Songs
Without
Words
*SARTSCHUBEH*
WHO
We Are
About Aphrodite – Jazz. Global. Immersive Soundscapes
Gilda Razani – theremin, soprano saxophone
Hanzō Wanning – piano, synthesizer
About Aphrodite announce Songs Without Words—a poetic and immersive global soundtrack that moves through the world without needing a passport.
Drawing on Persian folk traditions, jazz, chamber music, synth-pop and electronic textures, the duo of Gilda Razani and Hanzō Wanning builds something entirely its own: a record that dissolves the boarders between genres.
The pieces on Songs Without Words showcase a dynamic interplay between carefully arranged compositions and spontaneous jam sessions, the melodies are often inspired by Razani’s Persian homeland. Razani and Wanning move effortlessly between dreamy lightness and deep longing—two musicians who have found a shared language precise enough to hold the world’s contradictions in a single phrase.
Razani performs on theremin and soprano saxophone, an exceedingly unique combination. Wanning anchors the duo on piano and synthesizers, building harmonic environments that shift fluidly between acoustic warmth and electronic depth. In some of the pieces, the lineup expands into a trio with percussionist Fethi Ak, whose command of the darbuka—rooted in Turkish and Kurdish musical traditions—adds a third pulse to an already richly layered sound.
Songs Without Words is more than a soundtrack for multicultural urban life. It’s a multilayered sonic tapestry—an invitation to drift, to dream, and to travel through distant parts of the world, as well as to return to one’s own inner landscapes.
Whenever possible, the lineup expands into a trio formation with percussionist Fethi Ak.
Gilda Razani is widely regarded as one of the most innovative theremin players of our time. Using the world’s oldest electronic instrument, she creates immersive soundscapes that merge the boundaries between poetry, science fiction, magic, and deep emotions—most clearly heard on The Manhattan Transfer’s Grammy-nominated album Fifty. Razani holds a master’s degree in saxophone performance of the Detmold University of Music.
Hanzō Wanning is recognized for his distinctive musical style, seamlessly blending classical influences with jazz-pop harmonies and expressive improvisation. His piano playing is marked by a lyrical, often melancholic tone shaped by complex harmonic structures and dynamic rhythmic shifts. Wanning studied piano and classical composition in Hilversum, Netherlands, and won the European Jazz Award in Belgian 2010. He also brings extensive expertise in electronic music and teaches at the University of Dortmund and the Glenn Buschmann Jazz Academy.
Fethi Ak precise and stylistically open playing combines traditional rhythms with modern musical approaches and complements About Aphrodite organically. Ak began playing the darbuka at Turkish weddings during his childhood. Today, he is considered one of Germany’s most virtuosic darbuka players and is a highly sought-after musician for studio recordings and live performances within the Turkish, Kurdish, and international world music scenes. In 2017, he won the WDR Jazz Award with the Transorient Orchestra and has twice been a laureate of the world music competition “Creole.”
Together, Gilda Razani and Hanzō Wanning compose and produce original film scores and radio play music for the German broadcaster WDR, in addition to releasing their own albums, including Bazaar (Traumton Records, Berlin), Ocean Lily, Faktor X (Atzek Electronic Music, Melbourne), Polaris, Future Memories, and Little Deep Miss Strange(Floating World Records, London). They are also the founders of the sound-branding agency Honeysounds.
Their current musical projects include Honey Bizarre, About Aphrodite, and Amaryllis.
Festivals Fusion (DE), Skandaløs (DE), Les Digitales (CH), Spirit of the Woodstock (I), Tropentango (DE), Jazzprovence (RU), Klangtherapie (DE), Zurück zu den Wurzeln (DE), Summerjazz( DE)
Songs
Without
Words
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Mehr Informationen
Ocean Lily, vinyl
Double limited LP 2014
