Suzanne Ciani on the Advantages of Analog Over Digital
In Conversation with Paul Holdengräber on The Quarantine Tapes
Hosted by Paul Holdengräber, The Quarantine Tapes chronicles shifting paradigms in the age of social distancing. Each day, Paul calls a guest for a brief discussion about how they are experiencing the global pandemic.
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On episode 228 of The Quarantine Tapes, Paul Holdengräber is joined by Suzanne Ciani. Suzanne is an incredible pioneer in electronic music. She speaks with Paul about her long history with her instrument, the Buchla, and how her relationship with machines has developed over the course of her career.
Suzanne talks to Paul about her relationship with Don Buchla, the inventor of the Buchla synthesizer. She recounts how she came up in music and advertising, telling stories from creating her iconic Coca-Cola pop-and-pour sound and giving Philip Glass Buchla lessons. They discuss Morton Subotnick, the advantages of analog over digital, and the excitement Suzanne draws from the new generation of electronic musicians on a unique and fascinating episode.
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Suzanne Ciani is a five-time Grammy award-nominated composer, electronic music pioneer, and neo-classical recording artist who has released over 20 solo albums including Seven Waves and The Velocity of Love, along with a landmark quad LP LIVE Quadraphonic, which restarted her Buchla modular performances. Her work has been featured in films, games, and countless commercials as well.
She was inducted into the first class of Keyboard Magazine‘s Hall of Fame alongside other synth luminaries, including Bob Moog, Don Buchla and Dave Smith and received the Moog Innovation Award. Most recently, she is the recipient of the Independent Icon Award from A2IM.
Suzanne has provided the voice and sounds for Bally’s groundbreaking Xenon pinball machine, created Coca-Cola’s pop-and-pour sound, designed logos for Fortune 500 companies, and carved out a niche as one of the most creatively successful female composers in the world. A Life in Waves, a documentary about Ciani’s life and work, debuted at SXSW in 2017 and is available to watch on all digital platforms.
Ciani is a graduate of Wellesley College and holds a Masters in Music Composition from the University of California, Berkeley.
