VIDEO : GMNII "Pure Imagination"

VIDEO + INTERVIEW : GMNII

We had the opportunity of hosting one of the early performances of electronic soul duo GMNII. Emma Cole and Gi King make up the group and have already made their mark on the LA music scene from playing venues such as The Moroccan Lounge, Hi Hat and an upcoming performance at The Ace. Enjoy this dream like version of one of the most magical songs, “Pure Imagination.”

GMNII is a new duo formed between two solo artists Emma Cole and Gi King, how did this duo come about? How did you combine sounds to form such a fresh new vibe? 

We met in Feb 2017 at The Echo! Our mutual friend Ricky Small was headed to see Emma perform and Gi joined him. Our adoration for each other started over email, but we didn’t link up and start creating together until April/May 2017 (after running into each other magically at a one of a kind James Blake performance at NeueHouse) We quickly came to learn that our state of mind and taste in music was almost identical, and so birthed GMNII in the height of Gemini Season. 

In regards to your question on combining our sound: 

Emma - We let the inspiration lead us but we also started self producing and we think it has made our sound really fresh and unique!

Gi- We are constantly inspiring each other in a multitude of ways, so when we come together to work and create, we show up not just creatively, but mentally and emotionally. Our sonic palettes rarely disagree and when we do hear things differently from each other its actually a bonus because it allows us to expand. 

You both are from around the same area in Philadelphia, how has the east coast affected your current sound? 

Our sound is most definitely influenced by our connection through the east coast sound of the 90s (although not limited to.) We were both pre-teens during the birth of noe-soul music and the surge of HipHop. 

How would you say your solo projects are different from GMNII? 

Independently we both lean in the soul genre. Emma performs mostly with a full band and Gi was playing more solo around LA prior to meeting. GMNII is an electronic duo with an eclectic soul sound. 

Do you feel like politics affects the music you make? 

How can politics not effect any woman right now? We definitely pull from our personal experiences and put it into our music. 

What would you say is your biggest form of inspiration? 

Each other. 

Any new shows, releases coming up? Fill us in! 

You can catch us next at The Ace Hotel on June 15th present by Wild Riot! Tickets here