Many years ago ( late 80s ) i bought an UN-loved Roland Jupiter 8 , Its the Synthesizer that was the sound of the 80s but like the frizzed up Hair-Do on Howard Jones’s big head it went out out of fashion dramatically around the same time .

I paid about $1000 (They fetch up to $30000 now if you can find one ) and was told by it’s previous owner that it was too heavy to transport. I used it over the years and had a lot of fun .Decades whizzed by and my teen-aged son Willy discovered it and with my blessings began making music with it . After a while he became involved in other pursuits so retired it to his cupboard where it sat for another 7 years gathering dust ….but wait ….. what’s that sound ?,,,,, Yes . something …. something deep within it’s 14 bit Japanese heart was calling me – throb throb buzz buzz woosh woosh ping ping boing . Like a lead character in the 60s TV series Twilight zone i arose with a dead stare and a non negotiable mission to rescue the JP 8 from the dusty cupboard , bring it home , have it lovingly serviced and let the joy of such a wonderful instrument burst forth again. This brings me to where i am now. I realize that i’m so lucky to own one of these highly sort after iconic keyboards . I have totally fallen in love with it and augmented it’s capabilities with a Kenton DCB midi box which allows me to use it from Protools ,sync the arpeggiator etc. Of coarse these days its so easy to find Synth sounds on your computer and they sound pretty good BUT they really don’t sound as fat as these things . Lets face it , if you are using synth sounds from within a computer that can email your mum – it wont sound as good as the real thing.

I have a new TV comedy commission in development which could be a great fit for the JP8 and all signs point to it being a good fit . We shall see.