London-based duo Mimi Xu – producer & composer, and MAGUIRE – multi instrumentalist and lead vocalist came together as Awkward Moments in 2018.
Individually, Mimi Xu is well known for her catwalk soundtracks, film scores, and DJ sets, and has created immersive performance pieces for The Royal Academy of Arts, The Barbican, Meltdown Festival and The Gagosian Gallery. MAGUIRE is a classically trained pianist, vocalist, violist & violinist, who has performed at venues ranging from The Purcell Room and The Royal Festival Hall with The Arcade String Quartet, to Brighton Dome performing her solo material.
They premiered their debut album ‘An Entropic Cycle’ at Houghton Festival, and released it in March 2020. They followed this with Life On Venus – Remixed & Reimagined’ – a collection of remixes by the likes of Frank Wiedemann, Marc Collin, Sasha, and Johnny Aux (Paranoid London) to name a few – their ongoing project that raises questions surrounding the male gaze, human connection and queer identity. Their track ‘Delighted To Be Free’ was part of the ‘Ambient Layers’ compilation on K7! Records. In 2021 they released their protest club track METACURSE in collaboration with Ghost Culture. Following that they released ‘A Strange Time EP’ in March 2022.
Their second album 'SIX SEASONS' released in July 2023 – an ambient neo-classical meditation on time, exploring man’s distorted relationship with the natural world – was showcased as a multi-sensorial live dance performance choreographed by Harry Price.
‘They have recently scored the trailer music for Francis Ford Coppola’s latest film Megalopolis released in September 2024 using the third eye chakra solfeggio frequency 852 Hz that promotes spiritual healing.
Their latest collaborative mixtape ‘Awkward Chats’ is a collection of spontaneous intimate encounters that shimmer through the hustle and bustle of urban life. A brief moment of connection amidst the chaos. The mixtape featuring the voices of Illa J, Nah Eeto, and Houston X is set for release March 13th 2025.
They are currently finishing their third album ‘A Strange Odyssey’ set for release in July 2025 – co-written & co-produced by Al Doyle (Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem), Ghost Culture (Daniel Avery, Kelly Lee Owens), and Liam Howe (Sneaker Pimps, FKA Twigs).
The duo have performed their new mixed media show ‘EXTASE on Venus' – a collaboration with visual artist Weirdcore – at various European festivals including Houghton, Glastonbury, She Makes Noise and FEST, played at venues including Fabric and Koko, HÖR Berlin, scored short films, and host an ongoing radio show on OpenLab Radio.
Xu & MAGUIRE also host a regular club night called ‘A Strange Night’– a cultural platform for good vibes – that promotes community and diversity in these divisive times, where they raise money for charities close to their hearts such as EarthPercent, Arts Emergency, Choose Love, Choose Earth and In Place of War, and experiment with club friendly satellite performances. The events have seen DJ sets from 2manydjs, Benji B, Joe Goddard, Ewan Pearson, Paul Simonon (The Clash), Tom VR, James Massiah, Peter Adjaye and Maya Jane Coles, and live performances from Falle Nioke, Rose Gray and Tom Rasmussen, among many others.
Individually, Mimi Xu is well known for her catwalk soundtracks, film scores, and DJ sets, and has created immersive performance pieces for The Royal Academy of Arts, The Barbican, Meltdown Festival and The Gagosian Gallery. MAGUIRE is a classically trained pianist, vocalist, violist & violinist, who has performed at venues ranging from The Purcell Room and The Royal Festival Hall with The Arcade String Quartet, to Brighton Dome performing her solo material.
They premiered their debut album ‘An Entropic Cycle’ at Houghton Festival, and released it in March 2020. They followed this with Life On Venus – Remixed & Reimagined’ – a collection of remixes by the likes of Frank Wiedemann, Marc Collin, Sasha, and Johnny Aux (Paranoid London) to name a few – their ongoing project that raises questions surrounding the male gaze, human connection and queer identity. Their track ‘Delighted To Be Free’ was part of the ‘Ambient Layers’ compilation on K7! Records. In 2021 they released their protest club track METACURSE in collaboration with Ghost Culture. Following that they released ‘A Strange Time EP’ in March 2022.
Their second album 'SIX SEASONS' released in July 2023 – an ambient neo-classical meditation on time, exploring man’s distorted relationship with the natural world – was showcased as a multi-sensorial live dance performance choreographed by Harry Price.
‘They have recently scored the trailer music for Francis Ford Coppola’s latest film Megalopolis released in September 2024 using the third eye chakra solfeggio frequency 852 Hz that promotes spiritual healing.
Their latest collaborative mixtape ‘Awkward Chats’ is a collection of spontaneous intimate encounters that shimmer through the hustle and bustle of urban life. A brief moment of connection amidst the chaos. The mixtape featuring the voices of Illa J, Nah Eeto, and Houston X is set for release March 13th 2025.
They are currently finishing their third album ‘A Strange Odyssey’ set for release in July 2025 – co-written & co-produced by Al Doyle (Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem), Ghost Culture (Daniel Avery, Kelly Lee Owens), and Liam Howe (Sneaker Pimps, FKA Twigs).
The duo have performed their new mixed media show ‘EXTASE on Venus' – a collaboration with visual artist Weirdcore – at various European festivals including Houghton, Glastonbury, She Makes Noise and FEST, played at venues including Fabric and Koko, HÖR Berlin, scored short films, and host an ongoing radio show on OpenLab Radio.
Xu & MAGUIRE also host a regular club night called ‘A Strange Night’– a cultural platform for good vibes – that promotes community and diversity in these divisive times, where they raise money for charities close to their hearts such as EarthPercent, Arts Emergency, Choose Love, Choose Earth and In Place of War, and experiment with club friendly satellite performances. The events have seen DJ sets from 2manydjs, Benji B, Joe Goddard, Ewan Pearson, Paul Simonon (The Clash), Tom VR, James Massiah, Peter Adjaye and Maya Jane Coles, and live performances from Falle Nioke, Rose Gray and Tom Rasmussen, among many others.
