Richard Chartier creates music that exists at the very edge of perception. This is not ambient music designed to be pretty background noise; it is a rigorous, reductionist exploration of sound as a physical presence in a room. It often consists of extremely quiet, high-frequency tones, deep sub-bass hums, and microscopic digital clicks that force the listener to lean in and truly listen to the space between the notes.
What makes Chartier distinctive is his mastery of 'microsound' and the lowercase movement. He treats silence as a primary instrument, using it to frame tiny sonic events with clinical, digital precision. While his work under the Pinkcourtesyphone moniker is more playful and lounge-influenced, his primary output is austere, architectural, and deeply rewarding for those who enjoy the beauty of pure frequency and stillness.
Begin with 'Series' or 'Current' to experience his most essential work. These albums serve as perfect entry points into his world of 'implied sounds,' where the music feels less like a performance and more like a delicate sculpture made of air and electricity.
Richard Chartier (born March 29, 1971) is a sound/installation artist and graphic designer from the United States. He works in reductionist microsound electronic music, a form of extreme minimalism characterised by quiet and sparse sound.
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