Nigel Sixsmith
Encyclopedia
Nigel Sixsmith is a British musician.
He lived most of his early childhood in Ryhall
before moving with his family to Barnack
where his love for music was spotted by his primary school teacher, Mr. Sharp, who encouraged Nigel to learn and play the piano. At age 11, he went to Arthur Mellows Village College
whereupon he was met by one of the finest music teachers in the area, Malcolm Stowell-Smith, who immediately enrolled him in both the school band and orchestra as well as in the Cambridgeshire
County Band. Nigel also sang in various small operetta
productions, held at the school.
In the 1970s, after leaving school and a short stint in the British Army where he studied at the Royal Military School of Music
in Twickenham
, Nigel travelled the world to further develop his knowledge of electronic music. He performed on synthesizer
and later Keytar
with several bands including Hawkwind
at the Windsor Park Free Festival and other Free Festivals held in England and Europe. (See New age travellers
)
Nigel also co-founded The Art Of Sound
studios in London and helped provide many new and upcoming keyboard players with their first 'hands-on' experiences with synthesizers
In the 1980s he wrote several demos for the BBC Micro
Music 500 System (AMPLE) as well as creating and running the AMPLE User Group. He also became a prolific composer of music for the Amiga
writing soundtracks for several games and demos under different pseudonyms. He performed live with several London bands of the era and released two limited edition solo albums, "Let's Help the World" and "In Verbatim" to rave reviews.
In the mid 1990s Nigel left England and emigrated to the USA. He set up a small electronic music studio in Gilbert, Arizona
where he now writes, performs and records music for the Korg Oasys
under the name The Art Of Sound
He is also a regular contributor to the Karma-Lab & KorgForums
A founding member of The Art Of Sound
, Nigel continues to promote the use of synthesizers in both modern and classical music. Nigel also teaches on the use of Apple computers in both studio and home environments.
He lived most of his early childhood in Ryhall
Ryhall
Ryhall is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located close to the eastern boundary of the county, about 2 miles north of Stamford.-The Village:...
before moving with his family to Barnack
Barnack
Barnack is a village and civil parish in the City of Peterborough unitary authority of Cambridgeshire, England. It is located in the north-west of the district, only four miles south-east from Stamford in Lincolnshire. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 851 people. Barnack's...
where his love for music was spotted by his primary school teacher, Mr. Sharp, who encouraged Nigel to learn and play the piano. At age 11, he went to Arthur Mellows Village College
Arthur Mellows Village College
Arthur Mellows Village College is a secondary school in Peterborough. The school is a foundation school with a specialism in technology.-External links:*...
whereupon he was met by one of the finest music teachers in the area, Malcolm Stowell-Smith, who immediately enrolled him in both the school band and orchestra as well as in the Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
County Band. Nigel also sang in various small operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
productions, held at the school.
In the 1970s, after leaving school and a short stint in the British Army where he studied at the Royal Military School of Music
Royal Military School of Music
The Royal Military School of Music in Twickenham, west London, trains musicians for the British Army's twenty-nine bands. It is part of the Corps of Army Music...
in Twickenham
Twickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
, Nigel travelled the world to further develop his knowledge of electronic music. He performed on synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
and later Keytar
Keytar
A keytar is a relatively lightweight keyboard that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement compared to conventional keyboards, which are placed on stands...
with several bands including Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
at the Windsor Park Free Festival and other Free Festivals held in England and Europe. (See New age travellers
New age travellers
New Age Travellers are groups of people who often espouse New Age or hippie beliefs and travel between music festivals and fairs in order to live in a community with others who hold similar beliefs. Their transport and homes consist of vans, lorries, buses, narrowboats and caravans converted into...
)
Nigel also co-founded The Art Of Sound
The Art Of Sound
The Art of Sound was formed in Peterborough, England in 1973, to promote the use of synthesizers in both modern and classical music. The originating members of The Art of Sound were: Nigel Sixsmith, Thomas Wright, Michael Bale and Shirley Feischer....
studios in London and helped provide many new and upcoming keyboard players with their first 'hands-on' experiences with synthesizers
In the 1980s he wrote several demos for the BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
Music 500 System (AMPLE) as well as creating and running the AMPLE User Group. He also became a prolific composer of music for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
writing soundtracks for several games and demos under different pseudonyms. He performed live with several London bands of the era and released two limited edition solo albums, "Let's Help the World" and "In Verbatim" to rave reviews.
In the mid 1990s Nigel left England and emigrated to the USA. He set up a small electronic music studio in Gilbert, Arizona
Gilbert, Arizona
-Demographics:As of July 1, 2009, Maricopa Association of Governments, Census 2000. United States Census Bureau. there were 217,521 people, 74,147 housing units, and 3.01 persons per household....
where he now writes, performs and records music for the Korg Oasys
Korg OASYS
The Korg OASYS was a workstation synthesizer released in early 2005, 1 year after the successful Korg Triton Extreme. Unlike the Triton series, the OASYS was implemented on a custom Linux operating system and was designed to be arbitrarily expandable via software updates, with its functionality...
under the name The Art Of Sound
The Art Of Sound
The Art of Sound was formed in Peterborough, England in 1973, to promote the use of synthesizers in both modern and classical music. The originating members of The Art of Sound were: Nigel Sixsmith, Thomas Wright, Michael Bale and Shirley Feischer....
He is also a regular contributor to the Karma-Lab & KorgForums
A founding member of The Art Of Sound
The Art Of Sound
The Art of Sound was formed in Peterborough, England in 1973, to promote the use of synthesizers in both modern and classical music. The originating members of The Art of Sound were: Nigel Sixsmith, Thomas Wright, Michael Bale and Shirley Feischer....
, Nigel continues to promote the use of synthesizers in both modern and classical music. Nigel also teaches on the use of Apple computers in both studio and home environments.
Discography
- 1979 Windsor Highs (Free Festival Jam Sessions)
- 1980 Time Will Tell
- 1982 Let's Help the World (With Adam Kilter)
- 1986 In Verbatim
- 1994 Across The Ocean
- 1999 The Sharp End of the Stick
- 2003 Upon Karma Seas (Unreleased)
- 2006 MonoChromatic Dreams
- 2007 An Oasys in the Desert
- 2009 There is Logic to my Madness
- 2010 View From The Top (TBA)