SuzanneCianiFrontIntroduction

Suzanne Ciani (4th of June 1946) is an American pioneer of electronic music and sound design, who started to play the piano aged 6. At college she received a classical music training, and in 1970 she graduated in Music Compositions at the University of California in Berkeley. There she met Don Buchla, and took an interest in his modular analog synthesizer, the Buchla.

During the 1970s Ciani experimented with electronic sounds, composing for commercial, dances and exhibitions. After moving to New York in 1974 she worked as a session musician and founded her company Ciani/Musica to produce music for jingles and commercials. In 1982 Ciani released her first album “Seven Waves”, an instrumental album based on electronic instruments, which was initially only available in Japan.

In 1985 Suzanne Ciani recorded songs for her upcoming album “The Velocity Of Love” (1986) in her New York-based Ciani Studios. At the time Vangelis was staying at the Pierre hotel where he had transformed his suite into a home studio, and he is credited for playing the synthesizer on three of Ciani’s songs on “The Velocity Of Love”. In an interview Suzanne Ciani remembered: ‘I met Vangelis in London in about 1984 or 1985 at Nemo Studios and I think he's just great! We worked in New York in my studio, in London in his. I worked with him on “The Velocity Of Love”. Our collaboration was actually suggested by a producer whom I'd worked with who was doing a commercial with Vangelis, so I met him and found we had a lot in common. Vangelis is larger than life. He had a high impact on me. I came from classical training. Vangelis didn’t read or write music, but he could play anything. He had such impeccable taste. He liked to do everything live in the moment, playing keys and pedals. I learned from him how to really relax in the music.’

The title song of “The Velocity Of Love” is one of her best-known compositions, it became a big hit on several prominent US radio stations and has since become her signature song. Throughout her career Suzanne Ciani produced over 20 albums in the New Age-genre, including popular albums such as “Neverland” (1988), “Hotel Luna” (1991), “Dreamland (1994) and the Pianissimo album series. She has been nominated for a Grammy award five times, and in 2017 the documentary “A Life In Waves” was dedicated to her life and work.

 

SuzanneCianiBackTracklist and credits

  1. The Eighth Wave (5:05)
  2. Lay Down Beside Me (8:22)
  3. The Velocity Of Love (4:27)
  4. Malibuzios (8:49)
  5. History Of My Heart (9:45)
  • Composed, produced, arranged and performed by Suzanne Ciani.
  • Intruments played by Suzanne Ciani, Rob Zantay, Mitch Farber, Chris Ianuzzi, Elliott Randall and Vangelis.
  • Vangelis plays a synthesizer solo on 'Lay Down Beside Me', 'Malibuzios' and 'History Of My Heart'.

 

 

Discography

VangelisAndSuzanneCianiCD

  • 1986 RCA Red Seal RCD1-7125 US
  • 1991 Private Music 01005-82085-2 US and Canada.
  • 1991 Private Music 262517 Europe
  • 1991 Private Music 3962-2-XC Asia
  • 1995 Seventh Wave SWP7003-2 US
  • 1996 AMS 002/03 Spain
  • 1997 Seventh Wave GA 011 Italy

LP

  • 1986 RCA Red Seal AML1-7125 US
  • 1986 RCA Red Seal RL87125 Germany

 

Recording studio

The Velocity Of Love was recorded in 1985 in Ciani Studios, New York, by engineer Leslie Mona. Mixed at A&R Recording Inc.

 

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