I, Synthesist - New electro-pop alchemies

One exercise that can prove all too easy is lumping synth-pop, always and without exception, in with the emptiest fads that have come and gone over the last few decades. That's what happened with the 80s, an era often accused of a bent for frivolity, a charge that ends up crossing off a good number of artists (think, for instance, of Fad Gadget, or Bill Nelson), and it's happening today with electro, which drains the light from that strand of synthesizer pop moving on very different terrain from the world's more plastic-coated dancefloors. It's no coincidence, then, that the Italian-American based in New York, Chris Iannuzzi (I, Synthesist), when defining his own music, labels it "electronic pop music," and that over the course of our chat his clear preference for listening over dancing comes through. The "four-on-the-floor" as a means rather than an end in itself, in other words - though we suspect it's hard to stay still in the face of certain invitations to move that Chris throws at us in many of his tracks.

Hi Chris, even though word of you has reached us here too via the buzz of the web, I'd like you to tell our readers about your musical origins and your background...

I've been interested in electronic music pretty much forever. I studied piano and, when I was in school, I worked with the sole goal of buying myself a synthesizer. Then I studied at the Conservatory for a few years, composition and electronic music. It was right around that time that I read in a magazine that Suzanne Ciani, an important name in new age and electronic music, was composing soundtracks for commercials in New York. I met her and became her assistant, and that experience introduced me to composing for synthesizers. It was a really exciting period, during which I even played with Peter Baumann of Tangerine Dream and with Vangelis.

In the meantime I was also working with a few bands, and one of them signed a deal with a Japanese label. That gave me the chance to travel a lot: I even spent a year in Italy, in the early 90s. I lived in Milan and then in Modena, after which I went back to New York.

Your references seem to trace back to the fathers of synth-pop like Gary Numan and Kraftwerk…

I grew up in the period when these artists were doing very important things, and of course I was influenced by them, just as I was by those who had influenced them. How can you not be affected by Kraftwerk? Kraftwerk are essential to most of the music being made today, and “Autobahn” is chiefly responsible for my infatuation with electronic music.

What's the story behind your name?

There are several reasons. The first is definitely down to my background: Synthesist is a great word to describe someone who creates sounds and music synthetically, don't you think?

Beyond the meaning we associate with synthesizers, it also points to something broader, to a way of thinking, to an alchemist or a magician. It means, in short, combining different elements, and that represents well who I am and what I want to achieve.

What kind of gear do you use? Only analog synths, or do you prefer working with a laptop?

I still have a “Voyetra” synthesizer, an analog/digital hybrid released in 1983, and I used to have a “Moog Modular”. I love analog synths, but I also use digital ones, of course.

I'm very happy with my “Access Virus”, which is a virtual analog synthesizer. Then there are software synths that are really evolving into excellent tools: “Reaktor”, for instance, is a great program and I'm using it for my upcoming songs.

On your records, you handle everything yourself, including production and mixing…

Yes, I take care of every aspect, although I did work with mastering engineer Brian Hazard as a mixing consultant. I'd send him the mixes and he'd give me feedback: I needed the opinion of a mastering engineer, because I wanted the mix to be as clean as possible.

Nowadays there's too much reliance on audio compression, but to cover up the flaws of that process you end up compromising the dynamics of the music.

It's important for me to have someone I trust who can give me objective feedback: it's hard to do all this alone without going crazy, although maybe I'm a bit crazy anyway!

Is working alone more a matter of chance, or necessity?

Both, I'd say. Although right now I'm playing with a few musicians for an upcoming release. I don't know where that will lead me, but for now it's fun and it's a source of inspiration for me.

You've reached your second album — can you tell us about the differences between the new record, “Art Of Survival”, and “Avalanche”?

There's a different variety of material on "Art Of Survival": I even included a twenty-minute piece I composed back in 1994. It's called "The Overlook", which I'd describe as a symphonic electronic track. There are no vocals, just a rich backdrop of sounds, and I included it as a bonus track because I was sorry it had taken so long to finish and release the album. There's another track called "Blue Jets", which is an ambient piece; as for the rest, like on "Avalanche", there are also some nice songs and some danceable material. Those are the main differences, I think — one day I'll probably be able to pick up on other nuances better, but it's still too soon to give a precise answer.

How's the promotion of the new album going? Are you currently on tour?

The promotion has been frustrating. There have been a lot of issues with how things have been promoted — or rather, "not promoted". I'd like to be on tour, but I haven't had the support from people I was hoping would get involved.

I think the whole system is in crisis, and that's the real problem: most of the reviews I read are written by people who don't seem to have actually listened to the album. Just to give you a couple of examples, nobody mentioned the twenty-minute piece I was telling you about, while I read that "Blue Jets" was supposedly some kind of Swedish pop-style song. "Blue Jets" doesn't even have drums, and the only vocals are buried in the background — you tell me if that's a definition that makes any sense!

At this rate, I imagine someone will end up saying that everything sounds the same, and that I was just trying to make club music, when in fact "Art Of Survival" does have some danceable tracks, but also ballads and songs meant for listening.

Maybe Europe has a context better suited to your sound... Do you think you'll come play in Europe?

I hope to come to Europe precisely because audiences there are much more familiar with what I do. Even here in the States there are plenty of people who could get into my kind of sound, but it's as if there's a kind of ostracism coming from the current system, so interest never really gets a chance to build. The business world in the US and the global economy are going through a rough patch right now, so I guess it's a tough time to take risks. Let's just say I try to see this situation as an opportunity aimed at a better future.

What do you make of the current state of the record market? CDs and labels are going through a major crisis. The landscape is shifting: do you think all this is good for pop music and for artists?

Ah, that's a great question! All things considered, I don't think it's a good time for artists, since music itself is treated as something with no value. People "steal" music, and artists get no financial return for the hard, incredibly hard work they put in.

On the other hand, it's fantastic that we have the internet and the ability to reach people in every corner of the world, and you can also make a great record at home without needing a lot of money, whereas before that was only possible through a label.

So the possibilities are extraordinary, because in theory we can now really do everything ourselves. But think about the sheer amount of work an artist has to take on to be responsible for production, promotion, distribution, and so on. It's a tremendous amount of work, with no small costs falling on us: so the idea of simply copying the old business model is only theoretical, since it just doesn't work anymore. It's about creating a new model that can still get our music out to people, and so I believe that, despite everything, this is actually a great time to find opportunities for a better future.

You live in New York now. I don't think there's anywhere else in the world that manages to express such a vital dance scene and rock scene at the same time, and it's been that way for a while. Tell us a bit about the atmosphere there...

I love New York! It's in my blood, there's no place like it in the world. And yet, going back to what I was saying earlier, despite the music and the atmosphere, I've seen a number of venues close down, little solidarity among people, a lot of anger among promoters, and musicians tearing each other apart to gain some hypothetical control over something that only exists in their own heads. New York has historically always moved in cycles, and in recent years we've been through a pretty low one.

But something's changing: I see groups of people trying to organize something better — for instance, there are even attempts to bring together classical musicians and modern composers, along with new pop musicians. And that's fantastic, and it's going to happen very soon right here, so we're all ready to watch New York climb back to the level it truly deserves.

You told me you spent some time here in Italy, and that you also have Italian roots...

It's true. On my father's side, my family is entirely Italian, so much so that they own an Italian restaurant. I spent some time in Milan and Modena, but not with my family. I was in a band that had broken up there, and then I lived in Modena for a few months before going back to New York. "Modena, Modena, stazione di Modena" - I'll never forget that voice welcoming you at the station. And still today I go to an import food shop in New York to get prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella!

What's your impression of the Italian music scene and Italian audiences?

I remember it being the place with the most fun crowds I ever got to play for, a warm audience everywhere, and now I notice a wonderful response to what I do coming from Italy through "myspace", which is fantastic. But I'd like to go back there to experience it in person again, and if all goes well, that could happen soon. I'm planning the release of a few remixes, a new song and a cover for this spring, so I hope to find a way to squeeze in some shows there.

Ride the wave of great music

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