Thanks to Cees Wolvers for forwarding this tip: The his/herstory of electronic music is written by both men and women, although female contributions to the genre have been less visible. Suzanne Ciani is a true synth-hero who made international waves with her concerts and albums during a career spanning almost five decades. Ciani has built bridges between the avant-garde and popular culture, using her compositional skills and versatile playing on the Buchla synthesizer and piano. Confronting the system, she has chosen to redefine herself several times: as an electronic music innovator, a sound designer in the advertising industry, and a new age artist. From a marginalized young composer to a 5-time Grammy-nominated artist and music star, Ciani has gone through a long process of transformation while maintaining her musical curiosity and stubbornness in following her inner voice. Dubbed Diva of the Diode, Ciani is no less a Diva of the Waves who creates an oceanic scenario in which the audience can plunge and immerse.
The waves are a leitmotif in Suzanne Ciani’s work, a metaphor for femininity, sensuality, and slow music. As a returning wave, her early electronic music started to be rediscovered by a younger public interested in analog synthesis. She lives in the Californian coastal enclave of Bolinas but continues to give live performances around the world. Discover her story in this interview for Journeys to the Infinite show.
You can find the full audio recording here.