CYRNAI is an influential Asian American electronic and experimental music project by composer, sound designer, and multimedia artist Carolyn Fok, whose pioneering work has spanned more than four decades. Her fascination with sound design began at age nine when she started experimenting with her father’s DIY drum machine and other electronic instruments. She drew early inspiration from industrial trailblazers like Cabaret Voltaire and anarcho-punk groups such as Crass.

Under the moniker CYRNAI, she released her debut EP Charred Blossoms in 1985, followed by the cassette Parts Of The Insomnic Wheel (1986) and albums including Hypno-Seizure (1989) and To Subtle-Drive (1990). Between 1983 and 1991, she also performed with San Francisco-based bands Treason, A State Of Mind, Trial, and Rhythm and Noise.

Described by LOUD WOMEN as an “industrial powerhouse” and by Evol Radio as “one of electronic music’s most innovative voices,” CYRNAI is known for unusual recording techniques and unorthodox sound design that transcend avant-garde roots, blending industrial, ambient, experimental, and cinematic electronic textures. Her 1996 CD Transfiguration featured New York guitarist Elliott Sharp. In 2018, she launched the Memoir Of Sound archive, preserving more than 100 albums of her solo works, field recordings, collaborations, and previously unreleased material. Dark Entries later reissued her landmark 1980–1990 recordings as a deluxe vinyl box set, introducing her pioneering work to a new generation of listeners.

Her recent releases have earned multiple international awards and critical recognition. The CYRNAI album Calamity of Beauty and Carolyn Fok’s ambient solo album CHRYSALIS have both received multiple honors from international music organizations and publications. Fok also appears on the Cyclical Dreams Records compilation Gemstones 7, continuing her exploration of contemporary ambient and electronic music.

CYRNAI has performed at festivals and events throughout the United States, including Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, sharing lineups with electronic music pioneers such as Morton Subotnick and Suzanne Ciani. Her music has also been featured on the acclaimed UK compilation Third Noise Principle: Formative North American Electronica 1975–1984. Continuing to explore immersive audio, spatial sound, and audiovisual performance, Carolyn Fok remains at the forefront of experimental electronic music with new recordings and live performances that bridge her pioneering legacy with contemporary innovation.