Nick Rhodes on the JD-XA

Few synth players have made a greater impact on British music than Nick Rhodes. As co-founder of new wave legends and national treasures Duran Duran, his classic lines powered early-’80s mega-hits like Rio, Girls On Film and Hungry Like The Wolf, while his trusty Roland Jupiter-4 and Jupiter-8 rode shotgun as the band took on the stadium circuit. Since then, Nick’s visionary approach to sound has helped Duran Duran to move with the times. Their acclaimed 14th studio album Paper Gods featured some of his most ambitious synth parts to date, while the associated world tour saw him recreate them using the crossover analogue/digital sound engines of the Roland JD-XA. Wherever synth technology goes next, expect Nick Rhodes to be on the front line.

Nick Rhodes on the JD-XA
“I’m very excited about it, because it does something that no other synthesizer can do. It has two separate sound engines: one digital and one analogue path. You can use them individually or you can use them combined. I particularly like the effects, which give you great flexibility.”

Artist Sound Collection
Download a collection of new JD-XA sounds programmed by Nick Rhodes free from our Axial website – the official tone library for Roland synthesizers.