Chas Smith is fascinated by the sensation of tone. His early
work was based around the sound of the pedal steel guitar and
the innovative performance methods he developed. Smith's CD
DESCENT (48'37") expands on these ideas in a deep meditation
into the nature of timbre. To create his unique compositions,
Smith arranges the sonic emissions of a number of unusual
instruments and objects into compelling aural atmospheres.
The overall sense of vibration achieved on DESCENT comes
from the use of various metallic materials, which are stroked,
shaken or otherwise coaxed to produce a range of rumbling,
shimmering emanations. These forms constantly migrate
throughout the soundfield and occasionally slip out of
conventional tunings to explore the musical no man's land
between intervals. Smith must have acquired this propensity
while observing the vibration of sheet metal as a cello bow is set
to it. The resulting howl takes several minutes to fully sound out
during which its amplitude and character fluctuates in most
interesting ways. But to merely list the source material does not
justify the gravity of the listening experience. DESCENT is an
album of Ambient Music that rings with the density of metal,
tempered by Smith's ever-present ingenuity and artistry.

Tune in to STAR'S END this weekend for music from DESCENT
by Chas Smith

For more on DESCENT, access: http://www.coldbluemusic.com

-

STAR'S END broadcasts every Saturday night/Sunday morning
from 1am-6am (EDT) on:

88.5fm WXPN Philadelphia, PA
88.1fm WXPH Harrisburg, PA
90.5fm Worton/Baltimore, MD
104.9fm Allentown, PA

and live on the web...

-

Chuck van Zyl
Host of STAR'S END Ambient Radio
http://www.starsend.org