ICONIC Conversation with Jeff Blenkinsopp of The Analog Lab

video upload by Iconic Instruments

"This is a conversation with synthesizer genius, Jeff Blenkinsopp, from The Analog Lab (www.theanaloglab.com)."

CONTROl with co-founder Daren Ho makes an appearance at the end.

The video above comes in via an article on Jeff Blenkinsopp recently written up on Hell Gate. You can also find in on The Analog Lab's blog on their website here. Jeff is the man behind The Analog Lab which provides various resources for synth repair. The site is well worth a look.

From the intro to the article on Hell Gate, written by Adwait Patil:

Below: "Jeff Blenkinsopp after repairing the Beatles' VOX Continental organ, last used at their 1966 Shea Stadium show (The Analog Lab)"

"Jeff Blenkinsopp toured with Pink Floyd and Vengelis, repaired instruments for the Smiths and the Beastie Boys, but his greatest legacy might be his willingness to share his craft.

As one of New York's most meticulous and beloved vintage gear technicians, Jeff Blenkinsopp's legend precedes him. A North England native, he began repairing synthesizers in the late 1960s, worked his way into London’s disco scene as a live stage technician, and later took his talents on world tours with English rock giants Sweet and Pink Floyd, and Greek composer Vangelis. In 1978, he moved to New York, quickly gaining the trust and fixing synthesizers for bands like the Beastie Boys and the Smiths, and carved out a home for the nerds whose vintage gear obsessions were about to peak at the turn of the millennium with his workshop Expert Audio Repair Services, or EARS. At EARS, he devised hands-on methods to pass on his knowledge to some of the city’s most beloved musicians, all of whom came to learn from the guy who became Pink Floyd's synth technician at the age of 21.

Blenkinsopp’s career first took off in 1974, when he was working in London as an instrument repairman for General Electro Music. There he was introduced to Pink Floyd, who were looking for a technician, and met the criteria to join the band's French tour: he knew how to take care of a Hammond, and he had a passport. Blenkinsopp had never toured with a band, and now was in charge of setting up Richard Wright and Floyd's organs and synthesizers on a nightly basis. From then, he became a constant fixture for British bands who toured with a hefty load of keyboards, and that’s what initially brought him to New York City in 1978, touring with British glam rockers Sweet. A tour that changed his life."