Glen Darcey

Glen Darcey’s journey in music began as a young saxophonist who attended a summer session at Berklee College of Music in 1980, where he quickly realized his future would not be as a professional performer but as an innovator behind the instruments themselves. Discovering synthesizers sparked a lifelong passion, leading him to learn keyboards and perform in new wave bands while immersing himself in the emerging world of electronic music technology. After famously sneaking into the NAMM Show in 1981—encouraged by a music store salesman who told him it was the place for synth enthusiasts—Darcey committed himself to studying electronics and mastering the craft of designing musical instruments. Beginning with 360 Systems in 1986, which sent him to his first official NAMM Show, he went on to design or oversee the development of 89 shipped products for leading companies including Roland, Akai, Arturia, and Ashun Sound Machines by Medeli. Since 2021, Darcey has served as CEO of Ashun Sound Machines, continuing to shape the evolution of modern synthesizers and music technology.