Steve Vai – ‘Modern Primitive / Passion And Warfare’ [Review]

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Ask any instrumental guitarist who their key influences are, and you can safely bet that Steve Vai’s name will appear somewhere on that list. A former Joe Satriani student, Frank Zappa stunt guitarist, and alumnus of David Lee Roth’s post-Van Halen solo band as well as Alcatrazz and Whitesnake, Steve Vai’s style merges the virtuosic gymnastics, freaky weirdness, and rock star flamboyance required to survive and thrive during his enviable first-hand musical education. Since the 1980s, Vai has climbed every peak the rock world set before him – a fact that’s earned him the respect of peers and fans alike.

Modern Primitive is a career retrospective, Vai-style. Steve Vai is not known for thinking inside the box or doing anything half-assed, preferring instead to constantly immerse himself in a hands-on approach to every detail of every song, album, and show. The results are consistently one of a kind, and Modern Primitive is no different in that regard Read more…

Posted on 24 June 2016

Levin Minnemann Rudess – ‘From The Law Offices Of Levin Minnemann Rudess’ [Review]

If music were a video game, From The Law Offices Of Levin Minnemann Rudess would be the final boss level. The stage at which you look back at all that came before, shake your head, and laugh at how easy it seems in hindsight.

For prog fans, Tony Levin, Marco Minnemann, and Jordan Rudess likely require little in the way of introductions Read more…

Posted on 21 June 2016

Yossi Sassi – ‘Roots And Roads’ [Review]

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Innovative instrumental guitarists are a rare breed. Most still stick to recycling Satriani licks over stock-issue backing tracks. The standard has been set and met many times, but rarely exceeded.

Yossi Sassi is a notable exception. This guy has mastered many stringed instruments, the electric guitar being just one – and he’s even masterminded the creation of an entirely new instrument, the bouzoukitara – half guitar, half bouzouki. In short, Yossi Sassi is pretty much a one-man orchestra.

Fans of Jimmy Page’s ‘Guitar Army’ approach to composition and arrangement will instantly Read more…

Posted on 23 May 2016

Lu’Ami – ‘Better’ [EP Review]

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The “experimental electronic” label has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it allows you to accurately describe the otherwise uncategorizable; on the other, it’s extremely vague. Experimentalism is what keeps music moving forward, yet there are countless artists out there all pulling in different directions.

Lu’Ami uses a miniature arsenal of digital gizmos to create loop-based sonic structures with a Read more…

Posted on 24 April 2016

Erika – ‘Onna’ [Review]

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In music, women generally aren’t allowed to be kickass. They can be sex objects, sure, positioning themselves as submissive man-pleasers or manipulative man-eaters…but not much else. Any emotions they happen to show are usually interpreted as attempts at avoiding the dumb-bimbo label, or open invitations into the Black Widow’s web.

In reality, those emotions may be real – and the women themselves are obviously not objects but real people, with their own Read more…

Posted on 23 April 2016

Fifi Rong – ‘Forbidden Desire EP’ [Review]

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Fifi Rong is a future superstar. Very few musicians in general possess an instantly recognisable style of their own – but Fifi Rong has overcome one of the most common sticking points in the modern music business. Whether captivating audiences with beautifully eccentric live shows, or birthing wickedly seductive electronic tunes, Fifi Rong’s original creativity is something to marvel at.

Forbidden Desire’s title alone encapsulates Fifi Rong’s core characteristics: Exoticism and tasteful sensuality. We’re not talking about Read more…

Posted on 16 April 2016