RECENT RELEASES / REMIXES

Mixes, streams, and radio bits since 2020

RECENT MIXES 'N' STREAMS

Live PAs

ciel - memento mori [uu012] (Unknown - Untitled)

Rinse FM

Broadcast live from 百会 BAIHUI.LIVE on September 30, 2021
Support the artists: https://www.buymusic.club/list/ciel-music-from-ciels-baihui-mix
A mix of all downtempo and trip hop, presented by me and my cat. Hope you enjoy <3

Baihui Mix

Toronto's Cindy Li, AKA Ciel, has a knack for balancing warmth and pressure. Her productions and mixes often feel coated in an iridescent gloss, evoking the trippy stylings of '90s UK tech house and the swung drums of classic New York house. In between that, though, there's lots of vigor via sleek electro, rippling trance, barrelling techno and big, bad breakbeats. Her style may lean towards the atmospheric but it's loaded with moxie, giving her the versatility to close out a main room or kick off the afters.

Her fluid movements between bouncy basslines, spiraling synth patterns and weightless house grooves are just one facet of her impressive rise as a DJ and producer. When she's not behind the decks, presenting radio shows or working on the excellent Parallel Minds label she runs alongside other Toronto acts Yohei S and Daniel 58, Li throws herself into community work. Committed to diverse dance floors, affordable housing and overall equality in the music industry, she's a hard worker in the realest sense of the phrase.

Li's RA mix is a treat. Rolling through scintillating drum work, wonky rhythms and dreamy pads, it feels like quintessential Ciel. In her interview below, she described how she enjoys "the challenge of trying to combine and make cohesive all the diverse styles of music I loved in a DJ set." Judging by this mix alone, it's safe to say that Li succeeded.

Read more: http://ra.co/podcast/832

@ciel_dj

RA podcast

RA.832 Ciel

Campout is an experience that we meticulously curate from start to finish; finding an artist that can connect the dots and close the festival is never an easy task. When asking artists to play, we always encourage them to stay through the festival in its entirety. This is the best way to truly understand what the festival is and what the community brings. 

This brings us to @ciel_dj, who we view as one of the most talented and hardworking DJ/producers in dance music. She's put in the work with her own music but also with her community in Toronto. We fully trusted her to step up and give us all proper send off. From slamming house to funky tech house rollers, Ciel gifted the crowd the energy to make it across the finish line. The ending track, 'Right Here' by SWV was damn near perfection.

Campout Mix Series: Ciel

HÖR - Jul 12, 2023

@ciel_dj

Introduce yourself? Pronouns? Where do you currently reside? 

Hello, I'm a producer and DJ going by the name of Ciel. My real name is Cindy, my pronouns are she/her, and I'm based in Toronto, Canada.

How do you deal with being nervous before a gig? 

Try not think about it :) It doesn't always work, but i find it happens from time to time if I'm really exhausted from not sleeping on tour and my brain has naturally shut off. If I can't stop thinking about it, I will try to select the first track from my vinyl bag and have a vague sense of what Rekordbox playlists I plan to play from. I ad-hoc all my sets because I love picking tracks in response to the audience's energy, but sometimes that is a lot more stressful for me and I find myself doom scrolling the USB. Devising a strategy, even if I end up not following it, does a lot to soothe my anxiety. 

Where do you see yourself musically in 2044?

I don't know what the future holds but I hope to be a full time composer of film and TV scores when I'm in my 50s and no longer want to tour constantly.

If you could have anything on your rider… What would you choose?

An indica-sativa hybrid joint (no tobacco), nice bottle of orange wine, German flat peaches, and a bathroom in the booth (anything is possible, right?)

What would you like to see in the future for the dance community?

Less celebrity worship, less influencer culture, less fame & money-chasing, more focus on behind-the-scenes folks (whether DJs or producers or labels) who foster community and tirelessly build their local scenes.

Ciel - 36˚C

Stream / Download: https://hypeddit.com/i7dxj0

Bamboo

Stream / Download

Mix-Up on Triple J - November 18, 2023

Stream / Download: https://hypeddit.com/tpqnri

Homesick

String

Gourd

Hide

Silk

Stone

Juanita's Mix 100 with Ciel @ciel_dj

Q. How would you describe yourself?
A. a music maker with too much sincerity and a passion for sampling, film, and leftist politics

Q. What drew you to the music scene in the beginning and where do you hope to see it in the future?
A. Looking back at my life, I think everything from my birth led me on this path towards music. It was my first love. But as an only child, my experience with music growing up was always very solitary. I yearned to be part of a community radio station with Iikeminded music nerds, and it was working for a radio station eventually during my undergraduate that brought me toward DJing and rave culture. Back then I never thought I could do this full time, but once I got the chance to make a living doing this, I realized the scene was far from perfect, in fact it's very exploitative. I hope in the future we can find a way to fairly compensate music makers for the incredible gift of music they bestow upon the world, without becoming beholden to corrupt corporate & military interests. Artists can be hyper individualistic and self-interested, and I hope we can get better at looking out for each other instead of just our own paycheques.

Q. Tell us a little bit about this mix.
A. I wanted to present a different side of myself to international audiences on such a wonderful mix platform. Perhaps people outside of my home city of Toronto are less familiar with my downtempo sets, but it's been a significant part of my wheelhouse for years, and have gained even wider affection from me since I started doing a downtempo party in Toronto last year. Like I always say, 80-100bpm is the most natural tempo for extended human body movements. I also liked the idea of doing a mix that doesn't build in a predictable way, instead it waxes and wanes like the natural rhythm of life. So many of my favourite mixes build and release tension in a way that's very satisfying to listen to, the sounds intensify to a frenzy before disintegrating into nothingness. I wanted to play with that rise and fall and mix downtempo and dub with double time d&b in a non-linear way that is evocative of our most precious memories and tells stories we've only seen in dreams. Downtempo and dub also seemed like the perfect genres to play in the 100th mix for Juanita's, and in the lead up to my fav April holiday. :) I hope the listeners enjoy it.

Juanita's Mix 100: Ciel

Rinse FM Podcast

Ciel - 01 April 2024

Stream / Download: https://lnk.to/Remix4Tesla

Remix 4 Tesla

Kaba & Hyas - FACTS (Ciel's Timestretch Dub) [Entreprise x H3]

Rinse FM Podcasts

Ciel with Milch - 06 May 2024

Tilda's Goat Stare

Goblin Mode

Goblin Mode (Yushh Remix)

Tilda's Goat Stare (Priori Remix)

Spiral Drive

Ciel: Jump Recordings Special - 29 July 2024

Rinse FM Podcas

Ciel: Return from Dub Mountain - 03 December 2024

For her set at the 25th anniversary edition of MUTEK Montréal, Toronto-based producer, DJ, presenter and classically trained pianist Ciel performed a live set built around her debut album, 'Homesick'.

If you’re a fan, become a Supporter: crackm.ag/subscriptions

Live from MUTEK Montréal: Ciel

Lisbon’s Eterna, run by local mainstay @mariaamoramormaria , returns to shed light on more incredible music coming from her city. @hiromakeo is an imaginative, skilled composer who participates actively in the scene and devotes his life to music in its various manifestations. His new EP on Eterna, titled ‘Agora Mas Nunca’ (which translates as ‘Now Yet Never’) is a testament to curiosity-driven, exciting sound design - and absolutely sick rhythmic patterns.
Abstract bass-led two-step vibrations flood our ears in the stunning opener ‘Agora’, its mutant synths providing both rhythm and tension like detailed sonic painting. The tone is set for an adventurous musical journey that continues on with ‘Nunca’, a seamless fusion between digital and organic sounds, with polyrhythmic percussion leading the way, peppered with playful cut-up vocals and texture manipulation. Sound effects that sing are the name of the game in this EP - and ‘Salto’ is a prime example with its flanger-drenched, futuristic dub intro that unhurriedly morphs into an uncompromising, low-key rave banger with round basslines and metallic rushes. Club PAs around the world would revel in blasting out nuanced, exciting music like this more often - that’s what pops to mind. The final original is ‘Atraso’, a faster - and infectious - ode to broken, unexpected drum patterns complete with a driving sub-heavy bassline and accented by congas, claps and vocals.
@rhyw , a longtime label favourite, steps in for the first remix with a more concise take on ‘Agora’, stripping it to its essentials and then classically twisting things a little bit to serve elegance and freshness all at once. The second remix rounds the record off perfectly via @ciel_dj ’s intricate, attentive touch. The original is given a four to the floor signature, the bassline is re-calibrated into a bouncy yet sober pattern, textures become subtler but the experimentalist spirit remains.
This one is for listeners and DJs who not only welcome but actively search for fun and innovation in contemporary dance music: the basslines, the unforeseeable drums, the sonic sculptures will take you to places that your mind - and dancing body - is longing for.

Hiroma Keo - Nunca (Ciel's Flangemix)

Martha kicks off 2025 with a textured guest mix from Ciel. Originally aired January 7, 2025

Includes forthcoming music by Ciel + key tracks from the Place: Toronto VA, also curated by her.

1. Kaspr - Ether / 2. Ficilio - Alba / 3. Brainrot - Shai Haloops / 4. Yohei S - Skatter / 5. Acote - WL / 6. Ciel & Mathis Ruffing - Hot Squid / 7. Ciel & Cromie - Dancin' Brother pt 2 / 8. Psychedelic Budz - Vokal Fry (Ciel's Heavenly Groove) / 9. Ciel & Mathis Ruffing - Little Voice

Guest mix for Martha Radio on BBC Radio1

uu012

pre-order uu012

ciel - memento mori (b3) [uu012]

Ciel - 30 April 2025

Groovedeep - Funk Solo
Stream & Buy - https://turborec.lnk.to/FunkSolo

There was a regrettable time in Turbo’s history when our email filters would prevent anything called Groovedeep from reaching our senior A&R braintrust. We felt we needed to shield their sensibilities and sanity from demos by acts like The Rhythm Pilgrims and Loop Addict, but it ended up costing us potential stars like SonicVisions and Beatweaver. Someone had to stand up and say no more.

With this benighted era behind us, Turbo is proud of itself for presenting you with this pair of decidedly modern bangers from international supergroup Groovedeep, comprised of Toronto’s Ciel and DC’s James Bangura and Jackson Ryland. “Funk Solo” packs 145 beats into each and every minute of a delirious techno mindbeast. Meanwhile, the B-side is a “Big Bass Mix" for those of us who are compelled to slather ourselves in bass-boost ultrasound gel and nestle into the club sub-woofer where the low frequencies massage our kidneys and sacrum and the twinned demons of treble and vision cannot touch us I mean not even close brother.

*Which is maybe not that impressive because it’s really super-nice here. The staff cots are memory foam and we’re getting an air fryer.


Subscribe on YouTube: 
https://www.youtube.com/user/TurboRecordings?sub_confirmation=1
 
Subscribe to Turbo World News: http://bit.ly/turboworldnews

Connect:
http://www.turborecordings.com/​
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http://www.soundcloud.com/turborecordings
http://www.instagram.com/turborecordings​
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This project is funded in part by FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada’s private radio broadcasters.
Ce projet est financé en partie par FACTOR, le gouvernement du Canada et les radiodiffuseurs privés du Canada.

Funk Solo

Stream & Buy

Groovedeep - Funk Solo

Groovedeep - Funk Solo (Big Bass Mix)

stream / download: https://wisdomteethuk.bandcamp.com/album/pattern-gardening

Pattern Gardening

Shai Haloops

a lil mix I made of some of my favourite japanese city pop and disco records from the 80s, heavy on the cheese but a sweet lil' ride. I made it for a radio show but it was rejected. fortunately I was too attached to it to not post it anywhere so here it is :~)

1. Toshiki Kadomatsu - Off Shore
2. Mari Iijima - ひみつの扉 (Himitsu No Tobira)
3. Tatsuro Yamashita - Love Talkin’
4. Hitomi Tohyama - Inspiration
5. Masayoshi Takanaka - Chill Me Out
6. Masayoshi Takanaka - Sexy Dance
7. Soichi Terada & Shinichiro Yokota - Got To Be Real
8. Junko Ohashi - Love Affair
9. Toshiki Kadomatsu - Sky High

ダンス

Purchase the full release here: https://peachdiscs.bandcamp.com/album/peach004-electrical-encounters

Rain Dance [premaster]

broad 2 broad with @umfang
air date: June 5 2017

Ciel & Umfang @ The Lot Radio - 06/05/17

Appears on Physically Sick 2, released March 6, 2018

Physically Sick 2 is a charity compilation by Allergy Season and Discwoman curated by Umfang, Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson, and Physical Therapy. 100% percent of profits from the compilation will go to the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund. Out Tuesday March 6th, 2018 and available exclusively through Bandcamp.

https://physicallysick2.bandcamp.com/

Terracotta [Allergy Season]

I made an edit of Koffee - Toast mixed with DJ Plead - Salt & Pepper, Logic1000 - Precision, and Piezo - The Mandrake. eternal love to the artists for providing the source material for me to work with.

Support the artists:
Koffee: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/toast-single/1441424654
DJ Plead: https://nervoushorizon.bandcamp.com/album/dj-plead-pleats-plead-ep
Logic1000: https://sumactrac.bandcamp.com/album/logic1000
Piezo: https://version111a.bandcamp.com/album/the-mandrake-tinned

spicy toast

released November 25, 2019 via All My Thoughts

AMT012

Seb Wildblood - Bahn (Ciel’s Eastern Promises Redub)

The Toronto producer eases in with a tranquil blend of fresh Australian electronica.

Interview with @cl_lit:

melbournedeepcast.net/portfolio/ciel/

About the mix:

"I had toured for the first time in Australia late 2018 and it made a massive impression on me. In many ways, it reminded me of a warmer version of Canada. People were incredibly kind and welcoming and I was blown away by the hospitality the promoters and local artists showed me. I also absolutely adored the incredible nature I saw in Australia, having played in Hobart and Brisbane and Melbourne and Sydney and Adelaide and Hopkins’ Creek Festival in a volcanic crater, I fell in love with the landscapes I saw and the animals local only to this part of the world. So when I first sat down to think about this mix, the bushfires had just started raging and the news was beyond depressing to see. Everywhere I saw online was just videos and pictures of burned animals and ash that was once blooming flora & fauna. A fan from Australia sent me a DM on IG, telling me how my song “Terracotta”, as it’s a track that talks about the sea and land, was able to give them a lot of peace during a time that was anything but.

And so I decided I wanted to make a mix that not only paid tribute to this incredible music scene and country and its amazing artists, but was musically able to provide a sense of solace to people who perhaps feel hopeless about our time on this planet. That is partly why I began the mix with music by indigenous tribes from East Timor—as “modern” people it’s sad to see that we’ve lost touch with the roots of our life on this planet as we know it, and I think we have so much to learn from indigenous cultures and their respect for mother nature. I also chose a lot of dub music, and music that featured lots of organic drums for similar reasons, as these styles of music owe as much to indigenous folk music as they do to modern electronic music. Ultimately I wanted the mix to feel like slipping into a warm bath. Hope it was successful. 🙂"

www.melbournedeepcast.net

Read the interview

MDC.238 Ciel

Tracklist: 
Vashti Bunyan - I'd like to walk around in your mind
Yoshio Suzuki - The Mirage
Dick Hyman - The Minotaur
Yumi Murata - Watashi No Bus
Havana - The Jeet (Air Mix)
Fumio Miyashita - In the beginning
Mikado - Si tu m'aimes
Yuming - 12階のこいびと
Sade - Cherish The Day (Long Version Remix) played at 45rpm
Pleaxure - No Such
Native Rhythms - Ya-Hey (Jazz-n-Groove Mix)
Rhythmcentric - Expressions (Original Mix)

All vinyl mix recorded at home on two Technic 1200 MK2s and a Xone 22 mixer during self quarantine as a result of the 2020 Covid 19 pandemic. I used a ZOOM recorder to record directly from the mixer, with additional mixdown and mastering done in Ableton 10.

I had carefully packed a bag full of records for my open-to-close gig at Public Records in NYC the weekend before which was canceled due to the pandemic. That weekend was essentially the last weekend of dancing and partying for most of us for a long time. The same needn't apply to music though. 

I was sad that I never got to play these records, all carefully selected and imagined in my mind to soundtrack some meaningful moment on the dancefloor, some I've owned for nearly 20 years of my life but have never played for anyone else but myself since I started to tour more outside of my home city.

Today, on a lark, or perhaps out of boredom, I decided to record myself playing some of the chiller records of my bag. I picked songs that would specifically make someone feel happier, perhaps more at peace. I think the pandemic has infected a lot of us with negative thoughts, anxiety, anger, etc. What better thing to turn to right now than music??

'Rona's Soul Therapy mix

Mastered by East End Mastering

https://naivetrax.bandcamp.com/album/va-no-justice-no-peace-100-of-sales-donated-to-anti-racist-orgs

Support

Galapagos

Stream Informer - January 29, 2021

Parallel Minds // Discwoman // Rinse FM
Send demos: cindy@ciel.club
Worldwide: sam@klsbookings.com
Americas: frankie@discwoman.com
Mgmt: maarten@vowta.com

Ciel

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