Cindy Li, known professionally as Ciel, is a Canadian DJ, producer, and promoter. Based in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Li is known for her solo and collaborative electronic

EPs EPS, EPs or Eps may refer to: Commerce and finance * Earnings per share * Electronic Payment Services, in Hong Kong, Macau, and Shenzhen, China * Express Payment System, in the Philippines Education * Edmonton Public Schools, in Edmonton, Al ...

and for founding the label Parallel Minds. Li is also known for her advocacy work for women in the electronic music scene in Toronto. Li was born in

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

Career

Li studied English at

Queen's University Queen's or Queens University may refer to: *Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada *Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK **Queen's University of Belfast (UK Parliament constituency) (1918–1950) **Queen's University of Belfast ...

. Her career started as the radio host of CFRC-FM, a station in Kingston, Ontario, where she emphasized music from women-identifying artists. There, Li developed an interest in

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

and

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

music. In 2015, Li developed Work in Progress, an event designed as an extension of her radio show and exclusively showcasing music by women-identifying artists. Guests at the shows included

D. Tiffany Sophie Sweetland, known professionally as D. Tiffany, is a Canadian DJ and electronic musician. Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Sweetland is known for her electronic music and for founding the underground label Planet Euphorique. She ...

, Volvox, and DJBOYZCLUB. The event was designed to push back against all-male DJ lineups and improve the safety of the spaces where performances take place. Her debut EP, ''Electrical Encounters'', was released in 2017 to positive critical reviews. In 2018, her mix "Radio Buttons #20" was described as one of the best of January by Pitchfork with acclaim for its atmosphere and pacing. Her second EP, ''Hundred Flowers'', was similarly acclaimed as one of the best electronic records of the year. In 2020 and 2021, Li released collaborative EPs with fellow Canadian producers D. Tiffany and Dan Only as Psychedelic Budz and Cloudsteppers.

Style

Her work has been described as fast-paced, with an emphasis on breaks and synths. She frequently uses samples. She works broadly within the genres of New Age and trance.

Discography

* ''Electrical Encounters'' (2017) * ''Hundred Flowers'' (2018) * ''Why Me?'' (2019) * ''Trojan Horse

hanks for Enlightening Me Hanks is a surname of English, or Dutch origin, meaning "son of Hankin" and may refer to: * Boo Hanks (1928–2016), American Piedmont blues guitarist and singer * Carol Hanks Aucamp (born 1943), American tennis player * Colin Hanks (born 1977), ...

' (2020) * ''All We Have is Each Other'' (2021) * ''Mister Saturday Night'' (2021)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ciel Living people Canadian DJs Musicians from Xi'an Musicians from Toronto Queen's University at Kingston alumni Canadian electronic musicians Year of birth missing (living people)