by Jason Birchmeier
After releasing his music through a variety of international labels, minimal sound artist Richard Chartier founded the LINE label, along with Taylor Deupree, in 2000. An subdivision of Deuprees 12k label, LINE features Chartiers solo work as well as the work of similar-minded artists such as Immedia, Miki Yui, Bernhard Günter, and Steve Roden. Like these other artists, Chartier explores the fine line between silence and digital composition, crafting nearly inaudible music intended for low-volume or headphone listening. In addition to his work for LINE and other labels, Chartier is a graphic designer and has garnered much acclaim for his music. He exhibited his work in such esteemed institutions as the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York (Whitney Biennial 2002), and his debut release for LINE, Series, received an honorable mention award at Prix Ars Electronica 2001 in Austria. Some of the labels that have released his music include Trente Oiseaux (Germany), Meme (Japan), Fallt (Ireland), Microwave (the Netherlands), and Intransitive Recordings (USA). Moreover, a number of compilations have showcased his music, most notably Mille Plateauxs acclaimed Clicks & Cuts, Vol. 2, which extensively compiled some of the worlds best glitch producers circa 2001. In addition to his solo work, Chartier has also collaborated with Nosei Sakata (*0) and Taylor Deupree and has performed live at many festivals, most notably MUTEK in Montreal.