by Angie Martin
photo by Tim Saccenti
Do you know anything more enthralling or sexy than a woman tweaking and turning a soundboard? Watching composer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith tinker with hundreds of cords, colorful knobs and blinking lights to make powerfully structured music is like watching a scientist making a world-renowned discovery. Her approach is simple: Smith incorporates winds, percussion, piano and her own voice into ambient, electronic tracks that are as visceral as they are emotional. At times, her music moves us to the dance floor. At others, it turns us inward to meditate and connect with the beauty of music. Her soundboard intricacies make each track simultaneously delicate and powerful. Of all the things we can learn about this woman’s music, here is one prominent takeaway: She is as plugged in to how music can change the mind, body and soul within seconds as her amp is to the stage.
