Electronic Music Improvisations Vol. 2

Quickly following their first full-length together after working behind the scenes for decades, Sunroofs 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 duos second batch has a bit less of a progressive electronic sound than the first, with a decreased presence of glimmering, euphoric arpeggios, but its 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