G.A.S. Newsletter
Posts
58 - The Synthesist

58 - The Synthesist

Giannis Kampiotis
March 10, 2023

Hello music people 👋

Today in the spotlight, The Synthesist

Coming from the UK, he has been classically trained but it was after seeing Jean Michel Jarre perform that got interested in electronic music 🎶

Read Time: 4 minutes 📰

Studio

Gear List

This issue is brought to you by

Our own G.A.S. Newsletter Instagram Profile

Follow to see in-studio videos from the featured artists 🎛️🎚️

Interview

Who are you and what is your relationship with music?

I'm originally from Turkey but have been living and studying in UK for the last 4 years.

I actually got my main music education as a classical piano player since the age of 5 or 6. Then after seeing Jean Michel Jarre at Istanbul back in 2011 I've decided to give it a go at electronic music.

Music making (in general) and sound design/preset creation is making the most of my income.

Which piece of equipment in your studio is essential to your production process?

The most essential equipment in my studio would be my Prophet Rev2 because I'm using it as a master clock, midi keyboard and as a main poly synth as well.

What is the least expensive piece of gear that gave you the most results?

My most budget friendly studio gear would be the PO32 sampler from teenage engineering because you can create some amazing little beats and chop samples with it.

On the second place, it's my Korg NTS1 because not only it's a small open source synth it does have amazing effects and different oscillator types!

Walk us through your process for creating and producing music.

It really depends from project to project but most of the time I just press record and experiment with different sounds whether if I've decided for a specific tempo or not then I put everything that comes to my mind even though it's relevant to the song I'm working or not.

Then subtract it or move the bits around.

What is a production technique that you always come back to?

I always come back to capture the initial ideas via my voice memos then transfer them to my DAW.

How would you explain your style?

My personal style would be experimental and driving at the same time.

What is a big challenge you have as an artist?

My biggest challenge was the processing power and implementing my hybrid setup to live performances.

Has building a hardware setup changed your perspective on music or life in general?

It made my workflow much faster because I don't have to deal adjusting everything with my mouse. It made it much more hands on and 'organic' sounding.

One tip on how to spark creativity?

There's no rules in music ;)

A book, movie, article, or album that has inspired you?

Rendez-Vous from Jean Michel Jarre.

Anything else you'd like to say?

Me and my best mate from uni have been working on a project called 'Metal Works' and we released the first single of it called Fantasy in 6/8 check it out!

‘Fantasy in 6/8’ is an instrumental fusion of synth/metal, marking the debut single release from Alfie Smith and The Synthesist (Can Kultu) in their collaborative project ‘Metal Works’. A combination of their DNA (heavy guitar licks and strong synth hooks) matched with the track’s modern production techniques frames it as a perfect example of both their musical and instrumental capabilities.