Vinyl LP, Poster/Print
Virtuosic composer and experimentalist Suzanne Ciani is best known for being a pioneer of electronic music in the ‘70s and ‘80s. While in graduate school at Berkeley, Ciani connected with like-minded avant-garde artists, eventually discovering the Buchla. Her mesmerizing command of that modular synthesizer allowed her work to come into its own, cultivating serene, hopeful atmospheres that evoke the sun rising over a lake surrounded by pine trees.
On Ciani’s new record, Golden Apples of the Sun, she partners with contemporary composer Jonathan Fitoussi. The French artist’s music tends to be downy and cinematic, sometimes underlined by downtempo rhythms. Across these eight tracks, he coaxes out a moonless side of Ciani’s formula—similar to the one she explored with Greg Liesz and Alister Fawnwoda on the 2021 album Milan. The end result is cosmic and mystifying, Ciani’s trademark bohemia filtered through Fitoussi’s arty lens.
The majority of Golden Apples of the Sun came to life in coastal California, as the duo jammed on coveted vintage synthesizers. Here, tones generated from instruments by Moog, EMS, and, of course, Buchla are deep and thrumming. “Sonar” is breathy, with prickly washes of white noise that whoosh atop simple arpeggiations. “Oceanium” lives up to its title, thanks to synthesized waves that crest and trough over the course of the piece. The title track is especially heady, carried by a resolute vocal performance from Ciani. “I went out to the hazelwood/ Because a fire was in my head,” she calmly recites, her voice kissed by echo. Even “Rainbow Sequence” is fairly muted, its most verdant tones like neon bursts on a gray canvas.
Ciani’s spirit has always been approachable, but her mastery of complex technology will forever remain intimidating. “I just naturally lived in a place that was, you know, 10 years in the future,” Ciani said in a recent interview, reflecting on her prime. Golden Apples of the Sun finds her still a decade ahead. At 77 years old, Ciani is still finding ways to craft groundbreaking sounds with unexpected partners.
