Sound and Mirrors
Sound and Mirrors arrives as the latest chapter from Sarama<>Miraz, extending the journey begun with 2020’s Soul and Matter into a reflective, imaginative narrative.
SARAMA<>MIRAZ traces its roots to the late ’90s with Blast Away, a synthesizer driven electronic project by Gary Miraz and Sarama. Active in the Los Angeles underground scene and a fixture at Gábor Csupó’s club Lumpy Gravy, the band self released two albums: Blast Away (1998) and Live at Lumpy Gravy (1999). In 2006 they formed the world music project The Miraz Ensemble, which remains active today.
Sarama Esmaili is a legacy graduate of Tehran University, where she majored in Fine Art and Graphic Design. Born into an artistic and musical family — her mother a painter, and her uncle a conductor of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra as well as a pioneering radio host of jazz music —she was immersed in a vibrant community of emerging Persian composers, instrumentalists, and visual artists that shaped her artistic and musical vision. She has released two solo ambient albums on the Miraz Musik label — Beyond Infinity (2005) and Moments of Infinity (2007) —conceived as electronic ambient meditative journeys. A third album is currently being completed and scheduled for release in 2026.
Building on this creative partnership, Gary Miraz brought his own foundation in visual arts and studio work. An alumnus of Otis Parsons, he built his career in the 1990s as an Art Director and Studio Assistant for television shows and record labels including Caltex Records and ex Tangerine Dream’s Christopher Franke’s Sonic Images. His creative path, from design work to hands on studio support, was shaped in Franke’s Hollywood Hills studio overlooking the Los Angeles Basin— a vantage that continues to inspire his vision today.
In 2021, following a self release of their first EP Soul and Matter, Sarama<>Miraz was discovered and signed by New Mexico label Psychosomatic Records. At the suggestion of label founder Jim Goetsch, the EP was expanded into a full album to include the duo’s then recent 2020 International Drone Day performance, part of an annual event they had participated in since 2019.
With Sound and Mirrors, Sarama<>Miraz takes a bold step forward. Joined by label owner Jim Goetsch on saxophone and Los Angeles guitarist Mark Gaber, the album immerses listeners in a world where electronic textures, visual artistry, and layered voices converge. At its core, Sound and Mirrors reflects a society striving for artificial perfection while slowly losing sight of its essential human balance.
Sound and Mirrors will be released 1/16/25 with CDs and downloads available on Bandcamp