Tim Smolens is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, recording engineer and producer that is/was a pivotal member of bands such as Estradasphere, I.S.S. (Ideal Social Situation), High Castle Teleorkestra and Don Salsa. Tim has also recorded and toured with various acts such as Secret Chiefs 3 and Amanda Palmer (of the Dresden Dolls). Tim is known for his elaborate, multi-layered recording productions/compositions and his keen insight into the advanced chord progressions that serve as the foundation for all sophisticated western music. Largely self taught, Tim has obsessively studied the harmonic progressions and unique production style of Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) and successfully employed them as a distinct element in his own sound.

In 2015 Tim moved from Los Angeles to Denver, Colorado with his wife and 2 kids (Prisca and Cruz) and works as an Emergency department nurse at a local trauma center. After a long hiatus (10 years) from recording music, Tim finally released the long-awaited follow up to the 2002 debut, by ISS, "Forget About the Girl." 2018's sophomore release by ISS, entitled "She's a Girl," may be Tim's best work in 50s/60s pop yet.

In 2019 Tim began a collaboration with a fan that he met online, guitarist Chris Bogen. The duo released a painstaking version of Steely Dan's lost masterpiece "The Second Arrangement." They enjoyed their first collaboration so much  that they decided to form a new remote band, High Castle Teleorkestra.

High Castle Teleorkestra (HCT) is a remote music ensemble whose members have played in various ground-breaking bands such as Estradasphere,  Mr. Bungle, Farmer's Market, Umlaut, Probosci, I.S.S., Don Salsa, Secret Chiefs 3 and more. Comprised of middle-aged collaborators scattered about the globe, HCT focuses on superbly-produced, pluridimensional, enigmatic recordings. 

HCT's music is not unlike what might be expected from a group with such a diverse collective musical résumé, yet is somehow fresh, vibrant, and dare we say mature in its eclectic cadence. The musical terrain traversed by this largely instrumental group includes long forgotten European waltz's with untimely bursts of "Vaudeville Grindcore", Italian cinema erotica, Romanian gypsy metal, 50's sci-fi-surf instrumentals, various unorthodox uses of metal (including Stravinsky adaptations), songs in the 47/64 meter, non-standard tuning systems, a variety of special guests, and much more. There are densely layered productions enriched by obsessive attention to detail, starkly unrelated genre superimposition, unclassifiable styles, ultra-refined chord progressions, sonic timbres that Joe Meek would've been proud of, inscrutable metric modulations and more. Despite the wide array of styles, the recordings are surprisingly cohesive. There is an odd mixture of hi-fi and lo-fi components that converge to make aesthetically pleasing recordings that sound as if they were produced on a 1970's 2-inch tape machine. Despite the convenient aid of modern machinery in our productions, HCT cuts no corners, and even runs their final mixes to JH110B ¼ inch analog tape to round out their warm sound. HCT has released to deluxe double singles available on their website and is currently working on their first full length release, tentatively slated for Fall 2021 release.