Suzanne Ciani | Intro to the Buchla

Background & Suzanne’s early influence on me

I grew up in a suburb right outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. My dad was an audiophile, and my mother was a singer and dancer (traditional Korean dance, church choir). They introduced me to vinyl and many great artists like Sade, Gypsy Kings, Eurythmics, and George Winston... They were hippies who would drive up to Winnipeg for Folk Festivals in the autumn and then take us to the Science Museum’s Omnitheater to experience the four seasons with Vivaldi’s music blasting on surround sound. They weren’t afraid of technology; they fully embraced it. I’ll never forget when my father played Barbara Streisand’s version of Somewhere in our Korean Catholic church (during a service). It was incredible how the sound filled the space, and I had no idea you could transform our church into a concert hall. I know my pops is a fan of quadraphonic sound because he used to bring me to Twin Cities stereo shops and have me experience various surround sound systems.

When we weren’t listening to vinyl, my parents would play the local college radio (770 K Radio) and The Current (MPR - super indie), of course 99.5 (we love Classical music). Prince was always playing on every channel, and on weekends my friends and I would catch shows at First Ave and the Quest club (where I got my first intro to electronic music).

I loved music, and they realized this early on. My parents would enroll me in the Yamaha method for piano. That is where I would meet my amazing piano teacher, Sophia Greenberg! She played with so much emotion and introduced me to Suzanne Ciani’s music when I was in middle school. I played many of Suzanne’s piano pieces, but for some reason, Summer’s Day always connected with me on a deeper level. It triggers happy memories from long summers in Minnesota. It reminds me of exploring the musical world with my cousin, Erika W Fong (talented actress and piano/violin player, also a lover of Suzanne’s music). Finally, I recall performing this piece at the Landmark Center in St. Paul for a Midwest competition, I think I made the top 5, and they gave me a nice trophy;) High-five Suzanne and Sophia!

Many years later, I joined a non-profit supporting North Korean refugees in Seoul. Interns were generously gifted tickets to Suzanne’s performance (piano, not the Buchla) and of course I attended and asked for an autograph. I remember telling her how I loved playing Summer’s Day and had my own version. She asked me to send her a recording, but I never worked up the guts, I still owe her that recording!

Meeting Suzanne for the first time in Seoul, South Korea

Bay Area

After jumping all over Europe/Asia, I ended up in the Bay Area in 2015. It was a place that reminded me of Berlin (lots of tech and music). I learned about artists like Holly Herndon and discovered places like Audium, Hyde Street Studio, RS94109, and Grey Area. There were many underground techno events in Dogpatch warehouses and cool house parties hosted by artists from various schools.

Holly Herndon at The Chapel (2015)

The Bay area is where I met my husband, Carlos. On our first date, he took me to ROBOTSPEAk (followed by a trip to the local vinyl shop and drinks in the Mission). He talked at great length about synths, and I mentioned that I dabbled with Ableton and owned a SV1 Korg (limited edition red and black keys). He asked which artists I liked to play on the piano and I of course, mentioned Suzanne. He then made a massive connection that I didn’t realize alone. Not only was Suzanne a talented pianist/composer, she also happens to be an absolute legend in the electronic/synth world.

How had I missed the entire Buchla chapter? Why, with my deep interest in techno/electronic music, and playing her music, had I not connected the dots earlier!? Did we cross paths when I was living in Berlin? After years of attending the Sonar Festival, how had I missed her live performance? Wait, what? She lives next door in Bolinas? That gorgeous town you visited dozens of times? #tomalesbayoysters

Fairlight CMI @ VSM (Vintage Synth Museum in Oakland)

Sometimes life gives you lemons

Finally, everything came together a few weekends ago….I was lucky to attend the Buchla Workshop hosted by my idol and instructor, Suzanne Ciani. It was all coordinated by John of TapeOp, and co-hosted by Claire George from Ableton (former global Geekettes.io sponsor).

This workshop celebrated sound, music, and technology. Suzanne walked us through her musical journey and Cookbook for the Buchla synth (see below). She created sounds for famous commercials in the 70’s (GE’s beep, Coca-Cola’s pop sound, and Black & Decker’s lawn trimmer sound). She pioneered this space and inspired companies to think outside the box when creating jingles.

We also learned about double gating, and her unique patch to create the sounds of waves and birds in the distance. She created waves through the Buchla white noise. It was mind-bending because all of us were staring out at the Pacific Ocean (gorgeous views of Stinson Beach).

We learned how the machine wants to give back to you, that it’s a relationship you form over time. We learned that there are endless waves of expression, and the Buchla 200e offers new opportunities for sound exploration. You need to sit down in front of it and get lost in the process.

I also happened to have the opportunity to play Summer’s Day for her. She came up to me and gave me a big hug. I will cherish that moment forever. She’s just too cool. The entire moment felt like a dream.

At the end of the two-day Buchla workshop, she gave us an incredible modular performance in quad. The spatial movement in this type of performance is difficult to explain. It feels as if the sound darts across the room quickly from every angle, all at once. It’s as if the sound wraps around you…..

I was honestly left speechless and moved by the entire experience.

The Buchla Cookbook: Basic Performance Patch

California Sisters with Transistors: meeting women in the synth space (Suzanne Ciani, Claire George, Ceci G)

Students flew in from all over! (they were also my teachers)

We met some truly incredible musicians and sound explorers at this workshop. I learned a ton from each individual. Thanks for making this experience so welcoming. We had many great conversations about our favorite artists, soundtracks, films, technology, and pasta! This is a scene I wish I had known about while living in the Bay Area.

We also learned about the Ableton Push 3 (thanks Claire, it arrived today!) I once enrolled in an Ableton Live workshop in Oakland (shout out to Lenny Kiser) so I’m not starting from scratch. In that workshop, we learned how to build Burial’s Archangel (sampling technique). Now Carlos and I have a new toy to distract us this weekend:

Ableton Push III arrived!

Berlin Geekettes @Berghain Kantine

Return to Berlin?

In 2014, I was honored to co-organize/host a celebration of women in music tech at the Kantine am Berghain with my cofounder, Denise Philipp. The event featured Mino Kodoma (former designer at Native Instruments, now based in LA), Jennifer Beecher (former SoundCloud engineer), and several Geekettes artists who shared their stories and DJ'd throughout the night (all women's lineup). It was refreshing to see, as it’s often an all-male lineup. We were thankful for all that showed up, and hope to have a reunion party someday. Outside of radio DJing, I dabbled a bit with DJ’ing at parties, thanks to Sarah Farina! She/Native Instruments invited me to join a group of folks to DJ with TRAKTOR DJ for iPad. The next rooftop experience will be with the Buchla. Heeeeyyooooo!!!!

Berlin Geekettes @ Kantine am Berghain

I’m not sure what the next chapter holds for Carlos and I, but we’re certainly inspired by the artists we’ve met and hope to create some amazing sounds/music to share with the world in 2024 and beyond. We were both deeply inspired by Suzanne, and the artists we met at this Buchla workshop. Thanks again for a once in a lifetime experience.

FYI - Suzanne Ciani has an upcoming show in San Diego! Join us at UCSD.