* En anglais uniquement
TALsounds is the ambient solo moniker of Chicago-based experimental artist
Natalie Chami, who is also a member of the trio
Good Willsmith, one half of the duo l'éternèbre, and a co-founder of the Screaming Claws collective. Improvised using numerous synths and looping devices, as well as
Chami's own vocals, her solo material is significantly more calm and meditative than her work with the often chaotic
Good Willsmith, but there's still a sense of playfulness and joy to her music. Her discography includes several cassettes on labels like Hausu Mountain, such as 2015's All the Way, and LPs on Ba Da Bing (2017's
Love Sick) and NNA Tapes (2020's
Acquiesce).
Born in Ontario,
Chami first began using the name
TALsounds in 2009, and started performing shows around Chicago in 2011.
Good Willsmith formed in 2012 and immediately began touring, but
Chami still played solo gigs, and opened for artists such as the Japanese group
Mono and
Chris Brokaw. Her debut solo tape, Sky Face, was issued by Notes & Bolts in 2013. This was followed by a split 7" with Iron Galaxy and several other tapes on Hausu Mountain (the label run by both of her
Good Willsmith bandmates), Tabs Out, and Bookend Recordings.
TALsounds shared stages with Dustin Wong,
Marissa Nadler,
Mind Over Mirrors, and numerous Hausu Mountain artists.
In 2016, her Natal Host tape was released in association with the synth manufacturer Moog. The album was recorded using the Moog Mother-32 synth, which is monophonic, unlike the polyphonic ones she typically uses. Later in the year, all three members of
Good Willsmith simultaneously released solo tapes on Hausu Mountain;
TALsounds' was titled
Lifter + Lighter. The following year,
TALsounds made its CD and LP debut with
Love Sick, released by Ba Da Bing Records. NNA Tapes issued
Chami's full-length
Acquiesce in 2020. ~ Paul Simpson