Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith is an American composer, performer and producer, originally from the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

and currently based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Her work prominently employs Buchla

modular synthesizer Modular synthesizers are synthesizers composed of separate modules for different functions. The modules can be connected together by the user to create a patch. The outputs from the modules may include audio signals, analog control voltages, o ...

s. She received acclaim for her albums ''

Ears An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists o ...

'' (2016) and ''

The Kid The Kid or The Kids may refer to: Fictional characters * The kid (''Blood Meridian''), a character in Cormac McCarthy's 1985 novel ''Blood Meridian'' * The Kid (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film series * The Kid (''The Stand'' ...

'' (2017). She has collaborated with

Suzanne Ciani Suzanne Ciani (; born June 4, 1946) is an American musician, sound designer, composer, and record label executive who found early success in the 1970s with her electronic music and sound effects for films and television commercials. Her career ha ...

and

Emile Mosseri Emile Mosseri (born 11 August 1985) is an American composer, pianist, singer and producer based in Los Angeles. He has scored films including '' The Last Black Man in San Francisco'' (2019), ''Minari'' (2020), and '' Kajillionaire'' (2020), and ...

Early life and education

Smith grew up and was home-educated on

Orcas Island Orcas Island () is the largest of the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest, which are in the northwestern corner of San Juan County, Washington. History and naming of the island The name "Orcas" is a shortened form of ''Horcasitas,'' fro ...

, Northwestern

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. She left the island to study composition and sound engineering at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, before returning to the island after her graduation. Smith performed in the

indie folk Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation. The genre has its ...

duo Ever Isles while still at Berklee. Buchla Music Easel

It was after returning home that Smith discovered synthesizers, when a neighbor who shared her interest in

Terry Riley Terrence Mitchell "Terry" Riley (born June 24, 1935) is an American composer and performing musician best known as a pioneer of the minimalist school of composition. Influenced by jazz and Indian classical music, his music became notable for it ...

introduced her to the Buchla 100 Synthesizer. Having originally intended to use her voice as her primary instrument, and then moving to classical guitar and piano, Smith switched to the use of synthesizer after being lent and experimenting with the Buchla 100 for a year, explaining, "I got so distracted and enamored with the process of making sounds with he Buchla'sthat I abandoned the next Ever Isles album." She also frequently uses the

Buchla Music Easel Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments (BEMI) was a manufacturer of synthesizers and unique MIDI controllers. The origins of the company could be found in Buchla & Associates, created in 1963 by synthesizer pioneer Don Buchla of Berkeley, Californ ...

. Smith contributed

sound design Sound design is the art and practice of creating sound tracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including ...

work to the music video for

Panda Bear The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes ...

's "Boys Latin" in 2014. In 2015, she signed to independent record label

Western Vinyl Western Vinyl is an independent record label founded in 1998 and based in Austin, Texas. The imprint was formed by Brian Sampson and Ryan Murphy originally to release their lo-fi indie rock projects as Win Foster and Havergal. Artists *Abram Sh ...

and released her first official album, ''Euclid''. In 2016, she received acclaim for her 2016 album ''

'' and collaborated with synthesizer-based composer

on a RVNG Intl. release entitled ''Sunergy''. Her album, '' The Mosaic of Transformation'', was released in May 2020.

Musical approach

Smith's music makes prominent use of Buchla synthesizers, specifically the Buchla 100 and Musical Easel. She stated that "there’s a lot of room for happy accidents with a Buchla synthesizer because it’s not very predictable. If you turn on a light in the room that you’re working in or if the grounding isn’t properly grounded or if you plug in something else, all of a sudden something will change. That gives me this feeling of working with a life, and that there is a

biofeedback Biofeedback is the process of gaining greater awareness of many physiology, physiological functions of one's own body by using Electronics, electronic or other instruments, and with a goal of being able to Manipulation (psychology), manipulate t ...

, more so than a predictable synthesizer." She has stated that "I try and blend in as many different tones / timbres as possible ��I like to imagine what that sound would feel like if I were to touch it and vice versa."

Discography

Studio albums

*''Cows Will Eat the Weeds'' (2012, self-released) *''Useful Trees'' (2012, self-released) *''

Tides Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can ...

'' (2014,

) *''Euclid'' (2015, Western Vinyl) *''

'' (2016, Western Vinyl) *''Sunergy'' with

(2016, RVNG Intl.) *''

'' (2017, Western Vinyl) *'' The Mosaic of Transformation'' (2020,

Ghostly International Ghostly International is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by Samuel Valenti IV and currently headquartered in Brooklyn, New York City. Chief artists include Matthew Dear, Dabrye (a.k.a. Tadd Mullinix), Com Truise, Tycho, Gol ...

) *''I Could Be Your Dog (Prequel)'' with

(2021, Ghostly International) *''Let's Turn It Into Sound'' (2022, Ghostly International)

Singles

*"Swan" (2012) *"Milk" (2012) *"Anthropoda" *"Riparian" (2016) *"An Intention" (2017) *"To Follow and Lead" (2017) *"I Will Make Room for You (

Four Tet Kieran Hebden (born September 1977), known as Four Tet, is an English electronic musician. He came to prominence as a member of the post-rock band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist with charting UK albums such as '' Rounds'' ( ...

Remix)" (2017) *"Expanding Electricity" (2019) *"Lagoon" (2019) *"Log in Your Fire" with

(2020)

Original scores

* ''Fortraits'' * ''DIY TV'' * ''Cabin Porn'' *

Reggie Watts Reginald Lucien Frank Roger Watts (born March 23, 1972) is an American comedian, actor, beatboxer, and musician. His improvised musical sets are created using only his voice, a keyboard, and a looping machine. Watts refers to himself as a "disinf ...

- ''Brasilia City of the Future'' * ''First People'' * ''Elf Help'' *

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

- ''The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks''

Remixes

References

External links

*
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
on

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
on

MusicBrainz MusicBrainz is a MetaBrainz project that aims to create a collaborative music database that is similar to the freedb project. MusicBrainz was founded in response to the restrictions placed on the Compact Disc Database (CDDB), a database for sof ...

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
on

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Kaitlyn Aurelia 1987 births Living people Ableton Live users American electronic musicians Record producers from Washington (state) 21st-century American composers American women in electronic music American women record producers 21st-century American women musicians 21st-century women composers Western Vinyl artists