About Isla Electronics
Dead Good Musical
Instruments.
We're a small, independent team of musicians and engineers building the instruments we always wanted. No corporate roadmaps. No focus groups. Just passion, obsession, and a deep love for the machines that shaped modern music.
The Origin Story
It started with a broken MXR-185 drum machine picked up at a car boot sale in the north of England. That moment sparked a 25-year obsession with drum machines, samplers, and the analog circuits that gave them their soul.
Brad Holland grew up programming beats on a Commodore Amiga running OctaMED, learning the art of sampling and sequencing in an era when every kilobyte of memory mattered. That discipline — making incredible music within tight constraints — became the design philosophy behind everything Isla builds.
The path from bedroom producer to hardware manufacturer wound through the UK, Spain, and eventually the United States. Along the way, the Rhythm Imposer YouTube channel became a cult favorite, documenting vintage drum machine repairs, deep-dives into obscure gear, and the growing conviction that someone needed to build a modern successor to the classic sampling workstations.
The late Dave Rossum — creator of the E-mu SP-1200's legendary sound engine — was a profound influence. His work proved that limitations breed creativity, and that the "imperfections" of early digital audio weren't flaws at all. They were character. The S2400 carries that philosophy forward.
Isla Electronics was founded to build the instruments that the big companies wouldn't. No planned obsolescence. No subscription models. No artificial limitations. Just dead good musical instruments, built by people who use them every day.
The Team
A small team of passionate individuals.
Brad Holland
Vision & Design
Founder. 25-year drum machine obsession. Emigrated from the UK to the USA via Spain. Started with a broken MXR-185, ended up building the S2400.
Vladimir Pantelic
Audio Engine
The architect behind the S2400's legendary sound engine. Vladimir brings deep expertise in DSP, embedded audio, and the analog signal path that gives Isla products their unmistakable character.
Mickey Delp
UI & Sequencer
The mind behind the sequencer workflow and user interface. Mickey ensures that every interaction feels intuitive, musical, and immediate.
Supul Sapukotana
PCB & CAD
Hardware engineering from circuit board to chassis. Supul designs the physical heart of every Isla product, from PCB layout to mechanical design.
Our Instruments
Every product is a passion project.
Sampling Workstation
S2400
The flagship. A modern sampling drum machine with genuine analog filters, 12-bit and 16-bit sampling, and a sequencer that feels like 1987. Built in a 16-gauge steel chassis that will outlast everything else in your studio.
Polyphonic Synthesizer
Caladan
A deep, expressive polyphonic synthesizer designed for sound exploration. Rich oscillators, complex modulation, and hands-on control for musicians who want to get lost in synthesis.
MIDI Controller
KordBot
An intelligent MIDI controller that makes music theory accessible. Instant chord voicings, progressions, and scale-locked melodies at the push of a button.
What We Believe
Independent Forever
We answer to musicians, not shareholders. Every decision is made by people who play these instruments.
Community Driven
Our users shape our roadmap. Feature requests from the forum have become firmware updates. Bug reports become same-week patches.
Built to Last
Steel chassis. Real knobs. Components you can service. We build instruments meant to be used for decades, not discarded in years.
No Artificial Limits
No subscriptions. No paywalls. No planned obsolescence. You buy the instrument, you own the instrument. Every update is free, forever.