Written by Lauren Rosier
Meet New York Symphonic and electronic composer/songwriter, Chris Ianuzzi, whose vision fully original and uncompromising. Throughout the years, Ianuzzi has collected a long list of “boundary-breaking accolades” and has delivered solo releases through his I, Synthesist project. This EP is sneak peek into his upcoming full-length, Planetaria.
With his new release, Olga in a Black Hole, Ianuzzi takes on an entirely new direction.
“Trip in a New Future. I have started something different for myself. Feels like a return to my roots in Electronic music. I had ventured to making song related music and now I am freeing myself of that structure and headed towards something new.” — Chris Ianuzzi, artist
His new EP is the beginning of the new direction in electronic music. Ianuzzi plans to release a full-length album titled Planetaria later this year.
The 3-song EP opens with the EP’s title track, “Olga in a Black Hole.”
This is some of the most far-out, trippiest music I’ve heard in a while, but I love the futuristic sounds and the dynamics. “Olga in a Black Hole” opens with a bouncy guitar that grows into this electronic, computerized waning sounds that leads into a plethora of electronic bliss. It literally sounds and feels like you are falling through a black hole. The running time of 9:18 allows for the dynamics to grow dramatically in both directions multiple times and Ianuzzi uses that to develop the song into somewhat of a journey. It’s actually quite fascinating how much an instrumental, electronic piece with a running time of 9:18 can make me feel so many emotions. When you’re listening to this track, it’s incredible how many individual sounds you hear that he uses to create this “black hole.”
The middle track is titled “Hello.” The song begins and you feel like you’re in a dream. The electronics and synthesizers he uses creates great dynamics from the more airy, lighter tones to the deeper, fuller-sounding tones. Like “Olga in a Black Hole,” he uses such a variety of sounds and even words in this track that create layers upon layers of sound that take the listener to a different dimension. From the waves of synths, light, airy teardrop sounds, to the computerized buzz comparable to a dial-up modem.
The third and final track on the EP is titled “Fork.” The track starts with buzzy synths that gradually lead into an elegant bell-like sound. The song takes an immediate turn into changing the dynamics of the song. It begins with a waning, brassy electronic sound into more trippy electronics.
After a sound of a Moog synthesizer triggered an earlier hallucinogenic childhood memory, Ianuzzi never lost his passion for electronic music. Formally, he was trained at the American Society for University Composers where he “played piano using a chisel, rubber wedge and processed the sound through an ARP 2600.”
For several years, he served as an Electronic Creative Associate under the legendary Suzanne Ciani and her production house, Ciani Musica. He also has worked with Vangelis and ex-Tangerine Dream member, Peter Baumann, as well as Billboard projects such as “AEIOU” by Freeze and “Way of Life” by The Puppets. In addition, he’s worked on the HBO series, From The Earth To The Moon, co-produced by Ron Howard and Tom Hanks, doing orchestral and electronic sound design music. Other projects include doing sound design and musical composition for corporations like Mastercard and theme music for various A&E shows.
Connect with Chris Ianuzzi
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bandcamp | SoundCloud | YouTube
