Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones release nine-track modular synth album

Sunroof’s new album, Electronic Music Improvisations Volume 3, captures nine live modular synth tracks recorded by Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones in 2023

Title: Electronic Music Improvisations Volume 3
Artist: Sunroof
Release Date: 2024-11-29
Genres: Electronica, Experimental Music
Label: Mute Records
Description: Sunroof’s new album, Electronic Music Improvisations Volume 3, captures nine live modular synth tracks recorded by Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones in 2023.

Electronic Music Improvisations Volume 3, the third album in a series by Sunroof—a collaboration between Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones—will be released on 29 November 2024 through the Parallel Series of Mute. Available on vinyl, CD, and digital platforms, the album presents nine new improvisational tracks, including the single “Brotherly.”

The partnership between Miller and Jones dates back to 1982, during work on Depeche Mode’s Construction Time Again, when Miller invited Jones to join him on the project. Beyond their contributions to Depeche Mode, the pair continued private sessions after hours, cultivating a shared creative approach that eventually evolved into Sunroof. By the mid-1990s, Sunroof expanded its role as a remix project, reworking tracks for artists like Can, MGMT, To Rococo Rot, Kreidler, and Goldfrapp. Since 2019, the duo has focused on recording modular synthesizer improvisations, including sessions that led to their debut release Electronic Music Improvisations Volume 1 (2021) and its sequel in 2023.

Their recent single “Brotherly” is part of this upcoming album, while another track, “Splendid,” employs the distinct sounds of a 4-track TEAC recorder—the same model Miller originally used in the late 1970s for The Normal’s Warm Leatherette.

Electronic Music Improvisations Volume 3 was created under self-imposed parameters, with tracks recorded on Eurorack modular systems. Each session is recorded in a four-channel setup, with two channels per artist, allowing for simultaneous and unedited live performances. The duo emphasizes an abstract approach, describing each recording as a fresh start, avoiding thematic pre-planning. Most tracks remain as live recordings with minimal post-production, though “Ensnare” includes two distinct remixes by Miller and Jones, each presenting a unique interpretation of the original track.

Tracklist:

1. Splendid
2. Brotherly
3. Ensnare
4. Stratum
5. Freezer
6. Earthen
7. Second Thoughts
8. Link
9. Conspiracies

Beyond studio work, Sunroof has appeared at various live venues, including Café OTO (London), LSE, Museum of Modern Electronic Music (Frankfurt), Silent Green (Berlin), and Ombra Festival (Barcelona). The live performances offer real-time exploration of modular synthesis, some of which were captured and released as Electronic Music Improvisations Live in London and Frankfurt, exclusively available on Bandcamp in 2023.

About Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones

Daniel Miller, founder of Mute Records, is recognized as a significant figure in electronic music production. Starting with his own project, The Normal, Miller’s early work, including the single “Warm Leatherette” (1978), was influential in the industrial and synth-punk genres. Mute Records, founded in 1978, became home to influential acts like Depeche Mode, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Erasure, and Goldfrapp.

Gareth Jones is a recording engineer and producer whose career began in the early 1980s. Known for his engineering and production work on Depeche Mode albums, Jones has also collaborated with artists like Wire, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Interpol. His work frequently merges technical expertise with a focus on the possibilities within analog and digital synthesis.

retrofuturista

Retrofurista is a site on design, interesting things, audio visual arts, and food.