Daniel Biro

Daniel Andrew Biro (born 1963) is a South African-born British composer, keyboardist, and producer based in London. He is the founder of the experimental music label Sargasso Records, established in 1993. Biro has released over 25 albums as a solo artist and in collaboration with groups such as Mysteries of the Revolution, Echo Engine, and Colin Bass of the progressive rock band Camel. His music blends elements of electronic, ambient, experimental, jazz fusion, and progressive rock, with a strong focus on instrumental compositions built around the Rhodes piano and analogue synthesizers. Biro has also composed scores for film, television, and contemporary theatre productions.

Early life and education

Daniel Biro was born in 1963 in Johannesburg, South Africa, to parents of Hungarian and Croatian descent who had emigrated during World War II. During his childhood, the family relocated frequently, living in cities including Rome, London, Milan, and eventually Menton, France, where they settled in 1972 and became French nationals in 1978.

Biro began playing piano at the age of nine and later studied jazz at the Monaco Jazz Conservatory under Belgian saxophonist Roger Grosjean. His early musical development was influenced by exposure to visiting artists such as Barney Wilen and Karel Růžička. In his teenage years, he formed several jazz-rock and pop groups performing original material and began experimenting with electric keyboards, including the Fender Rhodes and early synthesizers.

He earned a literary Baccalauréat in 1982 and pursued music studies at Nice University for three years. In 1984, he was a finalist in the International Competition of Jazz Composition of Monaco.

Career

In 1985, Biro relocated to London with his band I.C., aiming to establish a presence in the UK music scene. Following the group's dissolution, he continued to work as a pianist, performing in various venues while developing connections within the local art and music communities. In the late 1980s, he joined The Truth, led by Dennis Greaves of Nine Below Zero, for a U.S. tour, and later toured with the EMI-signed pop-rock duo Big Bam Boo across the UK and Europe.

In 1993, Biro founded Sargasso Records, an independent label initially created to release his own experimental works. Its debut release was his electronic instrumental album *Soho Square*, which featured music composed for choreographer Jane Turner's contemporary dance company, Turning Worlds. This collaboration evolved into the interdisciplinary arts group LUST, which organized live events and festivals across the UK and Europe involving musicians, dancers, poets, and theatre artists.

The album *Soho Square* was followed by *The Comparative Anatomy of Angels* (1996), *Elegant Enigmas* (1999) and *The Long Journey Home* (2004) with guitarist Rob Palmer.

In the early 2000s, Biro and Turner explored the concept of Emergence through performance and technology. Their research led to a residency at CAMAC (Centre d’Art Marnay Art Centre) in France in 2004, where they developed *E-Merge*, a work premiered at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts in 2006. Biro later served as CAMAC's president until 2015.

Sargasso Records gradually expanded its catalogue to include other experimental and contemporary composers such as Jonathan Harvey, Jonty Harrison, Natasha Barrett, and John Palmer. Biro maintained a close working relationship with Harvey until the latter’s death in 2012.

Biro's on-going band projects include the jazz fusion outfit Mysteries Of The Revolution with Peter BB Davis which has released two albums, *Mysteries Of The Revolution* (2007) and *Longing For The Dawn* (2022) and ambient/experimental group Echo Engine, also with Rob Palmer and occasional guest Theo Travis.

As a soundtrack composer for film and television, Biro's work includes the feature *Things of the Aimless Wanderer* (2014), which was selected for the Sundance Film Festival. He has also collaborated with French director Olivier Sarrazin on multiple documentary scores and worked with British filmmaker David Shulman on productions such as *Auschwitz Untold in Colour* (Channel 4 / History Channel, 2019) and *NFT: WTF?* (Netflix, 2024).

Between 2021 and 2023, Biro developed *Synthrospections*, a series of livestreamed solo keyboard improvisations created in response to the COVID-19 lockdowns and personal loss. The performances were released across multiple albums and received coverage in outlets such as *Electronic Sound*, *Prog* and *Koid 9*.

His long-running collaboration with bassist Colin Bass of Camel led to the release of two albums, *Still* (2020) and *More* (2024), with guest appearances by Camel guitarist Andrew Latimer.

In 2022, Biro released *Music for the Coviad*, a one-hour electronic score created for a series of pandemic-inspired drawings by visual artist David Breuer-Weil. In 2024, he released *Hotel Erika*, a concept album based on childhood memories of holidays in the Slovenian Alps.

In 2025, Biro released *The Difficulty of Being*, a collaborative album with Italian flautist Sara Minelli, and published his autobiographical book *Almost Everything*, which includes a complete discography of his works.

Musical influences

Biro cites a broad range of musical influences spanning genres and decades. His early inspirations include Motown and soul artists such as James Brown, The Temptations, and Stevie Wonder, as well as West Coast rock and singer-songwriters like Steely Dan and James Taylor.

He was particularly drawn to progressive rock and electronic pioneers of the 1970s, including Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Mike Oldfield, and Yes, alongside jazz-rock fusion groups such as Return to Forever, Weather Report, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Herbie Hancock, and Santana.

Later influences include minimalist composers such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and Jon Hassell, as well as the ambient-jazz aesthetic of the ECM label. Biro has also expressed admiration for artists like Peter Gabriel, New Order, David Sylvian, and the Pet Shop Boys. As a pianist, he considers Keith Jarrett a central influence on his playing style.

Personal life

Biro married Italian microbiologist Angela Bizzarri in 2008. The couple live in London and have three children.

Discography

Solo
* ''Soho Square'' (1993)
* ''The Comparative Anatomy of Angels'' (1996)
* ''Elegant Enigmas'' (1999)
* ''A Still, Thin Sound'' (2009)
* ''Songs of Refuge'' (2012)
* ''Shir Hadash'' (2014)
* ''Things of the Aimless Wanderer'' (2015)
* ''120 Onetwenty'' (2018)
* ''Synthrospections 1–4'' (2021)
* ''Synthrospections 5–7'' (2022)
* ''Music for the Coviad'' (2022)
* ''Synthrospections 8–10'' (2023)
* ''Hotel Erika'' (2024)

With Colin Bass
* ''Still'' (2020)
* ''More'' (2024)

With Mysteries of the Revolution
* ''Mysteries of the Revolution'' (2007)
* ''Longing for the Dawn'' (2022)

With Echo Engine
* ''Windjammer'' (2014)
* ''I’ll Be Here'' (2019)

With Rob Palmer
* ''The Long Journey Home'' (2004)

With L’Orange
* ''2 People in a Room'' (2002)
* ''A Fruitful Past – Vol. 1: The French Demos'' (2022)
* ''A Fruitful Past – Vol. 2: The English Demos'' (2022)

Selected film and television soundtracks
* ''In 2 Minds'' (BBC One, 2003)
* ''Sous La Barbe de St Nicholas'' (French TV, 2006)
* ''Bio-Attitude Sans Béatitude'' (French TV, 2006)
* ''Parce Que Vous Ne Valez Rien'' (French TV, 2008)
* ''Rêve de Sable'' (French TV, 2011)
* ''Carrément Cornichon'' (French TV, 2012)
* ''Chemins de Mémoire'' (French TV, 2012)
* ''Things of the Aimless Wanderer'' (Sundance Film Festival, 2014)
* ''Auschwitz Untold in Colour'' (Channel 4 / History Channel, 2019)
* ''Barack Obama Talks to David Olusoga'' (BBC One, 2020)
* ''De Gaulle – Une Genèse dans le Nord'' (French TV, 2021)
* ''NFT: WTF?'' (Netflix, 2024)

References

{{Reflist,
{{cite magazine , last=Stump , first=Paul , title=Review of 'Comparative Anatomy of Angels' , magazine=The Wire , issue=153 , date=November 1996 , page=50

{{cite magazine , last=Robson , first=Andy , title=Review of '120 Onetwenty' , magazine=Jazzwise , issue=275 , date=July 2022 , page=39

{{cite magazine , last=Millican , first=Finlay , title=Interview with Daniel Biro , magazine=Electronic Sound , issue=87 , date=2023 , page=30

{{cite magazine , last=McIntyre , first=Peter , title=Review of 'Elegant Enigmas' , magazine=The Wire , issue=188 , date=October 1999 , page=46

{{cite magazine , last=Hollings , first=Ken , title=Review of 'The Long Journey Home' (Daniel Biro & Rob Palmer) , magazine=The Wire , issue=242 , date=April 2004 , page=75

{{cite magazine , last=Marciano , first=Felix , title=Review of 'Longing for the Dawn' (Mysteries of the Revolution) , magazine=Jazz Magazine (France) , issue=749 , date=June 2022 , page=54

{{cite magazine , last=Lanoë , first=Jean-Marie , title=Interview with Daniel Biro , magazine=Koid 9 , issue=127 , date=July–September 2024 , pages=9–13

{{cite magazine , last=Lawson , first=Dom , title=Interview with Colin Bass (includes Daniel Biro collaboration on 'Still') , magazine=Prog , issue=111 , date=August 2020 , page=79

External links

Official website

Sargasso Records

Daniel Biro at Discogs

Daniel Biro at IMDb

Daniel Biro on YouTube

English composers
English electronic musicians
Musicians from London