Jacinta

An accomplished keyboardist and technology geek-ette, Jacinta not only captivates with her summery blonde beauty, but composes her own club tracks using a variety of synth and software goodies — a rarity in these days of assembly line pop. An Apple Logic user since 2002, her Power Mac G5-equipped studio rig revolves around Logic’s and IK Multimedia’s softsynths, along with a dash of hardware like the Roland Fantom-X7 workstation and MC-909. “I adore electronic music production and find that it requires infusing your energy and emotion to really come alive,” she explains. “For me, the biggest challenge is getting the artist’s soul to shine through.”

Jacinta’s rig has come quite a long way from its original incarnation. “Having started out a keyboardist, my first live rig was my studio rig and vice versa,” she says. “It consisted of an array of various ’boards in addition to my first sequencer, a Roland MC-500II, the one with that teeny-weeny little screen. A Roland S-550 handled all my audio samples with a whole 28 stereo seconds of sampling time. Yikes!”

“Since then, the rig has undergone several remarkable leaps,” she continues. “I started making the transition to software synths a few years back with Logic’s EXS24, but it took me time to integrate the concept that sound sources can be derived from something other than an external instrument. Nowadays, I really enjoy working entirely within Logic’s creative space. The last track I produced reminded me how much I enjoy recording live audio — and then chopping it up and producing something that sounds quite different to the original sound source. Logic is fast and feisty to work with in this regard.”

With the success of last year’s Top 20 dance single, “Sunshine,” Jacinta is clearly poised to become a club staple. Her new album, Back To Go, is a star-studded affair, featuring production assists from mix masters like Tony Moran, Mike Rizzo, and Anton Bass. Where her previous album, Smokescreen, varied from lush, trancy electronica to delicate piano, Back To Go takes her sound into deeper dance waters. Encompassing everything from dark tribal to bouncy disco-inflected pop, Back To Go showcases Jac’s songwriting talents without overwhelming with studio gimmickry. While the beats slam and the synths shine, she remains true to her inimitable blend of upbeat mystical musings with classic electropop sounds.

“Making music with some of these cutting-edge producers was the ideal experience after having flown solo for quite a while,” enthuses Jacinta. “It feels like having a new skin and I’m so grateful for their input.”

With Back To Go’s first single, “Destination,” currently skittering up the Billboard charts, Jacinta is about to raise the bar for keyboard-wielding divas on both sides of the pond.