Sunergy – Suzanne Ciani & Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith

Sunergy is a film by Sean Hellfritsch that documents the collaboration, of the same name, of synthesists Suzanne Ciani & Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith.

Sunergy was recorded in the Bolinas home where Ciani has lived for the last twenty-four years. Her living room overlooks the Pacific Ocean from a cliffside perch, creating an idyllic, inspired setting for music making.

Setting up their synths side-by-side, Ciani and Smith took turns keeping time and freely improvising for the album sessions.

As a complete piece, Sunergy is shaped by slow, pulsing forms and sinuous, melodic sequences that conjure both an oceanic world and the unlimited sound made possible by modular processing.

Synergy is available now on iTunes and Amazon. Details about their collaboration are available at RVNG.

24 thoughts on “Sunergy – Suzanne Ciani & Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith

  1. Documents means documentary, which a bunch of people talking and ruining the musical experience.

    This is not that

    This is more of a performance video.

    nice work by the ways

  2. Very nice, thank you! Some sweet instruments used in that video.
    The music with the views of the oceanside has kind of a Koyaanisqatsi vibe.
    Keep up the good work!

  3. All these beautiful synths to make this crappy and boring sound…. (and it’s not because they are women, a lot of women make nice music)

    1. Not boring at all. Classic 70’s inspired electronic with some pretty unique touches. The comments here make me wonder about the people behind them, often I feel they are made by people who will never make an original track, are bogged down by the importance of their gear over their creativity and probably end up banging out track after track of generic klaus Schulz or deep hause wannabe jamz. It’d be great if comment had to be backed up with a sound cloud track so we could weed out all the little amateurs.

    2. Combining “beautiful synths” and “make this crappy and boring sound” in one scentence could imply one of both: “I really don’t know what I’m talking about” or “I do not understand and do not like this music. I don’t really know the synths also, but I think they look beautiful”.
      I do like the music very much but I can understand that other people feel different about it. That is inherent to any art form.
      In the documentary, when watched and analysed closely, you’ll find an extreme parallel between the visual movements and ever changing patters of the waters, and the layers of sound and interweaving of those. The synths used here are particularly suitable to enforce this parallel of changing patterns and creating the organic sense in the audio track. Thus what seems a contradiction to you actually is a natural way of creating an audio track like this

    3. I know, right? I mean, if they used a couple of volcas to make music you personally don’t approve of, that would be tolerable. But these two have some real nerve performing this kind of music on expensive instruments!

  4. Wow that was flat! Such a shame some nice material there but reverb and the constant arpeggios completely killed it for me. The improvising part after the piece was surely better than the piece itself 🙂

  5. $40k worth of Buchla for that? I usually love Smith’s work, (and Ciani’s), but that was just watching two chicks in a zillion dollar, ocean view kitchen (not that there’s anything wrong with that) having a nice coffee, and oh- lets play with our synths and just put it out. Disappointing to say the least.

  6. That’s the trouble with the music these days. Peaceful slow monotonous stuff. Really put me to sleep. Come on people some excitement in today’s performers and video makers.

  7. Fulfilling and exceeding many expectations.
    The combination of video and audio, e.g. the documentary, adds a lot to the experience. At some time, watching the video, the thaught came to my mind: “what are those ladies cooking in all that spaggetti”. But at various see-vision soothing images the answer came, when realizing and sensing how many layers of sound are combined, intertwining and alternating with one another.
    So glad to hear the CD is available on bandcamp too.

  8. ciani made a coke bottle sound with modulars back then (!!), if you ask me she can do whatever she wants, forever. what a nice setting that is as well. actual musicmaking and interaction..a rare thing nowadays..

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