I, Synthesist
Gig Seeker Pro

I, Synthesist

| AFM

| AFM
Band EDM Alternative

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"..among the righteous, the torchbearers of artistically ambitious synthpop of this age..."

I, Synthesist can be counted among the righteous, the torchbearers of artistically ambitious synthpop of this age like French Mortem Vlade Art and the sadly discontinued American band Cosmicity. I grew up listening to Swedish synthpop like Elegant Machinery and Mobile Homes in the nineties, at which time the aforementioned countries weren't even on the map as far as I was concerned. Today the situation is completely reversed, and the Swedish bands have a lot to learn from these recent releases. Dynamic, heartfelt and inventive, this is music that stands, or at least should be able to stand, on its own even outside its little cozy subculture.
"Avalanche" is simple in style, and very funky in a happier Gary Numan kind of way. New Yorker Chris Ianuzzi hides behind the nom de plume, and if his voice is sometimes strained to hit the notes in the higher and lower register (what record labels like to call a "personal voice"), the great melodic hooks and bubbly space sounds more than help to compensate for it. Ianuzzi is an experienced electronic musician with some instrumental soundtrack work under his belt, but pop is clearly closest to his heart and he does not let the machines steal even an ounce of pop sensibility away from the album.
Lyrics are trippy science fiction stuff about absolutely nothing, conjuring the futuristic atmosphere of the genre. This is, if you will, the audio equivalent of the good natured retro futurism of recent movies like "Steamboy" and "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow". Enjoy the ride!
http://www.releasemagazine.net/Onrecord/orisynthesista.html - Release Magazine


"This album simply rocks!"

Okay, this is frightening. It's rare that one musician manages to wrap together everything that I love about the sound of 80's synthpop. This album simply rocks! Chris Ianuzzi's desire to create a dynamite collection of heavy synth work is a pure success. There isn't a single song on here that I consider better or worse than any of the others. He would have clicked perfectly with Gary Numan of 1979. Perfectly produced, heavy Nitzer-Ebb-ish vocals with music fitting from Cause & Effect and Camoflauge fans. But if there has to be a standout song it would be "Red Clouds," the opening track. Easily danceable, catchy lyrics, and a relevant melody. The songs are all short, to the point, and instantly addictive.
Gothic Beauty Magazine - Gothic Beauty Magazine


"A hidden synth pop gem"

I just saw "I, Synthesist" last night with "The Cruxshadows" at a local venue. Prior to last night I didn't have a clue as to who "I, Synthesist" was and thought "Oh, just another opening act filler." Boy was I wrong. From the moment this one man band appeared on stage my ear was magically drawn into the beats, synths, and vocals emanating from the sound system. After the set, I didn't have to be told twice and immediately bought this album. I love it and if you like New Wave and modern day Synth Pop you'll love it as well. I'm amazed that I didn't hear more about Chris Ianuzzi before. All in all if you're looking for a nice, well crafted, and catchy electronic album to dance or bob your head to this is a great selection to make. - Paul Dunphy on Amazon.com


"..an Album the new wave crowd can be prowd of"

Some may call it a trend, some may call it nostalgia and some may call it a musical renaissance, but the recent explosion of new wave and synthpop revivalists seems to be going strong. Joining the ranks is I, Synthesist, the brainchild of New York composer/producer Chris Ianuzzi. Ianuzzi has been brewing his special blend of electronic-generated bliss for some time now, having recently worked with HBO, The History Channel and collaboratively with Vangelis and Peter Baumann of Tangerine Dream. With such an impressive resume, expectations for a debut solo release are undoubtedly high; suffice to say, Ianuzzi knows electronic music well and rises to the challenge wonderfully. I, Synthesist is pure avant-garde new wave synthpop, the likes of which have not been seen or heard since Kraftwerk or Gary Numan. Running the gamut from creating pure mood and atmosphere to beautifully infectious dance sequences, the music on Avalanche is sure to get listeners moving their feet and aspiring musicians running for their keyboards.

Kicking things off is the song "Red Clouds," which perfectly exemplifies what the disk has to offer. Ianuzzi's vocals are, for the most part, raw and unfiltered (with exception of the vocoder effects on "Paralyzed"), and he comes across sounding like an American Stephan Groth. The lyrics are very futuristic, recalling the attitudes of the '80s new wavers who looked forward to a shining new technological age in the 21st century. The blend of pulsating electronic bass lines and dance beats are familiar, but effective enough to give the futurepop EBM heavyweights a run for their money. Another standout is "Images," which sounds like a mutant hybrid of older Depeche Mode and Covenant. The music is of special note here, revolving around some unorthodox chord progressions, which belie the simplicity of the synthpop genre. "Captain, My Captain" sounds like the best song Gary Numan never wrote, with a synth melody that sounds eerily like those used on "Cars." Songs like "Aerial Dreams" and "Hiding" begin with a slow buildup of dreamlike soundscapes and sequences that gradually lead into more fodder for the dance floor.

I, Synthesist's Avalanche is an album the new wave crowd can be proud of. It manages to recall the sounds of old while still having the ability to compete with the modern movement. It both complements and challenges today's futurepop and EBM scene with music and lyrics that may sound like an old hat, but are just as relevant today as they were then. With Avalanche, Chris Ianuzzi makes the statement that I, Synthesist is here to revel in a new future. Listen and enjoy.
- Regen Magazine


"Welcome to the D.I.Y. of the digital age"

Chris Ianuzzi, aka "I, Synthesist," is a phenomenon of the digital age. He is the perfect example of the D.I.Y generation. Not only is his music a flash into the realms of analog synths and romantic landscapes of sound, he has gone to an unbelievable global success by doing it by himself, without anyone backing him up. Sent without even a booklet in plastic wrap, hisÊdebut CD Avalanche has crossed the oceans, boundaries and territories, went into distant lands, and made it big for DJs, digital media journalists, Web zines, clubbers and fans of pure retro electronic synthpop music from all over the world. He is so popular, he himself doesn't know how this happened. Well, I say welcome to the D.I.Y of the digital age. Like a slowly building front of snow on a mountainside, this album has rolled and rolled all over the globe, sweeping people one by one, ganining an unbelievable success for this talented new indie artist. No major label, no industry of professional PR, marketing and promotion, nothing. He represents with all its glory the power of music, good music, excellent music. In the digital age there is no need for a brilliant talented artists to be manipulated by the industry; Chris Ianuzzi has proved that. He has been giving anÊexample to everyone and we wish that many will follow in his footsteps.

Name your biggest '80s influences and why at least one of them came to influence you so heavily.

Ianuzzi: The '80s had so much that wasn't strictly synth. There was Medium Medium, Psychadelic Furs, Japan, Duran Duran, etc.Ê Fad Gadget and the host of synth regulars, of course, were all part of it. I don't really think there is one that I can say is the biggest influence. It was an overall vibe or attitude. I haven't said this in many interviews, but I was very much there in the '80s and I was in it in those times. I recorded a lot of stuff that hasn't been released and stuff that has. I was one of a handful of people that did synth stuff in the very early '80s here in New York City and was looked upon as a "freak." I started working for Suzanne Ciani at 20 years old. I made music and sound design for more commercials than I can count, at a very early age. I won a Clio award for the first commercial on MTV for Atari, which was very electro. Through Ciani, I met and worked with ex-Tangerine Dream member Peter Baumann and some other really great people. I was in a band called the Puppets that had a single called "The Way of Life" that went to number four on the Billboard Dance charts. We had a concert that filled Webster Hall with screaming girls. The U.S. labels didn't understand it and thought such music should be coming from Europe, and then went to Europe and said, What are you doing here?' That has been the story of my life. I was then in another band that signed with a Japanese label and ended up in the wrong part of Europe. Being an artist that pushes the envelope in the USA is not an easy thing at all. The companies here don't understand it unless it is spoon-fed, cookie-cutter music. The destruction that has developed as a result of that mentality is being felt now.Ê I think I am finding a way through it at this point and will see that a lot of even my older stuff gets released in the future, as well as where I am now and where I am going with it all.

What did you do with Peter Baumann?

Ianuzzi: Peter was doing some synthpop stuff and I had the sketch of a song that he liked and we worked on it for a song on his Strangers in the Night album. I think it was eventually called "Time Machine." I also did a re-mix with him for Conrad Schnitzler. Jeez, I was young. A little later on, he hired me to do some Voyetra noises on some of The Patrick O'Hearn recordings for Private Music. I worked on Ciani's Velocity of Love album, and Vangelis was hanging around a lot in those days, so I did some sound making for him to play on Suzanne's stuff.

Do you plan on playing keyboards with a chisel and rubber mallet at your live shows like you did for the American Society for University Composers?

Ianuzzi: No, no, no, no, no, no! That's one of those things you do when you are 18. With the chisel anyway. I might take a rubber mallet to one, though. If I could get my hands on an Arp 2600 and three reel-to-reel machines playing tape loops, then I would really crank that spirit up again!

What is the role of multimedia artist Anna Krych in the project?

Ianuzzi: Anna Krych is really my partner in this project. She is very responsible in giving me the inspiration that sparked the beginning of me doing this. I had fantasized for many years about combining music and synchronized visuals. The technology was finally in reach and when I met Anna. She took me to see the video work that she did for a Covenant tour a couple of years ago. That night kicked me into gear to start working seriously on doing a project like this.

I work with her on the development of this stuff all of the time. She did all the art - Regen Magazine


Discography

LP/CD "Avalanche"
All tracks have had either streaming and or Radio Play.

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

I, Synthesist is the fulfillment of Chris Ianuzzi’s desire to create a music and performing project with integrated visuals.
The LP/CD Avalanche was released independently through international distributors in 2004. Songs reached The top 10 of the FAC (French Alternative charts) for 5 weeks and The Top 5 of The DAC (German Alternative charts). All songs are availble digitally through iTunes and a wide variety of other digital services. I ,Synthesist performed at The Wave Gotik Treffen Festival in Leipzig Germany and toured Europe.

A new release is presently in production and releases are being planned for Late Winterl/Spring 2007.

Ianuzzi’s interest in electronic music never waned after the sound of a Moog synthesizer at a music store triggered an earlier childhood hallucinogenic memory first experienced during a dental procedure. Highlights from his formal music training include a performance for the American Society for University Composers (in which he played a piano using a chisel, rubber wedge and an ARP 2600). For a number of years Ianuzzi served as an Electronic Creative associate with the legendary Suzanne Ciani and her Electronic Music Factory for Sound Design and Scoring. His early years also included work with Vangelis and ex-Tangerine Dream member Peter Baumann as well as work on Billboard chart-topping projects such as “AEIOU” by Freeze and “Way of Life” by The Puppets. During this time, Ianuzzi developed his song writing skills. Ianuzzi also recorded two albums with the band Sluka (Meldac Records) while touring Japan and Europe. He then returned to New York and scored for visual works in all media. This work included composing orchestral music for the HBO “Earth to Moon” series and creating sound design and musical composition for large interactive environments. Though he has become a bit more grounded since his childhood psychedelic musical awakening, Ianuzzi’s creativity remains a driving force. Using classic analog synthesizers in conjunction with the most current digital technologies, his goal for I, Synthesist is to create modern pop-songs, beat and electronic-digital instrumental orchestrations.