Cable guys.

Nathan Cearley of Brooklyn drone trio Long Distance Poison has been putting on improvised modular synth shows since June 2012 under the Modular Solstice and Modular Equinox headings, with past participants including members of Coil, Grasshopper and Telecult Powers.

This December’s offering, timed to coincide with the darkest day of the year (coming at you this Saturday, December 21), featured four collaborative sets including an improvised jam by Shawn O’Sullivan and Matt Morandi, who’ve both released music on Ron Morelli’s scruffy house label L.I.E.S. as Vapauteen and Jahiliyya Fields respectively.

Check it out below along with three more improvised modular sets from Cearley and Mark Dwinell of FORMA, Dan Snazelle and Tadayuki Hirano, and Rosemary Arp.

Despite their size, weight and cost, modular synths have been making a substantial comeback in the past few years – last month London’s first modular synth showroom opened in Hackney, and you can now buy a four-hour documentary about the machines, featuring input from the likes of Trent Reznor, Gary Numan and Carl Craig. [via Ad Hoc]

Hear the Modular Solstice jams: