Aidan Lochrin (they/them) is a composer, sound artist, and musician based in and around Glasgow, Scotland.
Their work is heavily steeped in improvisation and the drone - ranging from the instrumental, field recordings, electronic sounds, and performance art with a tinge of the absurd.
Their work is heavily steeped in improvisation and the drone - ranging from the instrumental, field recordings, electronic sounds, and performance art with a tinge of the absurd.
Having studied composition and sound art at the University of Glasgow, during this time they were able to hone their writing skills, while being able to have music performed by ensembles such as the RSNO and the Edinburgh Quartet. Outwith academia at this time Aidan was awarded the winning place in the Edinburgh Clarsach Society’s Composition Competition, as well as having works performed at festivals such as Sound Thought.
Aidan then studied audiovisual practice at the Glasgow School of Art, working with many talented sound artists from across the globe. From here, they have been able to write music for picture, from arthouse/experimental to documentary, as well as being a filmmaker in their own right – having recently been shortlisted for GMAC’s ‘Little Pictures’, and is now working with them on a commissioned film under their ‘Tiny Little Pictures’. One of the films produced during workshops with this group, “Embrace”, has recently been shortlisted by Film Access Scotland as part of their ‘1.5 Degrees’ call.
Aidan also writes music for indie games, and is currently working with the studio Organ Machine, having produced the music for their ‘Too Cute to Shoot’ (2021) and upcoming ‘Hell Boba Café’. Frequently performing and scheduling performances of their own and others’ works in various venues around Scotland, Aidan has also had several works performed abroad – such as in the US-based festival, zFestival, a completely virtual music festival. In November of 2021, they were commissioned by Sound Scotland to write for the ensemble Any Enemy, for their festival in Aberdeen. Aidan is one half of the experimental ambient duo Failed System Test, in collaboration with Belgian artist Sonia Killmann, who recently performed their work ‘Disintegrations C’ at Sonica to a sold-out show at Tramway.
In their work, Aidan attempts to push further the boundaries of contemporary harmony by exploring xenharmonic, or microtonal, structures and scales. To this end Aidan has produced five electronic albums under the pseudonym gaia complex, with a sixth in production, as well as several works for classical ensembles using microtonal frameworks. Aidan often uses their work as a medium to express themes of environmental issues, being a huge advocate of climate activism, and has had work featured in compilations such as one to raise awareness of Remembrance Species’ Day. Aidan’s latest upcoming body of work, titled “the death of arcadia” takes these themes to the extreme, and draws from field recordings, experimental noise, recorded instruments & processed synths, and a track from this has been featured on Blackford Hill Audio’s compilation Peace and Plenty. In addition to frequently performing, Aidan has recorded and self-released upwards of fifteen albums and EPs across various projects, as well as numerous one-off tracks and pieces.
Their own output is so varied in style and genre that the input for that has to be as well. A lot of Aidan’s approach to more classical styles and harmony comes from a love of a lot of Japanese composers, such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takashi Yoshimatsu, and Nobuo Uematsu, citing their use of space and harmony in a lot of their music as something they adore. Aidan’s heavier, drone-based, and ambient music draws from bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and from composers like Kali Malone & Ellen Arkbro. The electronic music Aidan produces also takes in inspiration from many sources, but recently it comes from artists like Bonobo, Makeup & Vanity Set, Floating Points, and Sevish. In their practive, Aidan often finds it satisfying to really get into a beat, or to get completely absorbed in disgustingly distorted noise.