Chas Smith

The Profile

Experimental American musician and sound artist noted for pedal-steel exploration and handbuilt instruments. Described in reviews as operating from the Californian desert and associated with the Cold Blue label history mentioned in the reviews.

Builds his own instruments (lathe, welder, milling machine, grinder, carpentry and metalwork) to create unique electronic/ambient sounds; described as a pioneer of unusual sounds with the pedal steel guitar; linked in the review to founding Cold Blue Records in the early 1980s and reemerging around 2000.

One detailed review praises Chas Smith's cosmic, handcrafted instruments and immersive ambient sound. The review frames Smith as a pedal-steel pioneer who builds unique devices in the Californian desert. The music is described as disorienting, expansive and meditative.