Miramar (1995) by Miramar (Jon Seagroatt & Ian Staples)

During the ‘90s, Ian Staples & I tended to produce work without giving much though to genres or labels. We crossed and crisscrossed them with merry disregard. However, that tended to make it difficult for people (including us) to pinpoint what it was that we actually did.
Throughout the decade we would assign material to one or another of our aliases (B So glObal, Omlo Vent, Miramar, Single Field, plus a small-scale duo thing where we would re-configure material from our larger outings for sax and bass), depending on ‘feel’. If you take a quick ‘channel-hopping’ tour of the links, you’ll get an idea of the variety of our ‘90s output.
We mainly gigged under the name B So glObal at that time. In retrospect, the gigs must have sometimes been something of a rollercoaster of consternation and bafflement for audiences as we handbrake-turned back and forth between the glistening ambience of B So glObal and the pile-driving, speed-minimalism of Miramar.

For much of the ‘90s we were signed to Chillum Records, an imprint of Plastic Head Distribution. They seemed to like our eclecticism, releasing albums by us under our B So glObal & Omlo Vent aliases, and planning releases by Single Field and Miramar. Unfortunately, due to difficulties within the label management, Chillum folded. We subsequently signed with Dutch label, Emergency Broadcast to release a 12” vinyl EP under the name ‘Miramar’.

Miramar was Mr Hyde to Omlo Vent’s Dr Jeckell. Both were decidedly left-field, but Miramar was of an altogether darker hue. Ian and I squeezed ambiguous, clattering dance rhythms out of an ancient raft of very erratically-synced electronica, and then dragged them down dank and ill-lit sidings where the bad trains hung out.
The four tracks on the Miramar 12” were; Miramar, Print, Pydmakexi & Vent, all of which get their first digital release on this album. The album also includes Del Turko 3, a massive work-out of a tune. An off-kilter dance floor banger (which nobody ever realised was in three time), with a pleasingly gear-grinding end section that collides threes with superimposed fours.

Jon is a current or former member of Comus, Current 93, Red Square & B So glObal and has toured and performed in Britain, Europe and the Far East.
He play variously soprano & tenor saxes, bass clarinet, flute, bass, keyboards, percussion and electronics.
Ian Staples is a former member of B So glObal and Red Square. He plays guitars, bass and electronics.

jonseagroatt.com