Dave Smith Added to Bob Moog Foundation's 'Captains of Industry'

via The Bob Moog Foundation

"The Bob Moog Foundation is proud to announce that the family of Dave Smith (1950-2022), synthesizer and MIDI pioneer, honors his legacy through the Foundation’s Captains of Industry program.

Smith posthumously joins industry innovators Tom Oberheim, Spectrasonics, Hans Zimmer, Ray Kurzweil, Marcus Ryle, Ernst Nathorst-Böös, iZotope, Christopher Kemper, Chris Halaby, Universal Audio, Gerhard Behles, 8Dio, Larry Thomas, John Worthington, and Daniel Haver, who empower the Foundation’s work with donations of $5,000 annually over three years.

An engineer and the founder of Sequential Circuits, later Sequential, Smith created the first polyphonic synthesizer with a fully programmable memory, the Prophet-5. A long line of innovative instruments followed.

He also spearheaded the development of MIDI, which revolutionized how musicians create music. In 2013, he won a Technical Grammy Award, alongside Ikutaro Kakehashi of Roland, for their contributions to the development of MIDI. Dave Smith often recalled getting his start with the purchase of his very first synth: a Minimoog."

via @sequentialLLC

Happy Birthday MIDI

video upload by LeWelsch Audio Visuals

A tribute video sent in via LeWelsch Audio Visuals.

"For the fortieth Anniversary of MIDI
Happy Birthday to you.
Thanks Dave Smith and Ikutaro Kakehashi.

LeWelsch - Happy Birthday MIDI"

ACE TONE CANARY S-3 One of the few remaining units on the planet

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

This appears to be the same one listed back in September. You can find a small handful of posts mentioning the Canary here. "One of the very few remaining Ace Tone Canary S-3 on the planet. Despite being a 60 years old machine, this unit works like a charm and it's in spectacular cosmetic conditions -- it looks much better than the unit exhibited at the Roland Museum, actually.

History Designed and built by Ikutaro Kakehashi (founder of Ace Tone, Roland and Boss) in 1962 during the Pre-Roland era, the Ace Tone Canary S-3 is an early monophonic synthesizer inspired by the Clavioline, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer invented in 1947, but implementing several technical improvements and revisions that make it a unique instrument. In 1964, Ikutaro Kakehashi decided to take the Canary S-3 along to the NAMM show in Chicago but, despite receiving interest, he did not receive any distribution deals. So the Canary S-3 ended up being distributed in Japan only and quickly became a rare instrument even at that time.

Sound When you listen to this machine, the reason of that unsuccessful mission at NAMM quickly stands out: the sound of the Canary S-3 had nothing to do with 60's music, it was not a simulation of classical instruments. The Canary S-3 sound was quite agressive, warm and extremely rich in armonics, totally in line with nowadays electronic music standards and so far away from the 60's vibes. It's pure electricity generated by military-grade germanium transistor oscillators and filters, a machine that can easily be used as main/only instrument in modern music productions.

Germanium Instead of using a vacuum tube oscillator as the Clavioline, the Canary S-3 implements a solid state circuitry totally based on germanium transistors. Widely implemented in vintage guitar fuzzboxes and amplification and exceptionally in synthesizer circuitry (such as the VCA section of the EMS VCS3/Synthi A), these transistors have a warmth and a granulity as pleasant as the tube sound, without being the same. The sonic grain of germanium is generally a bit rougher than the tube grain, and radically less flat and plain than classic silicon transistors. -- As far as I know the Canary S-3 is the only synthesizer ever built using germanium transistors as sound generators.

Architecture The Canary S-3 can be organized in 3 main sections: Sound Generator - Tone Color - Controls. The Sound Generator features 4 parallel octave dividers that output super fat saw waveforms in 4 different octaves (Bass - Tenor - Alto - Soprano) ranging from F0 to F4. Then the resulting waveform is passed through a germanium filter bank that separates the input signal into 5 components, each one carrying a frequency sub-band of the original signal. The 5 bands (obtained using HP and LP filters) are controlled by 5 combinable switches under the Tone Control section (1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5). The mix of the 4 Sound Generators and the 5 Tone Colors delivers a total of 496 different settings/sounds ranging from fat basses to rich organ and raw lead sounds. In addition to the main sounds the Canary S-3 features also two noise generators controlled by two unusual momentary push buttons designed to perform abstract rhythms in real time. The sounds can be modified using the knobs and the bizarre knee lever designed to perform volume variations in real time. The Control Section includes also two knobs for (pitch) Vibrato Speed and Depth, the global Tuning knob (+/- 2 semitones) and a master Volume knob used also tu on/off the instrument. Lastly there is the Rhythm Volume knob to set the volume of the two noises.

The Ace Tone Canary S-3 is undoubtedly a one-of-a-kind instrument, an amazing piece of retro tecnology, an avant-garde machine born six decades ago that still has something exclusive and unique to say."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Tom Oberheim Joins Bob Moog Foundation's Captains of Industry on His Birthday Today

via The Bob Moog Foundation

On his birthday, we welcome Tom Oberheim to a special group of supporters

Pinch us, we're dreaming! Visionary inventor, innovator, and iconic synth designer Tom Oberheim, founder of three electronics companies including Oberheim Electronics, Inc. and the man behind the new OB-X8 analog synth, has joined our Captains of Industry program.

Backers like Tom don't just celebrate birthdays and create world-class synths, sequencers, and drum machines. They help us grow scientific and technical literacy today, while preserving the electronic instruments of the past.

Our Captains of Industry program lets supporters like Tom and others empower our efforts on a larger scale, with a three-year pledge of $5000 USD or more annually.

Our supporters help us shape a better future.

With Tom Oberheim on our side, we can do even more to increase scientific literacy and grow technological understanding, introducing young people by the tens of thousands to what inspired Tom, Bob, and all our work: the science of sound, and how the engineering principles that inspired both Tom and Bob can be an experiential part of learning to think and act critically.

L-R, a few greats: Dave Smith, Bob Moog, Ikutaro Kakehashi, and Tom Oberheim

There are still more seats at the table for those who want to join the three-year mission that is our Captains of Industry program.

'We are deeply honored to have Tom Oberheim join fellow synthesizer and music technology luminaries Ernst Nathorst-Böös, Marcus Ryle, 8Dio, Gerhard Behles, Chris Halaby, Daniel Haver, iZotope, Christoph Kemper, Ray Kurzweil, Spectrasonics, Larry Thomas, Universal Audio, John Worthington, and Hans Zimmer/Remote Control Productions in supporting the important work of the Bob Moog Foundation through our Captains of Industry campaign. Their support inspires us, bolsters our projects, and sustains our work during an unpredictable time.'
- Michelle Moog-Koussa, Bob Moog Foundation Executive Director
Welcome to the Captains of Industry, Tom. We're glad to have you, and we can't wait to put your support to work. Happy birthday!"

New Patching Sound Exhibit Opens at the Moogseum & Ikutaro Kakehashi's An Age Without Samples

via The Bob Moog Foundation where you'll find additional details.

"We're excited to share that the Moogseum has had a busy winter and early spring! We were closed for construction in January and February, which allowed us to expand our space to accommodate new exhibits. We spent the month of March creating the latest addition to our family of interactive exhibits, Patching Sound: Understanding Modular Synthesis.

Patching Sound provides visitors with a hands-on opportunity to patch, or create, sounds on a synthesizer interface by connecting various modules that control individual parameters of sound. The custom-designed exhibit was created by Los Angeles-based Sounds Amazing.

Patching Sound was made possible by a generous donation from Dave and Karen Rossum, with additional support from North Carolina Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and by donors like you!

A large, fully restored, historic R.A. Moog modular synthesizer, originally created in 1968, serves as the inspirational backdrop for the interactive installation. As part of its storied provenance, this synthesizer was used on the soundtrack of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. You can read more about its history here.

Come experience Patching Sound: Understanding Modular Synthesis at the Moogseum! We are open from 11-5 seven days a week."

"Ikutaro Kakehashi's An Age Without Samples Now Available On Bob Moog Foundation Online Store

We are proud to now be offering An Age Without Samples by synthesizer pioneer Ikutaro Kakehashi in our online store. This 312-page hardcover book was published the same year that its revered author passed away. An Age Without Samples explores such themes as the resurrection of the venture spirit of the '60s and '80s, creativity, and originality. It is replete with examples from his own experiences and storied career and is generously illustrated with scores of rarely seen photos.

Read more about An Age Without Samples and purchase it here.

We send our deep thanks to Ikuo Kakehashi for donating these books to the Bob Moog Foundation so that we could share them with our worldwide community of supporters and generate funding for our innovative work."

This Day In History

via @SequentialLLC

"This day in Sequential history - Feb 9th, 2013: Dave Smith and Ikutaro Kakehashi awarded the technical Grammy for the creation of MIDI: [link]"

Posted here on MATRIXSYNTH with a pic of Dave at the Grammys. Dave's Grammy also gets a mention in these 2015 interviews with Dave Smith, Tom Oberheim, and Roger Linn on their pioneering history in synth design.

Bob Moog Fondation 2022 - 2023 18 Month Calendar

via Signal Sounds, available here

The Bob Moog Fondation is a charitable organisation, based in Anaheim, North Carolina, just a few streets away from the current Moog factory. It acts both as a archive for Bob's work over the years, a museum to show the timeline of his inventions (and more general synth developement) and an educational resource for schools providing hands on experience for children and adults.

Imgaine you had to do all those things? It's pretty certain you'd quickly lose track of what day it is, what week it is or even what month it is (signs of recognition and enthusiastic ndoding from fellow COVID brain fog peepz at the back of the crowd)?

What you would need in that case is.....a calendar! Obviously you can get calendars with amazing inspritation quotes, beautifull sunsets and cute animals but what if you could get an unbelievalbe nerdy synth related calander featuring 18 of the world's most influential synth designers? That would be pretty freakin' cool, no?

"We are proud to announce the release of our epic 2022 Synthesizer Pioneers 18-month calendar, which honors 18 innovators in the field of synthesis from the past 60 years. This is the fifth calendar released by the Foundation focusing on the rich history of Bob Moog’s legacy and the web of innovation in synthesis to which he was connected.

This calendar is the first to bring to the fore the historic achievements of synthesizer pioneers from all over the world. It features:

Harry Olsen and Herbert Belar (RCA)
Harald Bode
Raymond Scott
Bob Moog
Don Buchla
Peter Zinovieff (EMS)
Alan R. Pearlman (ARP)
Ikutaro Kakehashi (Roland)
Fumio Mieda (KORG)
Tom Oberheim
Dave Smith
Roger Linn
Wolfgang Palm (PPG)
Dave Rossum
Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie (Fairlight)
Ray Kurzweil
Felix Visser (Synton)
Makoto Fukuda (Casio)
Many of the pioneers have contributed historic photos of themselves, with their hallmark inventions from their private archives. Also included within the calendar are scores of dates of particular historic importance provided by the pioneers. A brief narrative is included with each photo.

The 18-month calendar also weaves together connections between Bob Moog and many of the featured pioneers. His relationships with them ranged from inspiration to friends to colleagues to business associates. Secondary photos on many of the pages highlight that connection, showing Bob with his fellow pioneers.

The 18-month calendar is printed on #80 stock paper, making the images suitable for framing after the year is over!

This is the first time any of the Moog Foundation's products have been availabe outside of the USA so we're pretty happy to be able to bring it to you, and a portion of the profits are re-invested in the Bob Moog Foundation so it's a win/win situation.

The calander runs from Jan 2022 until May 2023 (and before you ask, we have no idea why it's an 18 month calendar...maybe they're just relaly indecisive and couldn't cut the list of synth pioneers down from 18 to 12?) and is available right now, right here.

Vintage 1970's Ace Tone MultiVox Rhythm Ace FR-8L Analog Drum Machine

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"Manufactured by Ace Electronics in Japan and marketed in the US by Multivox. Founded in 1960 by Ikutaro Kakehashi, Ace Tone can be considered an early incarnation of the Roland Corporation, which was also founded by Kakehashi. The FR-8L was Ace Tone predecessor to the Roland TR-77.

This particular model appears to be the portable version of the FR-8L, having a carrying handle and rugged case vs. the wood grain finish of other versions. The unit is in very good cosmetic condition for its age. Output was tested using a 1/4" headphone jack and all functions appeared to work. As noted in the description condition, there is a slight scratching sound in the potentiometer slider for a couple of the drum effects, but when set, they work fine.

After powering on the unit, the "Start/Stop" touch sensitive metal button on the upper left is pressed to start and stop the rythm."

CLICK FOR MORE »

The Synthesizer, 2ND Edition

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"THE SYNTHESIZER
Second Edition
4 volumes
Roland Corporation, 1979
A Foundation for Electronic Music; 68 pp.
Practical Synthesis for Electronic Music Volume 1; 103 pp.
Practical Synthesis for Electronic Music Volume 2; 108 pp.
Multichannel Recording for Electronic Music; 48 pp.
With introductions by Robin Donald Graham, Synthesizer Project Manager, Roland Corporation, Osaka, Japan.

All four volumes profusely illustrated with figures, patch diagrams and frequency charts (some folding), 4to in card covers housed in printed stiff board slip case. The copyright is 1979, but it appears this second edition (printing?) was issued in 1983.

A fine set.

Roland Corporation (ローランド株式会社 Rōrando Kabushiki Kaisha) is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972. While rival companies Moog and ARP targeted professional musicians and academics, Kakehashi, who had no musical training, wanted to appeal to amateurs and hobbyists, and focused on miniaturization, affordability, and simplicity.

In 1973, Roland introduced the first compact synthesizer produced in Japan and the first synthesizer produced by Roland, the SH-1000, as well as their first non-preset synthesizer, the SH-3.

Stapled case has light wear to edges."

CLICK FOR MORE »

NAMM 2020: Don Lewis on the Korg ARP 2600

Published on Jan 25, 2020 CatSynth TV

"We catch a performance and demo by the legendary Don Lewis on the new ARP 2600 re-release from Korg. He is using is voice + an envelope follower to shape and control the sounds from the instrument.

Don Lewis was an early pioneer of synthesizer music and consulted on the original ARP 2600. He is now a member of the board of the Alan R Pearlman (ARP) foundation.

For more information on the foundation, please visit https://alanrpearlmanfoundation.org/
____________
"Don Lewis performed at The NAMM Show in 1969 as a Hammond artist. He was using an Acetone Rhythm that he had modified which was the catalyst for his lifelong friendship with Ikutaro Kakehashi. Don consulted and helped introduce ARP to NAMM in 1972. At Roland, he consulted and programmed JP-4, TR-808, VP series Vocoders, D-50 and many others. As a consultant and artist for Yamaha, Don was an original programmer for the DX-7 and . In 1977, Don built LEO (Live Electronic Orchestra) integrating ARP, Oberheim, Hammond, Yamaha and Roland products. He is considered by Kakehashi to be his inspiration for MIDI."
https://www.namm.org/nammu/contributo..."

Dave Smith Instruments Rebrands as Sequential

Update: Photo from last night’s announcement party added. It’s the West Coast Synth Brain Trust. Tom Oberheim, Roger Linn, Dave Smith, Dave Rossum, and John Chowning. Quite the group!

"Sequential" (minus "Circuits") is officially back! We saw the brand name come back with the Prophet-6, but the it was still under Dave Smith Instruments. DSI the company is now officially Sequential. It's great to see the Sequential brand name back. You might recall Yamaha owned the rights but gave it back to Dave Smith back in 2015.

The official press release follows:

Dave Smith Instruments Officially Becomes “Sequential”

Dave Smith Returns to Sequential Brand to Mark 40th Anniversary of Prophet-5 Poly Synth

San Francisco, CA—August 31, 2018—In a move auspiciously timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of his legendary Prophet-5 poly synth, Dave Smith today announced that Dave Smith Instruments will rebrand itself as “Sequential” — reclaiming the mantle of Smith’s original, ground-breaking company. Going forward, all products and services will bear the Sequential® brand.

Company founder Dave Smith explained the decision: “It seems incredible, but this month marks the 40th anniversary of the Prophet-5. That’s a huge milestone. And it felt like the right time for us to completely restore the Sequential brand and bring our journey as a company full circle. The name change also reflects the fact that our instruments are the result of a team effort. It’s not just me, it’s the entire company.”

Founded by Smith in 1974 as “Sequential Circuits,” the original incarnation of the company quickly established itself as a major innovator in the then-nascent field of electronic instruments. In 1978, Sequential Circuits’ flagship keyboard, the Prophet-5, took the music world by storm as the world’s first fully-programmable polyphonic synthesizer—and the first musical instrument with an embedded microprocessor.

Numerous other ground-breaking products soon followed, including the hugely popular Pro-One monosynth, the Prophet 600 (the world’s first MIDI-equipped instrument), the Six Trak (the first multi-timbral synthesizer), and the Prophet VS (the first instrument to feature digital vector synthesis). Sequential Circuits ceased operations in 1987 and the company’s name (shortened to “Sequential” in the mid-1980s) and assets were acquired by Yamaha. Smith went on to consult for Yamaha and Korg, developing the Wavestation and other innovations.

In 2002, Smith established Dave Smith Instruments to concentrate on solo hardware designs and released the Evolver hybrid analog/digital synthesizer. The DSI product lineup steadily grew to include the Prophet ’08, Mopho, Tetra, Tempest drum machine, Prophet 12, Pro 2, Prophet-6, OB-6, Prophet Rev2, and the Prophet X.

In 2015, with the encouragement of Roland’s Founder, Ikutaro Kakehashi, Yamaha returned the Sequential name to Smith in a gesture of goodwill. “Once Kakehashi-san and Yamaha enabled us to re-acquire the Sequential name, I knew we’d fully adopt it again when the time was right. That time has arrived,” said Smith. “The best part is that we have the same sense of excitement and enthusiasm for making the world a more creative place as we did 40 years ago. Sequential is back, better than ever.”

About Sequential
Originally launched in 2002 as Dave Smith Instruments, Sequential is helmed by legendary musical instrument designer and Grammy® award winner Dave Smith. Dave’s many accomplishments include the creation of the Prophet-5 — the world’s first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer—and his legacy as the primary driving force behind MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface).

The company’s products are used by an ever-growing roster of well-known musicians and are available from music retailers worldwide. Instruments include the Prophet-6, OB-6, Prophet Rev2, Prophet X, and the Tempest analog drum machine. Sequential is based in San Francisco, where its instruments are also manufactured. For more information, visit www.sequential.com.

1972 Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR-6 Videos by Synthies & Ronan

Published on Feb 19, 2018 Synthies & Ronan

Playlist:
1. making techno with a drum machine from 1972
2. session w/ rhythm ace fr-6 + effects (first hands-on)
3. EDM Jam w/ Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR-6 (Roland TR-55)
4. I am in love with the Rhythm Ace FR-6 (*Roland TR-55) Techno Techno, ja

"*The FR-6 design would later be updated and released by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Roland’s TR Series. (Roland TR-55 Rhythm Arranger)

...and by the way Moby has two of these 😎 check out the seventh second in the link below:"

Moby's Drum Machine & Synth Collection

Happy New Year from MATRIXSYNTH! A Quick Look Back at 2017

Happy New Year everyone!

We have to keep this one short as the festivities are about to begin of course.

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy 2018! Keep strong and remember you are never alone. At least not as long as MATRIXSYNTH is around! :) I hope this site provides an escape for everyone. Remember to take time out to play your gear!

As for gear... In 2017 we saw a total of 764 new products featured on the site along with 119 new makers on the scene. We also saw 29 vintage products never featured on the site before. The following is the break down (you can click on each to bring up the posts in reverse order. Note only 20 posts per page will load so don't worry about overwhelming your browser):

14 New Cases
28 New Controllers
106 New DIY projects
119 New Makers
63 New Mobile Apps
343 New Modules
80 New Soft Synths
40 New Sound Machines
9 New Sound Packs
32 New Synth Effects
106 New Synths
47 New Tools
29 New Old Products

Update: 1/8/2017: I forgot to mention the stand out posts of 2017! You can find them here. There were 62 this year. These are essentially the rare and oddball synths you may not have known existed or you rarely ever see.

No New Years post is complete without a look back at who we lost in the synth community. This year we lost five:

William Onyeabor - Nigerian Electronic Funk Pioneer as well as Nigeria's 1st Moog Dealer
Ikutaro Kakehashi, Founder of Roland
Mika Vainio of Pan Sonic
David Alan Luce - Former President of Moog Music & Creator of the Polymoog
Pierre Henry

I hate ending on a sad note, but we can't forget who we lost.

I wish everyone a great 2018. Make the best of it!

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy days to visit the site. Thank you to all who take the time out to create the videos showcasing the gear we love, and of course the makers who make the gear that inspire us. And finally, thank you to all the supporting members of MATRIXSYNTH, and of course the sponsors you see via the banners on the site!

See you on the other side! :)

A Tribute To The Roland Juno 60 by Luke Neptune

Published on Oct 11, 2017 Luke Neptune

"All sounds from the Roland Juno 60."

The video features some stills of Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi who passed away just this year.

The Making of The Interstellar Suite

Published on Apr 27, 2017 Amin Bhatia Composer

Long time readers of the site will remember Amin Bhatia dedicated his new album The Interstellar Suite to Bob Moog. The above is a video on the making of that album. The description for the video follows:

The Making of The Interstellar Suite
Directed and produced by Byron Kent Wong
Additional Interviews directed by Saul Pincus
This 18-minute featurette of Amin Bhatia's epic album The Interstellar Suite features interviews with noted artists and engineers:
Steve Porcaro, Patrick Moraz
Frank Morrone, James Porteous, David Greene and Mark Vail
Roland’s esteemed president, the late Ikutaro Kakehashi
The Carolina Crowns Drum Corps!
and many others…

This video is a bonus feature from the The Interstellar Suite Anniversary Limited Edition
Remixed by Frank Morrone from the original multi-tracks.
Under exclusive license from Capitol Records, Inc.
Publishing Bhatia Music Inc.
DVD & Blu-ray Dual Pack and Companion Guide Book available only until May 7, 2017 at http://aminbhatia.com/is25mayday/

Drôles de Machines 'Tribute to Roland' Vocoder Svc 350 Msq 700 Tr808 Sbx 1

Published on Apr 10, 2017 AnalogSynthMuseum

"Tribute to the Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi who pass away in april 2017 at 87 years old of creation.

Sequencer : Roland MSQ-700
Drum machine : Roland Tr808
Vocoder : Roland Svc-350

Recorded live no over dub, no blue light , no synth plugins !!!!"

Ikutaro Kakehashi - February 7, 1930 – April 1, 2017 - SynthMania Studio Tribute

Published on Apr 9, 2017 SynthMania

30 Instruments and Innovations of Roland's Ikutaro Kakehashi on emusician.com

emusician.com has a post up here featuring the top 30 instruments and innovations of Ikutaro Kakehashi.

"With the passing of Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi, the synthesizer world lost one of its greatest visionaries.

In celebration of Kakehashi and his lifetime of defining, and redefining, the term 'musical instrument,' we have assembled a list of his most influential products and technologies—items that have had the greatest impact on popular music over the last 50 years— from his early days as the leader of Ace Tone to his legacy as the founder of Roland.

1. Ace Tone Canary S-2 (1962) [pictured] One of Ace Tone’s earliest successes was the Canary S-2 Clavioline. Based on the original Clavioline designed by Constant Martin in 1947, its tube-based architecture was later replaced by transistors in the S-3 model (pictured above). An example of the Clavioline sound can be found in the solo from Del Shannon’s “Runaway” (which for hair-splitters was actually a heavily modified early-model Clavioline unit redubbed the Musitron)."

Click through above for the full list.

IKUTARO KAKEHASHI (The legend maker) - Tribute from A Guy Called Gerald

Published on Apr 3, 2017 A GUY CALLED GERALD

"Tribute to the late great Ikutaro Kakehashi"

A fitting tribute from someone at the birth of the resurrection of early Roland analog. I added this to the main post here.

For anyone not familiar with A Guy Called Gerald, via Wikipedia:

"Gerald Simpson (born 16 February 1967), better known as A Guy Called Gerald, is a British DJ, record producer and musician. He was an early member of 808 State, and later achieved success as a solo artist. He is best known for his early work in the Manchester acid house scene in the late 1980s[1] and the track 'Voodoo Ray'. His style developed during the early 1990s, and his 1995 album Black Secret Technology would become a "much-touted candidate for 'best jungle album ever.'"[2]"

A Tribute to Ikutaro Kakehashi from "R is for Roland" Co-Author Florian Anwander

In case you missed the news on Ikutaro Kakehashi's passing yesterday, see this post.

via Florian Anwander, co-author of R is for Roland:

"I owe him so much, and I learned a lot from him about believing in an idea. Thank you Kakehashi-San!"

Florian tells me Ikutaro Kakehashi signed his book for him just last year in 2016.