Perhaps best-known for his I, Synthesist project, Chris Ianuzzi has been a working musician for a long time. He's been both a hired gun and a creator. On this set, he really lets his freak flag fly.

Chris Ianuzzi Planetaria (self-released)

As one might expect from someone who has worked with Vangelis and Peter Baumann (Tangerine Dream), there are some plenty of chilly elements. But Ianuzzi infuses his spacey abstractions with plenty of action. On his website, he says his goal is to create immersive performances. And that he has.

These are compositions, by the way, rather than the songs he creates as I, Synthesist. The structure is much looser, but mainly that serves to give his ideas room to fully flesh themselves out. And despite the quiet nature of much of this album, there is very little languor. Ideas that express themselves quietly are not necessarily quiet themselves.

I really liked his three-song intro to this album that was released a while back. I couldn't quite get my head around it then, but this full set makes a lot more sense to me. Ianuzzi operates in universes, plural. Each song is its own world. The elements that go into each (including a wide array of old school electronics, including the unmistakable warble of Moog) are tailored for each piece. This is experimental, for sure, but hardly abstract. Have a set and let this wash your mind.

Jon Worley