Sensitive Chaos is the solo project of producer Jim Combs.

Pour water on the ground and it will quickly move away from you, either by being soaked into the earth or letting gravity pull it onward until it finds a level place or a pool. No two streams are exactly the same, each drop finds a unique route down the hill.

The music of Sensitive Chaos tries to follow a similar path. A few notes thrown into a sequencer or echo device repeat and tumble down, in and around each other until they pool together or soak again into the silence.

A typical Sensitive Chaos live performance starts from a blank slate; perhaps just a collection of sounds stored in a synthesizer and a mood. As notes are improvised into the machines, they repeat. More notes are added until chords and melodies coalesce. Variation is added to some of the patterns, and other patterns fade in and out.

For many, music is composed, recorded, and then performed. For Sensitive Chaos, music is composed live, from scratch, in front of an audience, and then brought back to the studio to arrange and record. The songs hope to convey the result of one form of spontaneously composed electronic music, music literally in the ether until it falls like rain through our fingers.

The project includes the instrumental talents of musicians Ryan Taylor, Brian Donohoe, Diane Arkenstone, Giles Reaves, Paul Nagle, Josie Quick, Mitchell Sosebee, Brian Good, Tom Carleno, Paul Vnuk, Jr, Tony Gerber, Christian Birk, Monica Arrington, Kevin Spears, Dave Coustan, Bryan Hughes, Talya Sabra, Greg Hurley, Otso Pakarinen, Tim Walters, and John McNicholas.

Albums have also included the work of visual artists Charles Keiger, Demi Pietchell, Andrew Lee, and Eleanor Grosch.

A core component of Sensitive Chaos compositions is live looping improvisation, and most songs heard on the albums have their genesis in live performances or from live recordings. This unique approach to the music has endeared audiences and radio programmers around the world, with airplay across the U.S., Europe, the U.K., and Australia, including many “Best Of” nods over the years.

Sensitive Chaos has performed nearly 100 shows including Kimono My House, multiple City Skies Festivals, Different Skies Festivals, electro-music Festivals, and Nophest Festivals.

Combs is an ASCAP composer/publisher, and also records/performs with Blackfox, and spent many years in The Sunset District, and folk singer/songwriter Kim Ware’s the Good Graces (opened 5 shows for the Indigo Girls in 2015).

• 2021 One World Music Awards 3rd Place: Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
• Fall 2021 Clouzine International Music Awards: Best Instrumental Album
• 2018 One World Music Awards nominee: Best Electronic Album
• Zone Music Reporter Top 100 Airplay for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2018
• 2018 ZMR Music Awards nominee: Best Electronic Album
• 2015 ZMR Music Awards nominee: Best Electronic Album
• 2013 ZMR Music Awards qualifier: Best Electronic Album, Best World Album
• 2012 ZMR Music Awards nominee: Best Holiday Album
• 2012 ZMR Music Awards qualifier: Best Electronic Album
• 2011 ZMR Music Awards qualifier: Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, Best Electronic Album, Best Ambient Album, and Best Cover Art
• WMSE 91.7FM’s Instrumental Saturdays with Mary Bartlein “Top 10 Picks for 2011”
• WXPN 88.5FM’s Star’s End “Significant Release of 2015” and “Significant Release of 2010”
• StillStream.com’s Artist of the Month for April 2010
• The first artist played on the first 2010 show of NPR/Sirius/XM Radio’s Hearts of Space program
• Atlanta Creative Loafing’s Best of 2009 Readers Poll Runner-up for “Best Local Electronic Act”
• KKUP (91.5 FM in Cupertino, CA) “Best Visionary Music of 2009”
• Atlanta Creative Loafing’s Best of 2007 Readers Poll Winner for “Best Local Electronic Act”
• KKUP (91.5 FM in Cupertino, CA) “Best Visionary Music of 2007”
• New Age Reporter’s “Top 12 Best Ambient/Spacemusic/Electronica Recordings of 2006”
• Atlanta Creative Loafing’s Best of 2005 Readers Poll Winner for “Best Local Electronic Act”
• Multi-year ASCAPlus Award winner

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