Siddienam

I'm Siddie Nam. I've been playing, writing and producing for years and years (don't tell anyone, but I'm a bit old). Been in bands, recording, remixing others, audio mixes... the works really. I love it.

I'm a piano player turned synth player, but if forced to can manage some slightly rubbish guitar and drums too. Give me most instrumenst and I can usually get some sort of music from it (music theory, you see). Not brass though. I don't have the lips...

Reaper. Use Reaper. Beware of expensive imitations! I used to be a Cubase fan, and while that's obviously great, Reaper is much the same but miles cheaper and more customisable. I was sold as soon as I opened it up for the first time. Fave plugins include XLN XO Drums, and from the freeware section you simply can't go wrong with the mighty TAL Noisemaker. I've got all sorts of things that come in handy, though.

I'm heavily into my software producing these days, let's be honest. But I use a Nektar Impact LX25+ as my controller device. When I wanna play with both hands, I keep my two fave nineties synths close by; a Yamaha CS1x and a Korg Trinity Plus for those big bad mad awesome presets. The Trinity has the nicest feeling keyboard, too -- not as cheap and spingy as some synths. If you see one second hand you could do worse than treat yourself. I use a Behringer Xenyx X1222USB mixer as both an audio interface and a handy device to own on the odd occasion I do any gigging. Which is not that often now that I'm an old fart.

Right now, I was just listening to the Pieces of a Man album from 1974 by Gil Scott Heron. I don't really play it myself, but I love his style of hardcore politics and jazz funk. Ask me again tomorrow and it'll be someone else of course...

Impossible to name fave albums; changes day by day. But I always love Amy Winehouse's Back to Black. Ask me again tomorrow...

I'm really keen on house, dance and electronica generally. I got into it all in the eighties, Kraftwerk had already been at it for years, and I was listening to UK bands like Human League and Heaven 17. I could play the piano but I had to get a synth! Since then, well known influences include Massive Attack, Everything But The Girl, Daft Punk and zillions of others.

I am making music that I never know how to assign genre to. Sometimes it's pop, sometimes is kind of dark; I dabble in a bit of Drum and Bass. It's electronica and the music I make is what comes out when I'm sitting there, unless an artist I'm producing is after something specific.

I work in IT for when I actually need real money. Nerdy. Don't tell anyone.