Dave Smith Instruments "In The Spotlight with the OB-6" with Body in the Thames

The next in Dave Smith Instruments' "In the Spotlight with the OB-6" is up with Body in the Thames here.

"Born in Manchester, lived 8 years in London, 2 years in Paris and now 13 years in Stockholm, Body in the Thames is quite the journeyman. From composing jingles for Microsoft CD-ROMs, to soundtracking Haute-Couture catwalk shows to playing in stoner rock garage bands with (then) future stars, to being a multi-instrumentalist on tour with well-established international stars, he is an artist who has been around the block enough times that he doesn’t need to namedrop any more.

Now a little older and more of a studiohead, he has spent the last few years in an actual former cold-war nuclear bunker under the Stockholm streets, crafting and releasing electronic explorations that cover a fairly broad range of genres and sub-genres which are mainly instrumental and 'aimed at the dancefloor between your ears.'"

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" with Ephriam Nagler

You'll find the third interview in Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" with Ephriam Nagler here.

"Ephriam Nagler, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, obsessed with audio and photography, can be seen at airports around the world arguing his DSI Pro 2 and Prophet 08 into the main cabin. He performs under his own name as a synth-pop soloist and also performs with his brother, Judah Nagler, in The Velvet Teen. While residing in the Pacific Northwest over the past 7 years, he has been producing records at Robert Lang Studios, Red Room, and Dub Narcotic Studios of K Records. Submitting to his constant itch for travel, he is the touring front of house engineer for The Thermals, The Good Life, Suuns, and is at this very moment on the road with Russian Circles.

We caught up with Ephriam to talk about about how he’s using his Pro 2."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In The Spotlight with the Prophet-6" with Karina DePiano

The next interview in the Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the Prophet-6" series is currently up with Karina DePiano here.

"Karina DePiano is a Los Angeles-based pop keyboardist and musical director. She currently performs with Troye Sivan. She spent the latter half of 2015 touring the U.S. and Asia with Rita Ora. In 2014, Karina toured with Bad Things, a band that boasts double-Olympian Shaun White as one of its guitarists. The band supported Phantogram in the southeastern U.S. and Thirty Seconds To Mars in Romania, Russia, Estonia, and France. In June of 2014, Karina was the musical director for vocalist Tricia Tahara-Stoller for a show at the Catalina Jazz Club that featured Ndugu Chancler, Alphonso Johnson, and Patrice Rushen. Karina has also recently performed with pop act Megan Nicole, the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra, and at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Karina’s playing style has always been heavily influenced by R&B, funk, and pop acts such as Stevie Wonder and Prince. She credits her experience at USC’s Pop Program as the most valuable foundation to her career."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In the Spotlight with the Tempest" with Bear’s Den

The 3rd in the Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the Tempest" series is currently up with BEAR’S DEN here.

"Inspired by, among other things, the paintings of Edward Hopper, the short stories of Raymond Carver, and film director Robert Altman’s Short Cuts, Bear’s Den is both erudite and intensely personal, defying trends and easy labelling. Musically, it also sees a startling progression. Following the amicable departure of guitarist Joey Haynes they are now a six piece touring unit built around a nucleus of Andrew Davie and multi-instrumentalist Kev Jones. While the band’s folk roots are still evident, they now come cloaked in the lush alchemy of ‘70’s and ‘80’s FM rock: Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, and in particular, the nocturnal ambience of Bruce Springsteen’s Darkness On The Edge Of Town, alongside more contemporary artists such as The National, and Sufjan Stevens."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In The Spotlight with the OB-6" with Andy Walker

The first interview in the Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the OB-6" series is currently up with Andy Walker.

"Andy Walker is a producer, writer, and mix engineer based in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to his work with local artists, he is heavily involved in the worship keyboard community as the User Content Manager for Loop Community, a company that produces multitracks for churches. He is also a sound designer for That Worship Sound, a site that produces synth patches. Andy just finished an electronic record under the moniker The Alphabet Zero, collaborating with local singer/songwriter Kellie Besch and electronic artist Makeup and Vanity Set, the album comes out January 13th, and is available to preorder now. Andy used the OB-6 while writing and tracking the album."


You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In The Spotlight with the Prophet-6" with Fred Everything

The next interview in the Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the Prophet-6" series is currently up with Fred Everything here.

"French Canadian Producer/DJ Fred Everything has been a staple in the House Music world for over 2 decades. With over 200 releases to his discography, he’s released on some of the best labels around, including: Defected, 20:20 Vision, Freerange, Drumpoet Community, Om Records, and his own Lazy Days Recordings, which he has been running for over 10 years. Based in Montreal, Fred recently spent 8 years living in San Francisco, and is constantly touring the world as an in-demand DJ. On top of his original work, he was also asked to remix artists such as Curtis Mayfield, Corrine Bailey Rae, Atjazz, Miguel Migs, Dennis Ferrer, and many more.He was recently awarded Best Deep House Artist of 2016 by Traxsource and is currently working on new original material for 2017."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" with JESSE SOLA (NUMINA)

The sixth in Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" series is currently up with JESSE SOLA (NUMINA) here.

"Jesse Sola is an American keyboardist who goes under the project name Numina. He was born in 1971 in a musical family that currently resides in Denver, Colorado. Jesse began recording music in his 20’s while in college. Jesse’s choice of instrumentation was the use of synthesizers and acoustic instruments melded together to create deep, evolving music that ranges from melancholy to mysterious. Currently, Numina has released albums on his own Numinamusic label as well as on Gestalt Records, Hypnos, Dark Duck Records. He’s also been featured several times on the syndicated radio program Music From the Hearts of Space. Similar artists and influences include Steve Roach, Robert Rich, Vidna Obmana, and Stephen Philips."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" with iVardensphere

The second in Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" is with Scott Fox, aka iVardensphere, is up.

"Scott Fox is a unique quantity in the world of modern electronic music. Hailing from Edmonton Canada, his project ‘iVardensphere’ emerged from Fox’s desire to explore both heavy electronics and his love of world percussion, anchored by a love for deep sound design and crushing rhythms. That passion, combined with an ever-evolving and maturing production sensibility, have become the project’s trademarks. Over the course of five full-length albums and innumerable remixes, Fox has become one of the foremost live and studio musicians in North American industrial.

For all of its grandeur, Fox’s sound has proven remarkably fluid. Monolithic analogue synth bangers share space with simmering groove-based instrumental experiments, tribal industrial drum workouts and deep, textured ambiences.

There’s no mistaking the scope and gravity of an iVardensphere track when you hear it.

We sat down to talk with Scott about about how he’s using his Pro 2."

You'll find the full interview on the DSI website here.

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments In the Spotlight With the Prophet 12 and Ivan Blomqvist

The next interview in Dave Smith Instruments In the Spotlight series is up with Ivan Blomqvist here.

"Ivan Blomqvist is a Swedish pianist/keyboardist, songwriter/composer based in Oslo, Norway. Working mainly with jazz and improvised music, he has a bachelor’s degree in improvisation and jazz from the highly respected Jazz department at the University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. He is currently working as a keyboardist and songwriter in the Future Soul band Rohey, as well as running his own Jazz projects: Ivan Blomqvist 3 Feat Hanna Paulsberg and the club sensation, Mozambique!

We chatted with Ivan about how he’s using the Prophet 12."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In the Spotlight with the Prophet 12" with Louis Faro

The seventh in the Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" series is currently up with Louis Faro here.

"Louis Faro is a full-time, professional pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger, and producer. He graduated from the Béla Bartók Jazz Conservatory in Budapest, Hungary in 1976 where he studied with Kornél Kertész and Gustav Csík. He began his professional career at age 17, later moving to Chicago where he played with such greats as Michael Manson (bassist for George Duke), Richard Patterson (bassist for Miles Davis, David Sanborn, Roberta Flack, Boz Scaggs), Chuck Webb (bassist for Stevie Wonder, Joe Sample, Ramsey Lewis), Kirk Whalum, and Martha Wash (C&C Music Factory).

Louis currently performs extensively in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. He continues to broaden his fan base with his energetic and compelling blend of jazz, r&b, funk, latin, and classical styles. His original compositions feature bold melodies and rhythms, a unique breadth of musical language, and a mastery of modern synth media."

You can find links to all episodes of DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In the Spotlight with the Prophet 12" with Josh Molen

The third in the Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" series is currently up with Josh Molen here.

"Josh Molen is a TV and film composer located outside Knoxville, TN. He began composing professionally in 2005. Since then he has had the opportunity to work on many high-profile projects, including composing music for TV shows like: Snapped (Oxygen), Sins and Secrets (I.D.), Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda (I.D.), Modern Marvels (History Channel), Biography (Bio), and How Stuff Works (Discovery) to mention only a few. He also co-composed the score to The Clinton 12 directed by Keith McDaniel and narrated by James Earl Jones.

In 2011 he launched a boutique music library, The Tune Peddler, that has licensed music internationally for film, TV, video games, and online media. One client of note that features Josh’s music is the Fine Brothers’ REACT Channel with videos amassing well over 40 million collective hits on YouTube."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In the Spotlight with the Tempest" with Sofia Hultquist

The 1st in the Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the Tempest" series is currently up with Sofia Hultquist here.

"Drum & Lace, aka Sofia Hultquist, is an Italian composer focusing on fashion and film. Her composition work ranges from writing music for video look-books and creating soundscapes for fashion presentations, to composing scores for feature-length films. She most recently co-scored the fashion documentary, “The First Monday in May,” (directed by Andrew Rossi) which opened the Tribeca Film Festival 2016 in NYC. She’s currently based in Los Angeles, where she shares a home studio with her husband Ian (also a composer) and her two dogs, Fiamma and Lupo."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments In the Spotlight with HAN LUIS CERA (MUTANT-THOUGHTS) and the Tempest

The latest Dave Smith Instruments "In the Spotlight" series features HAN LUIS CERA (MUTANT-THOUGHTS) and the Tempest.

"Mutant-Thoughts is an experimental alternative synth-rock band formed by Han Luis Cera (vocals and synths), Joshua Lennox-Hilton (bass and backing vocals) and Tom Pearmain (drums), with an electronic, eclectic, eerie vibe, and strong rhythms, as well as beautiful melodies. On a constant search for new sounds, grooves, harmonies and textures, Mutant-Thoughts have worked really hard on building original and interesting sound. Using the Poly Evolver and Tempest, together with bass and drums, this band is able to transform our surroundings into a completely new reality which is perceived with detail in the music. They released their first album with electronic versions of what they do live, and now they are releasing their first studio EP on the 7th of September in the UK and will be released on BandCamp."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments In the Spotlight with Alexander Bornstein and the OB-6

The next interview in Dave Smith Instruments' "In the Spotlight with the OB-6" is up with Alexander Bornstein here.

"Alexander Bornstein is an award-winning composer currently based in Los Angeles. His music has been heard on television, independent films, feature films, web series, documentaries in the festival circuit, and concert halls around the U.S. His work has brought him through major music studios including Remote Control Productions and Sonic Fuel Studios.

Alexander is a graduate of New York University’s music composition program. Before this, he studied music and film-making the University of Central Florida in Orlando. For more information about Alexander please visit the contact page."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In The Spotlight with the Prophet-6" with ROOM8

The 1st in the Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the Prophet-6" series is currently up with ROOM8 here.

"ROOM8 is the electronic pop artist/production duo of Ezra Reich and Nic Johns. They are based out of LA and also now work quite a bit in Stockholm. ROOM8 debuted in 2014 with two collaborations with Drive Soundtrack heroes, Electric Youth, the first being their debut single “Visions of You” on WIN Music and also the song “Without You” on EY’s debut album for Secretly Canadian, “Innerworld.” Since then, they have released features with Little Boots, King Deco, Polina and have remixed Kimbra and Elliphant, the latter topping Hype Machine. Their next single “All About Us” features Swedish singer Erik Hassle and will be out January 27th, 2017."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In the Spotlight with the Prophet 12" with Dan Haigh

The eigth in the Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" series is currently up with Dan Haigh here.

"Dan Haigh is an English musician, film director, video game designer, writer and visual effects artist. He is best known as co-founder of synth wave band, GUNSHIP, and as the bass player in the English alternative rock band Fightstar."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" with Chris Stack

The eighth in Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" series is currently up with Chris Stack here.

"Player of synths, computers, guitars, ouds, flutes, and percussion. Principal editor, writer, videographer, musician, and researcher at experimentalsynth.com — that’s how Chris Stack describes himself. His musical endeavors range from 'Xenography,' a new album of synth, Moog Guitar, piano, shakuhachi, and processed voice works, to solo performances on piano and oud. Chris’ past music/tech experiences include marketing manager Moog Music and Vo Inventions; stints as engineering manager, marketing manager and manufacturing manager at dB-tronics; printed circuit designer at Computer Dynamics; and freelance printed circuit designer for Bob Moog at Big Briar."

You can find links to all of the "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" interviews here. Scroll down for each.

Dave Smith Instruments "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" with Aaron Jaffe

The ninth in Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" series is currently up with Aaron Jaffe here.

"Aaron Jaffe is an award-winning composer/producer based in New York City. A graduate of Indiana University and the Berklee College of Music, Jaffe moved to New York City to begin his career at Platinum Island Recording Studio. From there he went on to become a senior composer at tomandandy music where he placed his original tracks on more than 100 commercials and scored the UPN Television dramady “The Beat,” starring Mark Ruffalo.

In January 2008, Jaffe launched Novacaine Music and Sound Design and continued to focus on the commercial arts. With a client base that includes McCann NY, Viacom/Nickelodeon, BBDO, Grey Worldwide, R+R Partners, and Avrett Free Ginsberg, Jaffe has successfully placed tracks on national campaigns for L’Oreal, Maybelline, Las Vegas, and Toyota among many others. His creativity has earned him the prestigious Bronze Lion at the 2010 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity as well as multiple Addy and Marcom Awards."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In The Spotlight with the Pro 2" with James Terris

The fourth in Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the PRO 2" series is currently up with James Terris here.

"Growing up in a small Northern California town where most bands played Reggae, Country, or College Rock was challenging for synth player and electronic musician James Terris. His very first synth was a Sequential Circuits Six-Trak sequenced from a Commodore 64, which he used to hone his skills as a composer, synthesist, and sound designer. In 1994 an unexpected turn of events led him to join and help develop the successful tribute act, Super Diamond. While not exactly a foreseen career, it proved to be an enjoyable and lucrative project that tours nationally to this day. James has kept his love of electronic music alive through musical side projects, working as a sound designer, and by occasionally supporting classic 80’s artists such as Howard Jones, Curt Smith (Tears For Fears), Dave Wakeling, Naked Eyes, and more. He has contributed sounds for many of DSI’s products, including the Pro 2."

You can find previous posts featuring DSI's Spotlight series here.

Dave Smith Instruments "In The Spotlight with the Tempest" with Kite Base

The next in the Dave Smith Instruments' "In The Spotlight with the Tempest" series is currently up with Kite Base here.

"Kite Base is an electronic duo consisting of bass guitarists Ayse Hassan (Savages) and Kendra Frost. After releasing tracks ‘Dadum’ and ‘Miracle Waves’ online, plus a cover of ‘Something I Can Never Have’ by Nine Inch Nails, the band have generated tens of thousands of listens and gained further support from the likes of KEXP, BBC Radio 6Music, The Guardian, Pitchfork and Stereogum. This October, in support of their local music community, they revealed details of their debut physical release ‘Soothe’, available as a limited edition 7″ vinyl via Flashback Records- a London based independent record store and label. They have a Tempest called Alan, named after Mr. Turing and he is their surrogate third band mate."

You can find links to all episodes of DSI's Spotlight series here.