How did you first get involved with synths and electronic sound?

Around 1994 when I was about 12, my older brother started bringing home this thing called ‘house music’. He said I wouldn’t like it! I made a plan (which turned into a ritual) of sneaking into his room when he went out, to work my way through his very concise and alphabetised (!) CD collection. I found not just house music but Detroit techno, Portishead, The Chemical Brothers, Orbital and loads more. I ate it all up. Everyone was using machines to say something different, there was energy in there and I knew it was for me.

I started DJing and making tracks with Cubase but defaulted to playing in bands for quite a while, starting again around 2009 with Logic and a Roland Juno Alpha. The bands I was playing in became more and more electronic in nature and were often unsure how to replicate their heavily produced tracks accurately in a live setting, so I accidently taught myself subtractive synthesis by reverse engineering each song and recreating each sound within with the equipment I had.

How would you describe the sounds you make today?

Where do you find inspiration, what motivates you?

What’s been one of the most rewarding or satisfying moments of your journey so far?

And the most challenging?

Do you have a current ‘go to’ set up at MESS? Any favourite machines or combos that you’re currently digging?

I’ve enjoyed playing with Roland drum machines, especially the 909. I honestly never thought I’d ever see one in person let alone be allowed to play with it. The sounds in the Waldorf Quantum are so rich and cinematic, I go back to it often.

Are there any machines in the MESS collection you’ve had your eye on but haven’t tried yet?

If you could give yourself one piece of advice when you first started what would it be?