Doesn’t Matter (Whettman Chelmets album) – Queen City Sounds and Art

WhettmanChelmets2_sm — Whettman Chelmets, photo courtesy the artist

Whettman Chelmets wrote a layered, textured ambient track “recall (outro) / The Swimming Hole” around some twenty year old four-track tape “experiments.” This act of creative excavation initially gives the impression of traveling through a quantum wormhole into memory bounded by echoing white noise of the energy fields involved in effecting that trip. It’s been said that when creatures are traveling from parallel dimensions that the sound of rushing wind, like a dozen jet engines from far away, can be heard at low volume before shutting off when that “door” between worlds closes. The sound on this composition isn’t so melodramatic and the place it takes you is the languid and peaceful memory from childhood of an oasis where you felt free and your imagination could roam where it will without the demands of everyday life weighing you down. How did Chelmets make these sounds, how did he mix it together? It matters much less than the emotional and experiential quality of the piece. Close your eyes and give the song a listen, perchance to later explore Chelmets’ fascinating work including the excellent Doesn’t Matter album from which the song is drawn further at the links below.