Name Martin Smith | ||
Martin A Smith (born 5 May 1962, in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK) is an English record producer, musician and composer who first gained attention working with Stuart Ross and The Cure. Smith's versatile talent has led him to produce pop acts from the 1980s (reportedly to his embarrassment), writing and producing Alison Goldfrapp to working on film scores with Michael Nyman.
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Early years
Smith grew up in idyllic rural Buckinghamshire, son of an antiquarian horologist and a social worker. He has one brother, Brian.
Adult life
Smith studied illustration to degree equivalent at the Amersham College of Art and Design. By this time he had become actively involved in the music scene and dropped out from his studies at Chelsea to pursue a musical career. A lack of progress with his musical calling led Smith to resume his illustration studies with post graduate studies at the Chelsea College of Art and Design.
However, Smith never gave up on his musical calling and spent the 1980s as a jobbing musician producing and composing across the genres of pop, television, film and contemporary dance.
Smith has found greatest creative satisfaction composing music for art exhibitions. These include work at the V&A, Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture and the Cenetrip, Budapest.
He currently performs with Belle Atmos an audio visual experimental music group based in London, England, as keyboardist and programmer, Along with Kailas Elmer (guitar and keys) and Bridge Fazio on vocals. They have performed around London with such act as Detritus, James Banbury of The Auteurs, and various members of Lou Reeds band as well as members of The Fall.