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Natalie Chami

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Natalie Chami
Also known asTALsounds
BornWindsor, Ontario, Canada
OriginChicago, Illinois, US
Genres
Years active2009–present
Formerly ofGood Willsmith, L'eterebre
Websitewww.talsounds.com

Natalie Chami (born January 27, 1987), known professionally as TALsounds, is a Lebanese-American musician, vocalist, composer, and educator. She is also a member of experimental band Good Willsmith.

Early life

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Natalie Chami was born in Windsor, Ontario, on January 27, 1987.[1][2] At the age of ten, she relocated to Falls Church, Virginia along with her mother and stepfather.[1][3][4] In 2005, shortly after graduating high school, she moved to Evanston, Illinois to attend Northwestern University.[1][3][4] At age twenty-three, Chami became an American citizen.[5]

Career

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Musical career

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Chami began recording music as TALsounds in 2009.[4][6] In late 2010, she formed ambient project L'eterebre with bassist Brian Griffith. The duo secured a residency at Chicago bar Rodan, and released a self-titled cassette via Plustapes in 2011.[7]

Following a solo performance at Rodan, Chami was invited by Doug Kaplan and Maxwell Allison to join their newly-formed experimental band, Good Willsmith.[4][8][9][10] In 2012, Allison and Kaplan founded Hausu Mountain, an independent record label that would release both the band's music as well as Chami's solo work.[1][11][12] In 2015, she released her debut solo album All The Way through the label.[7] In July 2016, Chami ended a Good Willsmith tour early, later stating that the band had "essentially been on hiatus since then."[1] In 2018 the band released their third LP, Exit Future Heart, a collaboration with Dustin Wong and Takako Minekawa, via record label Umor Rex[13] and in 2021 HausLive 2: Good Willsmith at Sleeping Village, 4/25/2019.[14]

In October 2016, Chami released her second full-length solo album, Lifter + Lighter, via Hausu Mountain.[15] Fact ranked the album the fourth-best Bandcamp release of the year,[16] while Vice named the record the thirteenth-best experimental album of the year.[17] The Quietus editor Tristan Bath listed the album among his top ten cassette releases of 2016, describing it as Chami's "most focused to date."[18]

In May 2020, Chami released her solo album Acquiesce via NNA Tapes.[19] The album received positive reviews, being rated 7.6 out of 10 by Pitchfork,[19] 7 out of 10 by Exclaim!,[20] and 8 out of 10 by PopMatters.[21]

In 2021, Chami was commissioned to create a 20-minute spatialized sound work for the Sonic Pavilion Festival, a series of 30-channel sound installations presented at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion. Her piece was featured as part of an immersive overhead speaker array curated by Experimental Sound Studio and the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.[22]

Chami is also a member of the ambient duo Damiana, alongside musician Whitney Johnson.[23] In July 2021, the duo released their debut album, Vines, via Hausu Mountain.[24]

In November 2023, Chami released Shift via NNA Tapes.[25] The Skinny writer Joe Creely rated the album four out of five stars, describing it as "a beautiful record."[26]

In August 2024, Chami was slated to perform at the ninth annual Wonderment festival in Victoria, British Columbia.[27]

She has also collaborated with Chicago-based electronic composer Brett Naucke.[28]

Teaching

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In 2009, Chami became a founding faculty member and music teacher at the Chicago High School for the Arts.[5][29] Among her students was R&B singer Ravyn Lenae.[1]

Musical style and influences

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Chami has cited Beethoven, Chopin, Duke Ellington, and Björk as influences.[30] Her music has been compared to Björk, The Knife, Laurie Anderson, and Beverly Glenn-Copeland.[10][27]

Discography

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Studio albums

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  • Shift (NNA Tapes, 2023)
  • Acquiesce (NNA Tapes, 2020)
  • Love Sick (Ba Da Bing! Records, 2017)
  • Lifter + Lighter (Hausu Mountain, 2016)
  • All The Way (Hausu Mountain, 2015)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Margasak, Peter (May 30, 2017). "TALsounds steps into the same river twice". Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  2. ^ "About". TALsounds. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Julious, Britt (December 15, 2018). "Natalie Chami has knowledge, but relies on musical instinct". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d Bath, Tristan (June 5, 2017). "TALsounds Creates Fully-Improvised, Ethereal, Emotional Pop Songs". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "TALsounds: The 'Monday Is OK' Mix". Ransom Note. August 24, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  6. ^ Ross, Alex Albert (March 9, 2020). "On the spontaneous "No Rise," TALsounds finds peace in her breath". The Fader. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Galil, Leor (May 22, 2015). "Let TALsounds take you All the Way". Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  8. ^ Joyce, Colin (January 25, 2018). "Mukqs' New Tape Is a Collection of Nocturnal Electro Experiments". Vice. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  9. ^ Weaver, Rick (April 24, 2018). "What Are These Zones? An Interview with Hausu Mountain | Feature Interview". POST-TRASH. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Gotrich, Lars (April 5, 2017). "Sink Into TALsounds' 'Disgrace,' A Bathtub Full Of Synthesizer Ooze". NPR. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  11. ^ Sherburne, Philip (May 11, 2021). "How Chicago Label Hausu Mountain Became a Home for Oddball Experimentalism". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  12. ^ Galil, Leor (October 10, 2020). "Chicago rock pranksters BBsitters Club can party with the best riffers around". Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  13. ^ "Album of the Day: Dustin Wong + Takako Minekawa + Good Willsmith, "Exit Future Heart"". Bandcamp Daily. May 8, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  14. ^ "HausLive 2: Good Willsmith at Sleeping Village, 4/25/2019, by Good Willsmith". Good Willsmith. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  15. ^ "TALsounds – Lifter + Lighter". Hausu Mountain. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  16. ^ Bowe, Miles (December 11, 2016). "The 20 best Bandcamp releases of 2016". Fact. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  17. ^ Joyce, Colin (December 13, 2016). "The 25 Best Experimental Albums of 2016". Vice. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  18. ^ Bath, Tristan (December 12, 2016). "Spool's Out: The Top Tapes Of 2016 With Tristan Bath". The Quietus. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  19. ^ a b Bowe, Miles (May 26, 2020). "TALsounds: Acquiesce". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  20. ^ Hayes, Bryon (May 20, 2020). "TALsounds Finds Focus in Improvisation on Exploratory 'Acquiesce'". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  21. ^ Miller, Bruce (June 10, 2020). "TALsounds Offers Controlled Bliss on 'Acquiesce'". PopMatters. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  22. ^ "Experimental Sound Studio : Sonic Pavilion Festival". Experimental Sound Studio. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  23. ^ Nelson, J. R.; Galil, Leor (July 13, 2021). "TALsounds and Matchess braid their music together on the debut of Damiana". Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  24. ^ Croft, Aidan (August 4, 2021). "Review: Damiana – Vines". SLUG. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  25. ^ Kelly, Chris (November 1, 2023). "Electronic musician TALsounds leans on community as her sound expands". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  26. ^ Creely, Joe (November 3, 2023). "TALsounds - Shift". The Skinny. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  27. ^ a b Ranta, Alan (May 9, 2024). "Five Must-See Acts at Victoria, BC's Wonderment 2024". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  28. ^ Lockie, Audrey (November 8, 2021). "Brett Naucke Finds Reflective Openness in His Mirror Ensemble". SLUG. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  29. ^ Rogers, Tim (August 29, 2021). "TALsounds / Todd F Dillon". New Music Circle. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  30. ^ "Fifteen Questions with Natalie Chami | The Beginner's Mind". Fifteen Questions. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
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