Quickly following their first full-length together after working behind the scenes for decades,
Sunroof's
Daniel Miller (the founder of
Mute) and
Gareth Jones released
Electronic Music Improvisations, Vol. 2 in 2023, two years after
Vol. 1.
Miller has always referred to
Mute as an "accidental label," which managed to take off after his "Warm Leatherette" single became a cult classic, and the
Sunroof recordings seem to come together in a similarly spontaneous manner. The duo's second batch has a bit less of a progressive electronic sound than the first, with a decreased presence of glimmering, euphoric arpeggios, but it's still playful and exploratory in its own way. The opening piece "January #2" brings to mind
Kluster more than anything produced since
Mute was founded, surfacing on alien land and adjusting to the new atmosphere as distorted currents pulsate from several perspectives. "July #2" is all fragmented voices and modulating frequencies, a scrambled attempt at intergalactic communication. "October" is the most techno-adjacent track here, with dazzling synths sweeping over a steady trail of bitcrushed micro-beats. "July #1" begins with warped French radio transmissions, then fends off an aggressive attempt at an attack from an outside force. "January #1" is a direct prequel to the first track, and a return to the same planet of deformed drips and holographic life forms. ~ Paul Simpson
