Over the last year, Daniel Rhode thought of what he missed about making music with other people in a room. The gaze and anticipation of the listeners; the thick tension before the first note is played; the interaction between musicians when they add a fresh new idea; the tightrope of maintaining the musical idea as an ensemble; the release of breath at the end of the performance.

At first Rhode thought the way forward was to fill this absence writing music for ensembles in preparation for when these moments would return. He built out a network of electronic instruments in his studio to generate musical ideas for new chamber ensemble works –synthesizers patched together to interact with each other, while Rhode shaped their dialogue of control voltage. He soon realized the resulting sounds were satisfying in themselves. Each track is a single take of a musical system interacting in strangely human ways.

Systems: set rules for the machine. Self-generated patches: world building.

"Electrical Interaction Systems is an exercise in seeking freedom from the rigidity of the rules I already understand," Rhode explains. "Building systems with mystery inside. Exploring through joy, and accepting it for what it is. Freedom from the paralysis of trying to achieve a perfect version. Finding beauty in simplicity and interactivity."

"CVs interacting with my neurons."