My name is Ra Smith. I’m a visual artist and musician based New Zealand.
madFame is an umbrella project that encompasses my creative work in music, visual art, and live performance. Heavily influenced by my childhood in the 1980’s, my work reflects my love of science-fiction/fantasy, comic-books, electronic music, and street-dance.
As a visual artist, I produce illustrated works in traditional media – pencil/ink on paper, paint on canvas/board and also computer-based illustration. I’ve produced commissioned portraits, event posters, logo design, tattoos, apparel art, mural art, and concept art.
As a musician, I write, produce, and perform original music for my live shows and online video content. My music has appeared in documentaries, and tv shows and was used extensively throughout my dance career. I’ve opened for international artists and I continue to write music for my madFame online tutorial content under the name Magic & Steel.
As a dancer, specializing in b-boying, boogaloo/popping, and locking, I have performed in hundreds of shows and taught thousands of students from all over the world. I’ve featured in many music videos, tv appearances, live events, and competitions.
Today, my educational work now focusses on synthesizer keyboard programming techniques, product research, and documentation. I produce online tutorials, product reviews, and demonstrations that service the worldwide electronic music community.