London based Geo Jordan is presenting “Innocence,” the opening track from the most recent EP named “Journey”, a dreamy production which seamlessly blends ethereal synth sounds with an inviting, idm infused, organic beat.
Describe your sound in 3 words
Soulful, Future-facing, Energised.
“Journey” is described as a homage to your early beginnings as an Electronic Instrumental producer. Can you elaborate on the significance of returning to this style and what aspects of your early work influenced the creation of the EP?
It’s definitely a full circle moment, I started producing and playing instruments at a super young age. I’d spent years studying instrumental focussed music like Classical and Jazz for the instruments I played, and to learn production, I started making remixes of my favourite songs ripped from the internet, and mimicking instrumental music that I loved from video games, and CD compilations that friends had made me. When I actually got okay at it, I started releasing music under my first alias, which was completely instrumental. I loved listening electronic music, so it was natural for my first releases to be of that ilk. I wasn’t quite confident in myself as a singer and as I was pretty scared of people hearing my voice, I knew I could sing and had many ideas, but for the time, making instrumental music was the perfect way to start expressing. I feel that there is a sense of freedom that comes with making instrumental music, as it is not as forward facing a vocal music. I feel I have more space sonically and less limitations with track lengths to express sonic ideas, a space that is not always available when I sing on tracks or make music that is more of a traditional song form. It’s also nice to make records that are a bit more experimental. A lot of time has passed since my first releases, and I’ve come a long way as producer, singer, writer and artist over the years, so to come back to that realm with a wealth of experience, confidence, after making vocal lead music for a few years is super refreshing and feel gives a different perspective of my creativity to listeners.
The Journey EP spans various genres, including alternative, dance, dub, ambient, and two-step electronica. How do you approach blending these diverse influences into a cohesive musical journey, and what challenges or exciting moments did you encounter during this process?
They’re slightly more left of centre areas of music. They are full of energy, but come in so many forms, can be smooth and sexy, ambient, and funky and groovy. All encompassing if you will… I wasn’t thinking about what boxes I would fit in when making the EP if I’m honest. I just sat down and starting making and this was what came out, the genre stamps came at the end when figuring out how to share the project. I feel any body of work that has a singular entity working on it, in a concentrated time, or is made in the same space or with the same limitations from start to finish will always have a sense of cohesion. I guess in this case the common factor is my production choices, equipment available and taste at the time. I definitely found excitement in finding new ways to use my studio equipment and recreate electronic sounds with acoustic instruments I had to hand alongside sampling. Nothings gets me more excited then stumbling across a new found sound or texture that sits right in the production during making. Feels like magic…
As one of the few openly black-British trans-male music artists in the UK, how do you view your role in paving the way for diversity and representation in the music industry, and how has your unique identity influenced your approach to creating genre-breaking electronic music?
I think my role is important for normalising the fact that creativity from black artists is by no means limited to the few mainstream genres we are often boxed into such as Rap, Grime, R&B, even Jazz. There is a whole host of both mainstream and alternative music outside of those genres which in my opinion doesn’t get the focus it deserves. To then also be affiliated with the queer community from being trans is great and equally important purely for visibility sake, as there are so many wonderful queer creatives out there that are often overlooked because of their queer status. I think there is commonly a type of box and aesthetic that queer people are put into by default which I feel a lot of queer creatives (including myself) don’t sit in either, so to be a source of visibility to the other perspective of queer creativity of things is an important role too. In all honesty though, as I’ve grown and reflected on my experiences, I’ve begun to understand my whole essence is that I’ve never quite been someone in my personality, expression or creativity that has been able to sit in one world. I love and am influenced by so many things, and I more often than not want to try and translate all of that into my expression, and as my music and creative output is an extension of that, by nature it becomes something that crosses boundaries and genres.
Which is your go to synth (analog or digital) when you start a project?
In most cases the Teenage Engineering OP-1 Field is a starting point. It has an immediacy and a playfulness to it that is really snappy, fun and inspirational. Another good box for tinkering is also the Korg Volca Drum Synth, it’s the first drum machine that’s really caught my attention in quite a while and I love seemingly infinite sounds you can get out of it.
I make a lot of my music on the road, as well as in the studio, and those devices are always with me as they are so portable.
When at the studio, I’ve been drawn to the Sequential Circuits OB-6 of late, I use the OB-XD plug in by Datasounds/DiscoDSP on pretty much every song, as I love the sounds. The OB-6 is pretty much it’s real life analogue cousin, and its got a richness and 80’s vibe to it that my ear seems to gravitate towards.
Favourite album of the past 3 years
Oh man, this is an impossible question haha! I’m going to have to give a few as I simply can’t boil it down to one. Marshmallow by The Sweet Enoughs, Still Slipping Vol.1 by Joy Orbison, Celestial Greens by Vels Trio, Kofu by Meitei, Play With The Changes by Rochelle Jordan, All News is Good News by Surprise Chef, A View Of You by Machinedrum have all been on repeat for sure. This is only a handful of records I love…
You mentioned that the EP is intended to be listened to in one sitting with gapless playback. How did you design the overall listening experience, and in which place or state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
As the record kind of sits in its own world with it being instrumental and slightly more spacious, and away from my previous releases, I wanted to create something immersive. Silences and track lengths are intentional, in hope of listeners taking the whole thing in one sitting and being a place to be open and receptive to doing so. In a world of streaming where singles, quick digestion of music and play-listing are king right now, I just wanted to do something a little different to encourage people to participate in active focussed and somewhat meditative listening, and come into my world for 20 mins, rather than the quick fire digestion or skip mentality.
Do you have an artist that you would describe as a hidden gem that we should know about?
Léa Sen for sure, she is a friend and super dope artist, her releases have been in my consciousness for sometime, and super excited to hear her next project.
Which Superpower would you choose?
I’d probably choose invisibility, as I think it would be pretty convenient and also would love to prank people…
Thank you!
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