, and related technologies and featured as one of Mastercard's music trailblazers x The BRIT Awards this year, as part of the Future Sound of Britain campaign.
My Artist Projects: ︎︎︎ I’ll Hand You A Hand - EP (5 tracks)
here is me | taken by Andrei Musat whilst performing at Control Club
I’ll Hand You A Hand - EP
listen to I’ll Hand You A Hand
alternatively, listen on here:︎ ︎ ︎
written, produced and performed by Geo Aghinea
mixed by Luciano Rossi
mastered by James Trevascus
ecording engineer (vocals) of 'A Bird's Wings', 'Fell In Love With an Alien' & 'Emotional Room: Emilia Buchanan
artwork by Alina Negoita
I’ll Hand You A Hand is an avant-garde and experimental Extended Play that documents an intricate tapestry of Geo’s personal journey with intimacy.
Through their self-crafted sonics, Geo intertwines composition and production elements to reflect the complexity that transcends singular emotions, offering a multi-dimensional glimpse into their human experience.
The EP was crafted during Geo's initial years of residing in London, providing a sonic landscape that blends harshness with etherealness. This combination serves as a window into Geo's distinctive perspective as a deaf musician, challenging traditional notions of sound and perception.
tracklist - learn more about each song:
︎︎︎ A Bird’s Wings
︎︎︎ Fell In Love With An Alien
︎︎︎ Emotional Room
︎︎︎ I Could Be That Someone
︎︎︎ I’ll Hand You A Hand
A Bird’s Wings
written, produced and performed by Geo Aghinea
mixed by Luciano Rossi
mastered by James Trevascus
recording engineer: Emilia Buchanan
artwork by Alina Negoita
︎ ︎ ︎
mixed by Luciano Rossi
mastered by James Trevascus
recording engineer: Emilia Buchanan
artwork by Alina Negoita
listen on
︎ ︎ ︎
A Bird's Wings is produced to portray anger, grief, and allure. Distinct emotions are entwined within the sonic composition, creating contrasting textures that mirror the complexity of an emotional landscape during the stages of desire.
Lyrically, the song draws inspiration from natural imagery of ice observed during a winter walk, symbolizing a blockage within a human connection.
Lyrically, the song draws inspiration from natural imagery of ice observed during a winter walk, symbolizing a blockage within a human connection.
Fell In Love With An Alien
Fell In Love With An Alien is an otherworldly sonic journey featuring harsh metallic sounds intertwined with floaty eerie ambient on ethereal soothing vocals.
‘Lyrically, it is a melancholic letter to a special person that I received motherhood-like comfort from. I could sense she had been through a lot, yet I didn’t want to intrude. Therefore everything in relation to her became embedded in mystery.’
‘Lyrically, it is a melancholic letter to a special person that I received motherhood-like comfort from. I could sense she had been through a lot, yet I didn’t want to intrude. Therefore everything in relation to her became embedded in mystery.’
Emotional Room
Emotional Room constructs a lyrical landscape similar to an inner sanctum, wherein our emotions stay stored. When ‘the door’ is left open, other people might view as us ‘fools’, just as the lyrics depict. My intention was to illustrate the act of accessing another's emotional space as a gesture of closeness and vulnerability.
The composition starts and ends in an excessively innocent and dreamy, but contemplative manner. The chorus takes an unexpected 3/4 time signature reminiscent of tribal dance, providing an avenue to release frustrations born from feeling misunderstood.
Beyond its portrayal of a love story, the song materialised from personal experiences of being perceived as naive when choosing vulnerability over insincerity.
The composition starts and ends in an excessively innocent and dreamy, but contemplative manner. The chorus takes an unexpected 3/4 time signature reminiscent of tribal dance, providing an avenue to release frustrations born from feeling misunderstood.
Beyond its portrayal of a love story, the song materialised from personal experiences of being perceived as naive when choosing vulnerability over insincerity.
I could be that someone
written, prodced and performed by Geo Aghinea
mixed by Luciano Rossi
mastered by James Trevascus
artwork by Alina Negoita
listen on
︎ ︎ ︎
I could be that someone is about a plea for transformation,
It is about the broken lenses through which I got to view my body in a dysphoric climate and trying to seek resilience within that.
It is about the broken lenses through which I got to view my body in a dysphoric climate and trying to seek resilience within that.
I’ll Hand You A Hand
written, produced and performed by Geo Aghinea
mixed by Luciano Rossi
mastered by James Trevascus
artwork by Alina Negoita
listen on
︎ ︎ ︎
There is an internal question that had laid the path to the track ‘I’ll Hand You A Hand’: how do I begin to value and nurture, yet still protect the love that I have to give to people around me whilst confronting transience?
Excerpts from notes taken at the time of writing the song:
‘I am in the process of questioning how to accept that everything that surrounds me moves on while fighting the need to feel grounded for one second.
It is heart wrenching to know that people I met once and I deeply connected with or left a mark on me will leave and I will remain in the same place, reminiscing the memories, hoping they’ll sometime come back. I craved continuity and life gave me transience.’
Excerpts from notes taken at the time of writing the song:
‘I am in the process of questioning how to accept that everything that surrounds me moves on while fighting the need to feel grounded for one second.
It is heart wrenching to know that people I met once and I deeply connected with or left a mark on me will leave and I will remain in the same place, reminiscing the memories, hoping they’ll sometime come back. I craved continuity and life gave me transience.’
Live | Performances
I could be that someone performed at LSO St Luke’s
Fell In Love With An Alien performed at LSO St Luke’s --> the end has some looper vocal experimentation
I could be that someone | Studio Live
studio engineering by Emilia Buchanan
mixing: Luciano Rossi
Mastering: James Trevascus
captured and edited by Pierre Engelhard
the mixing and mastering of this project was supported by Drake Music
here you can watch / listen to snippets from my performances at Control Club (unlisted)
watch & listen to the acoustic live performance of Fell In Love With An Alien:
piano: Kacper Grzybowski
studio engineer: Jan Pawilowski
mixing: Luciano Rossi
mastering: James Trevascus
video: Eni Nedkova
colour grading and edit: Geo Aghinea
Special thanks to Shane Beales and ICMP London
studio engineer: Jan Pawilowski
mixing: Luciano Rossi
mastering: James Trevascus
video: Eni Nedkova
colour grading and edit: Geo Aghinea
Special thanks to Shane Beales and ICMP London
Art Collaborations
The Triad Entanglement by Friendred
on the 14th and 15th of April 2023
watch it unlisted:
directed by Friendred
interactive visuals by Pierre Engelhard
haptic researchers: Snehesh Shrestha & Ishan Tamrakar
vocals by Geo Aghinea
cello by Ramilda
curators: Daisy Wang, Celeste Viv Ly
special thanks to University of the Arts London & University of Maryland
interactive visuals by Pierre Engelhard
haptic researchers: Snehesh Shrestha & Ishan Tamrakar
vocals by Geo Aghinea
cello by Ramilda
curators: Daisy Wang, Celeste Viv Ly
special thanks to University of the Arts London & University of Maryland
During the four performances of The Triad Entanglement, I performed in synchronicity with one attendee’s brain waves that were sent as vibrations onto my throat and I think that might have just been the most unique setting that I've performed in so far! The brainwaves, analysed by a headband worn by someone in the audience, would be converted into vibrations and placed via haptic devices both onto my throat and onto the cellist's hand, Ramilda.
Astropriest by Catinca Malaimare
performed at Brooke Benington in London, the United Kingdom
on June 3rd, 2023
watch a snippet of the performance here:
directed by Catinca Malaimare
Astropriest performed / live vocals by Geo Aghinea
The Rider performed by Deividas Vytautas
soundtrack by Khlorys
Astropriest performed / live vocals by Geo Aghinea
The Rider performed by Deividas Vytautas
soundtrack by Khlorys
