Ciel releases debut album, ‘Homesick’: Listen

Ciel has released her debut album, ‘Homesick’.

Out today (Friday, 24th November), the nine-track record emerged from a flurry of production activity that the Xian-born, Toronto-based DJ and producer, real name Cindy Li, undertook during the period of COVID-19-enforced lockdowns having secured a financial grant.

The album’s press release states that, like many other members of the Chinese diaspora in the West during the period of COVID-19 lockdowns, Li felt anxious and distressed over a rise in anti-Chinese sentiment and racism. She found that the best way to manage her emotions was to channel it into music, which resulted in ‘Homesick’.

It incorporates traditional Chinese instruments, and finds Li using samples and analogue instruments across eight tracks. Eight traditional instruments (made of silk, bamboo, wood, stone, metal, clay, gourd and hide) were used to shape her writing, with focus given to individual instruments on each track.

Described “a deeply personal dancefloor record”, ‘Homesick’ spans house, electro, drum & bass and downtempo influences. It follows on from Li’s recent ‘Orlando’ EP on !K7, as well as an anthology of previously released work on Eris Drew’s newly launched label, Ecstatic Editions.

Revisit DJ Mag’s 2019 Recognise interview with Ciel, accompanied by a mix, and dive into her picks for DJ Mag’s Selections series from last year.

Listen to the full record below.