I probably lust after music gear more than most. Yes, of course I realise that it's not just about the hardware or software you use that makes your music great, and that your creativity, imagination and musical chops are the main factors that open the doors up to successful music making. But as I lack all three of those, I more than make up for it by buying gear, and if I can get the same gear that my heroes use, then all the better.
My particular heroes started out as Kraftwerk, after seeing them at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1981, at the tender age of just 14. That gig changed my life and put me on a path to writing about synths, bands, synth bands, and more synths, which I've been following for the last four decades. And when I met/stalked the band's co-founder, Florian Schneider, at Superbooth a few years ago, I told him just that, during the only conversation I have ever had with a famous musician where I would describe myself as resembling a giddy teenager. (Luckily, security was called and I was led off before I could make too much of a fool of myself.)
