Public Sounds

How Geller is Organically Creating Third Spaces

If you enjoy soaking up the sun in Elysian Park or strolling along Los Angeles State Historic Park, there’s a chance you may have accidentally stumbled upon the mesmerizing live performances by LA-based electronic artist Austin Geller. His Public Sounds series, featuring improvised synth sound baths, has rapidly grown in size and popularity over the past two years. What began as a small, intimate show has ballooned into a viral community event with an RSVP count of nearly 5,000 attendees. Beyond stripped-down ambient performances, Geller recently headlined the Nocturne Theatre, showcasing his more technically complex and intricate live analog production. As a fully independent artist, Geller is paving his own creative path through community-building events in nature that provide a much-needed physical space and mental reset from the constant stress of everyday life in America. I spoke with him over Zoom to learn more about his creative project, artistic inspirations, and how the Public Sounds series has blossomed into a niche Los Angeles phenomenon:

Editorial Note: This article has been edited for length and clarity.

Brooks: Tell me a little bit about yourself and your background.

Geller: Well, I was born and raised in LA. I didn’t really take a serious interest in music until I was probably like fourteen or fifteen. Even then, I wouldn’t say serious because it was more of an infatuation. I really didn’t like electronic music back then because my perception of electronic music at the time was more Main Stage-type things that were popping up on Vine. Like Top Five Biggest Football Hits Compilations. But anyways, I discovered Flume and Kaytranada when I was about fourteen and was like, “This is sick.” Especially Flume because I remember reading about how he was doing everything from his bedroom. So yeah, I just started messing around with Ableton and taught myself how to use it, but I wouldn’t say anything I was making at that time was good. Then I decided to go to music school and from there—

Brooks: Which music school did you go to?

Geller: I went to Berklee, but not the smart one, the music one.

Brooks: Berklee is still an amazing music school, though!

Geller: Here’s the thing…I can’t really comment on it because I was never there in person. I did time at Santa Monica College first, and I didn’t really know if I wanted to do music school yet, so I applied and got into Berklee’s online program. I was going to do that for a year, and if I liked it, I was going to transfer to Boston. But then the pandemic hit, and everybody in Boston went online. By the time classes fully resumed in person, I think I had two semesters left, so I decided to just stay in LA. So I never really got the true experience. But yeah, during the pandemic, like everybody else, I spent a lot of time inside, and that’s when I started getting really interested in analog gear and modular synthesis. It kind of just snowballed from there, I guess.

Brooks: How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn’t heard it before or isn’t familiar with the more electronic world?

Geller: I describe it as very cinematic electronic music. Some songs are a bit higher energy with drums and stuff, while others are less structured with no percussion. I think the one underlying thread is the scope of what I’m trying to achieve sonically, if that makes sense?

Brooks: Have you been surprised by how quickly the Public Sounds series has taken off and the number of people that grow with each show?

Geller: Yeah, definitely. It’s been really cool, for sure. It’s been a great way to build community. I’ve seen people who have now come to four of the shows at this point. It’s been especially cool to see people who were just randomly walking along the park, heard music, and stopped to listen, who are now familiar with and following my project.

Brooks: Have you heard any stories of friendships or relationships that have started because people met at your shows?

Geller: No, not specifically, but I have definitely seen people connecting there. My hope is that people will be making friends and building connections at these events. It seems that way, for sure.

Brooks: I think there’s a lot of talk on social media about the need for third spaces. Our generation is so chronically online and overworked that we yearn to be in a third space. Your events have provided a really cool way for people to meet organically, like it’s a very low stakes type of event. You don’t have to pay for it or hike far to get to it. I’ve been to two of the Public Sounds shows now, and they’ve always drawn a really nice and welcoming crowd. The combo of being in nature with really pleasant, soothing music makes these events so accessible for everyone.

Geller: Yeah, yeah, for sure. And at some point, I’ll probably do something harsher with my music.

Brooks: Ooh, like a Halloween event?

Geller: Not a Halloween one, but I have given a lot of thought to doing a nighttime one where it’s much more industrial. That’s the other side of my music that I don’t highlight quite as much when I’m doing Public Sounds events; very electronic drum machine-y, you know, bass lines and things like that. It wouldn’t entirely make sense, though, given the vibe and setting of those events, but I’ve definitely had thoughts of doing a nighttime one at some point. It would be logistically very tough with noise ordinances and things like that. I don’t want to piss people off in the neighborhoods nearby. I always try to be very respectful of that.

Brooks: Who are some of your favorite artists that you take inspiration from?

Geller: Definitely Brian Eno, for sure. He’s somebody whose entire image and perspective on art and creativity I really admire and respect—and obviously his music is fire too. I think a more modern example would probably be someone like Oneohtrix Point Never. I think it’s really sick how he’s carved out such a niche, cult-like following for music that a lot of people would not consider to be widely accessible. He’s broken into the mainstream, producing for people like the Weeknd and doing a lot of film scoring, which is also something I do and want to continue to do more. But yeah, anyone who’s very, very intentional with what they’re doing and has a firm artistic vision that doesn’t budge to people trying to make their music more streamable or synchable. I admire anyone like that.

Brooks: Off your point about film scoring, I have been noticing I’m seeing more and more film and TV soundtracks start to be more electronically inspired. Like, for example, Nathan McKay’s soundtrack for Industry or Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score for Challengers. Which film composers are you motivated or inspired by?

Geller: Well, you just said one of them: Trent Reznor. He’s probably the reason I became interested in scoring. I mean, everybody’s heard The Social Network soundtrack. I love Nine Inch Nails, but then there’s this re-invention with his film scoring. He gets to put on a different hat for each film he’s working on. Same withBen Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, who did Ex Machina and Annihilation. It’s cool that they’re becoming more mainstream because I remember in my film scoring classes and internships, there was a period for a while where everyone was trying to sound like Hans Zimmer. That’s a great sound, not knocking the OG, but it felt a bit static with everyone trying to sound like him with these very big Inception-style horns, you know. So yeah, I’m excited that the industry is moving in a new direction. I think a lot of that has to do with the rise of independent filmmakers really making it through and having friends who make music. That’s kind of how the OPN and Safdie brothers happened with Uncut Gems and Marty Supreme.

Brooks: Yeah, when I was watching Marty Supreme, it actually reminded me a bit of your music.

Geller: Well, I’m super influenced by OPN. Like the people who he says are influences of his are also people that I was raised on and look up to a lot. No yeah, I have the utmost respect for him. That was such a great score, I agree.

Brooks: Beyond this upcoming show on May 2nd, is there anything coming down the pipeline for the rest of 2026?

Geller: I’ve been working on a lot of new music and making a ton of demos in the last couple of months. I’m just feeling really inspired. I haven’t decided on my release cadence yet; maybe it’ll be an EP or just a bunch of singles. In the last two years, I’ve put out two EPs during that time. I think I was maybe a little unnesssarily sacred about my release process. I’m sitting on so much music—a lot of things that I started from a recording at Public Sounds, which originally started as a way for me to experiment in real-time and record sounds where people could be a part of the creative process. A lot of sounds that I recorded from those original first few shows became fundamental parts of my most recent EP, Parallel Play.

Brooks: That’s really cool to hear that the actual sounds heard at these public events have been incorporated into your music. Is there a specific moment that made its way into a song that you can pinpoint?

Geller: Yeah, so the song “Do It For You” that I did with Shallou, there’s this kind of glitchy looping sound that it’s built on that’s not perfectly tuned. I remember recording that during the second Public Sounds and thinking, “Okay, this is cool. I’m going to go home and re-create it and make it in tune with more equal temperament.” I could not get it to sound as good, so I ended up using the original recording. But yeah, sometimes those unpolished sounds end up sounding the best. It’s the same with iPhone voice memos, where you’re not even saying words, just mumbling a melody, but when you try to write words to it, it doesn’t sound as good. So yeah, I think sometimes the first idea is the best idea.

Geller Live at the Nocturne Theatre:

Check out Geller’s music, available on all streaming platforms: