I hail from Worcester, Massachusetts and have produced & recorded many records. I started with music as a child mostly banging on pots and pans with wooden spoons & singing in church, occasionally I had access to my great uncle's piano.
I began taking guitar lessons at age twelve and started writing songs. I began playing guitar professionally when I was 13 years old performing with Rock groups at parties and dances. I played guitar in H.S. jazz band studying Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins' music. In High School I began programming drum machines and recording with a Tascam Porta II 4 track cassette recorder. At 17 I attended the Hartt School of Music studying Leo Brower and Bach. I left school to work loading trucks during the day and at night i played in a college band. We entertained at many of the colleges in the North East. I was then invited to tour with The Tribulations(John Brown's Body) and we travelled to West Virginia and back opening a show for Black Uhuru and Yellow Man. After this tour I moved to Boston in 1990.
I attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. I studied Music Synthesis Production with Dr. Richard Boulanger, Tom Rhea, Michael Brigida and guitar with Chairman of the guitar department Larry Baione. This is when I started sampling, looping drum beats, and programming and manipulating synthesizers. I studied synthesizers like the Kurzweil, Oberheim Expander, Yamaha DX-7(F.M. is one of my favorite types of synthesis), Moog, Arp, Novation, Emu SP1200, and Roland. Using a Mac i began seriously composing music. While attending Berklee I was featured in Rolling Stone Magazine issue 666 as a cutting edge musician. At Berklee i played in the Reggae and Soca band Hot Like Fire. At this time i started a band called the Secret w/ legendary reggae keyboardist Stevie D. and DJ Josh Driscoll from Mang Dub. The Secret recorded music and performed in an around Boston( the Rat, Bunratty's, Bill's Bar, Venus de Milo, and the Middle East) for a few years.
I graduated from Berklee in 1995 and moved to Cork, Ireland. The city of my family and their musical heritage. I played Trad music with Hank Wedel and Ray Barron at a pub on a quay in Cork. I also played guitar in The Soulmasters and toured all of The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Upon my return to the States in 1996, I started Lo-Z Records and Publishing(ascap). I have written, produced, and engineered several albums of my music. Playing lead guitar, I recorded an album with the band Huxley. Lo-Z Records is always producing music. My Recordings are produced with Tascam TSR-8 Reel to Real, Apple Computers, Kurzweil, EMU, Novation, & Roland synths. Lexicon Reverb, Roland DC-30 echo, Small Stone Phaser, Mackie mixer, DP & motu hardware. Shure Sm57 mics, Octava Russian mics, Marshall & Fender amps, Fender Bass & Guitar, Martin & Gibson Acoustics, Yamaha Drums, Zildian & Paiste cymbals, Grover Tambourines & Triangles, and a new Lowrey organ.
As Owner and Producer for Lo-Z Records, I have and am continuing to produce and record various projects for local Poets, Rock bands, Hip Hop and Reggae groups; including, Matthew M.K. Hopewell and Aslan King. I've travelled to Bahamas, Canada, France, England, Ireland, Wales, and performed several times over the years on the island of Barbados.
So enjoy the music!
Sincerely,
Torbin Harding
Lo-Z Records
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