John Patitucci, Dave Weckl , Omar Lye-Fook MBE, Zucchero, Lucio Dalla, Pino Daniele, , Paul Jackson Jr., Luis Conte, Will Lee, Steve Gadd. Dave Lee (aka Joey Negro), Bernie Kirsh. Osunlade, AtJazz, DJ Spinna, Fred Everything.
When an artist’s resume boasts a pedigree of admiring collaborators such as Claudio, it is obvious that we are talking about one of the most well respected, in demand, creative and eclectic, multi genre talents working in music today.
With over 800,000 YouTube subscribers for his Doctor Mix channel, Claudio has built a unique and engaging online persona and visual identity. He partners with the biggest brands like Yamaha, Roland, Rhodes, and Moog to educate and demonstrate in his inimitable, friendly personal style.
As Sunlightsquare, he’s released seven albums and performed around the entire world, another element to Claudio’s amazing journey which has been achieved via his unwavering creativity, his unstoppable curiosity and a mind that is always forging ahead and creating, not following, new ideas. Let’s hear more about his life, music and approach from the man himself.
“I am Claudio Passavanti – a pianist, music producer and digital entrepreneur – better known as Doctor Mix and as the recording artist and record label Sunlightsquare. I write, perform, produce and teach. I am living proof that in the digital age of online content and social media, artists can achieve their dreams for themselves, without having to ask permission from the traditional gatekeepers of the industry.”
“I’m a Roman, born in that beautiful city in 1972 and began to play keyboards at the age of 3. As I grew older I became fairly obsessed with musical instruments, vinyl records, electronics and photography, anything that made or captured creativity. By nine I was studying classical piano and playing school recitals. While I was still in school I became equally enthralled by computers and started programming alongside my piano studies.”
“As a young boy I was tutored by Miss Silvana Perrino – my wonderful classical piano teacher at the Alessandro Manzoni School in Rome. At 15 I landed my first professional studio gig programming drum machines for my piano teacher Antonella D’Atri, who was also a film composer.”
“By age 16 I was studying jazz piano at the Scuola Popolare di Musica di Testaccio, taking on bedroom-studio production jobs and playing live gigs at night. At 18 I became an in-house producer at the same studio where I’d first started out.”
“At 20 I moved to Los Angeles to study orchestral composing and arranging at The Grove School of Music and it was there where I soaked up American studio traditions and techniques, jazz harmony and the business side of music. I worked with world renowned names – John Patitucci, Dave Weckl and others – and I recorded my debut album After Hours (Ritual) for Sony’s Rossodisera (Italy).”
“Naturally, finding myself in Capitol Records and working with Paul Jackson Jr., Luis Conte, Bernie Kirsh and John Patitucci – that period shaped my musical ear and creative approach.”
“Having achieved a certain level of success at a young age, returning to Italy in 1993, I was offered higher profile gigs. I played keyboards, produced records and conducted orchestras for Italian stars including Zucchero, Lucio Dalla and Pino Daniele. In 1997 I formed the duo Eramo & Passavanti. We went to Festival di Sanremo 1998 and received Michael Nyman’s Award for Best Performance for our song ‘Senza Confini.’”
“I moved to London at 30, inspired by the East End’s creativity. I worked as an in-house producer at Almighty Records until 2004, when I founded Sunlightsquare Records. My salsa version of ‘I Believe In Miracles’ became a cult 12″, selling over 10,000 copies, and that record opened doors for me worldwide.”
Debut Album: After Hours (Ritual)
“The channel has over 800,000+ subscribers, and I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with instrument makers. I love includingYamaha, Roland, Rhodes and Moog. Having these kinds of endorsements is both personally and professionally rewarding.”
“And now in 2025 I am proud to announce I have created and launched Synthesizer Guru – a bespoke, in depth online course to take musicians from first principles to confident, creative sound design.”
Synthesizer Guru
“The course covers: subtractive, FM and wavetable synthesis; envelopes and modulation; filters and LFO routing; MIDI/DAW integration; patch creation; effects chains; sampling workflows; instrument maintenance and tuning; performance techniques; and project-based assignments with downloadable patches.”
“This latest addition to my professional portfolio enables me to continue to do what I love and do best – enable like minded musical creatives to follow the path I set out on as a young music obsessed beginner, and make their own successful path through what is often a challenging and constantly shifting music landscape.”
— Claudio Passavanti
A 43-module video course taking you from the fundamentals of sound to advanced synthesis and performance techniques, Synthesizer Guru will teach you how to navigate any synth with confidence. In it, I’ll cover every major synthesis type, giving you the knowledge and creative skill to design unique synth patches and perform like a pro.
“This latest addition to my professional portfolio enables me to continue to do what I love and do best – enable like minded musical creatives to follow the path I set out as a young, music obsessed beginner, and make their own successful path through what is often a challenging and constantly shifting music landscape”
Selected credits
- Omar Lye-Fook MBE — various recorded and live collaborations plus recreating orchestral parts and mastered his brand new album, Brighter The Days
- Zucchero — keyboards
- Lucio Dalla — keyboards / production
- Pino Daniele — keyboards / production
- John Patitucci, Dave Weckl — sessions and collaborations from my LA period
- Sunlightsquare — selected discography
Albums
- Urban Sessions (2005)
- Mutations for Piano (2006)
- Urban Latin Soul (2008)
- Let’s Groove (2009)
- Havana Central (2010)
- Britannia Shing-A-Ling (2011)
- King Yoruba (2014)
Key singles / EPs & notable releases
- “Pastime Paradise” (2008) — championed by tastemakers incl. Gilles Peterson
- “I Believe In Miracles” (2010) — recorded in Havana with a large live band; later issued as a 10th‑anniversary RED edition (2020)
- “Super People / Papa Was A Rolling Stone” (2015) — double A-side EP
- “Hanging Tough / The Groove” (2019) — Record Store Day release on BBE Music/ALIM Label
- “Oyelo – The Atjazz Remixes” (2019) — four remixes by Atjazz
- “Dance With You (feat. Omar)” (2019) — includes DJ Spinna remixes