Chas Smith, who died on May 13th, was a complicated, gorgeous assemblage of contradictions, the sort of bundle that is usually described as “larger than life.” But that phrase misses the nuances that made Chas a sought-after collaborator with artists and composers, and a creator of unnervingly beautiful music produced by idiosyncratic sculptures.

Chas enrolled to CalArts in 1973 to study with composer Mort Subotnick, as well as with Mel Powell and Harold Budd. He had an aura of sexual wildness, resembling Tom of Finland’s idea of a Hells Angel, which seemed at odds with his deep understanding of musical history and the precise hand gestures with which he punctuated his speech. We shared a suite in the dorm during my last year at the school. Sitting in his room on Sunday mornings, we would drink coffee, Chas lounging about in the opulent splendor of his nudity, and he would introduce me to the music he loved, including Debussy, Messiaen and Bach’s cantatas.

Chas learned to weld before he came to CalArts, and in the years after, he not only built but designed complicated camera apparatuses for commercial shoots. His work in Hollywood led to the attention of artists who needed help with building their increasingly ambitious sculptures and installations. He collaborated with Nancy Rubins, Paul McCarthy and Mike Kelley, who valued Chas’ ability to design and execute the seemingly impossible.

In his composing, Chas envisioned sounds that were not possible from existing instruments. In the spirit of his heroes Harry Partch and Harry Bertoia, he created his own musical instruments: a forest of titanium rods hanging from the ceiling, a set of suspended enormous saw blades that rotated, and machined steel plates that spun over pick-ups, all tuned to various scales. I think of Chas in his forest of instruments, playing some with a bow, some with a mallet, his face rapt, his gestures graceful, while astonishing sounds showered about him.

Chas’ instruments are heard on the Dune soundtracks, as Hans Zimmer was a big fan. His music can be found on Amazon and various streaming services. Listen to one of his delicate, ferocious, voluptuous recordings as a way of acknowledging the passing of a magnificent spirit.