After a year away from the release radar, boundary-pushing producer Tunnel (aka Ryan Miller) returns with 'Personas', a ten-track odyssey through the extremes of electronic sound.
Following 2024’s 'Interlinked', 'Personas' marks a new chapter in Tunnel’s decade-long journey through underground dance spaces and international club circuits. Built around collaborations with Lilith Burke and Darkcloud, the album rejects rigid genre definitions in favour of something more fluid, more narrative, and more human.
So with the new album available now, we sat down with Tunnel to find out more about his origins and what has been inspiring him most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
I first fell in love with the saxophone. Then, the drums. Next came turntables, and now…I love a sampler.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I grew up on classic rock and roll and pop music, which was my parents’ taste. As I grew older and formed my own tastes I was pulling inspiration from everywhere - classic rock, grunge, hip-hop, ska, punk, and the early days of techno and jungle.
What was the first album you remember owning?
I had a good friend growing up with an older brother. He was always dubbing tapes and passing them my way, and it was all the hair metal of 80s. Stuff like Motley Crue and Warrant. The first band I really became obsessed with: Guns N’ Roses…Appetite for Destruction!
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
“When It’s Cold I’d Like to Die” by Moby
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I wake up before the Sun comes up, grab a cup of coffee, thank God for the opportunity to create, and get to work. I created most of the “Personas” album between four and six in the morning, before my partner woke up to start her day, and before I had to run off to my day job.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Favorite artists in my queue at the moment: Autechre, Eprom, Slikback, Phantogram, Swarm Intelligence, Scalameriya, Al Wooton, Burial, Aya, Braek, Jesse Whitney & Kindohm, Freqshift Timeband, Liara. A huge range really and I’m always getting recommendations from friends and my partner Kelsey who’s a huge music fan.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
NiN, Gary Numan, Autechre, Eprom, Phantogram.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Being able to travel and share work with other creators and audiences is amazing. It always feels like a hug from the universe, a feedback loop of gratitude for the time and energy that was put into creating the work in the first place.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Having to sit on the sidelines of various events and festivals because I haven’t met the right people or haven’t found my way into the right ‘in-crowd’, etc.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Keep experimenting. Find the fun in the process. Big things happen from daily rituals over time.
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Tunnel's new album 'Personas' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.