CATEGORIES

Erica Synths and Sonic Potions LXR-02 £499

Rob Redman braces himself for another resurrected blast from the past

Modal SKULPTsynth SE £169

Modal are back with an update to their SKULPT synth. Bruce Aisher takes a listen to see if it can rustle up a big sound

Reason Studios Reason 12 £399

Now in both DAW and plugin realms, Reason gains a sampler and refreshed Combinator. Si Truss investigates

Intellijel Metropolix £519

What a difference an ‘x’ makes. Rob Redman explores this sequel to the jammers’ favourite Metropolis sequencer

James Hurr Love Together Toolroom, 2021

Low-key industry titan James Hurr has a CV most producers would give up a limb for, including collaborations with the likes of Todd Terry, Mark Knight and Basement Jaxx, and remixes for Beyoncé, Nile Rogers and Kylie amongst others. We caught up with James to find out more about his love of dance music and how he creates his tracks.

DJ Seinfeld

Known for spearheading the lo-fihouse scene, DJ Seinfeld’s new album Mirrors offers an entirely new sonic fidelity. Danny Turner talks to Armand Jakobsson about his reinvention

Sequential Prophet-5 Rev 4 £3,000

With Dave Smith back at Sequential’s helm, a new version of this ’80s icon was nigh-on obligatory, says Andy Jones

LoneLady

Exchanging grey Manchester for a basement studio at London’s Somerset House, Julie Campbell (aka LoneLady) broke out the machines and got started on her third album.

Hardcore

Springing from house and techno, this is a sound to be taken just as seriously. Hardcore: do you know the score?

Ten City Foundation Atlantic, 1989

After dropping his groundbreaking single, Move Your Body in 1986, Marshall Jefferson was “hotter than fish grease”. Sensing the heat, chum and vocal powerhouse, Byron Stingily, picked up the phone and got his hustle on, calling every major label, dangling the hottest name in house music in front of them.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Justin Sandercoe of justinguitar.com lends GT his insight as one of the world’s most successful guitar teachers. This month: Song Work.

“It's really important to spend time away from the studio and do other things” Sebastian Plano

Argentinian-born, Berlin-based musician Sebastian Plano is a man of many talents – an accomplished cellist, classically-trained composer and electronic producer. He puts all these skills to work on his latest album, Save Me Not, a beautiful concoction of delicate piano lines, haunting vocals, luscious strings and electronic atmospherics. We caught up with him to find out more...

INSTRUMENTAL INQUISITION!

Guitar instrumentals have supplied some of music’s most evocative moments. Jason Sidwell asks top guitarists for their take on this iconic movement. This month: Snarky Puppy’s guitarist, plus producer and composer, Mark Lettieri.

SIXTY SECONDS WITH...

A minute’s all it takes to discover what makes a great guitarist tick. Before he jumped into his limo for the Airport, we grabbed a quick chatwith Welsh blues slide guitarist and bandleader, Troy Redfern.

SESSION SHENANIGANS

The studio guitarist’s guide to happiness and personal fulfilment, as related by session ace Mitch Dalton. This month: Hi-Tek with Low-Tech (1981-2021).

THE CROSSROADS Chord Voicings

This month at the Crossroads, John Wheatcroft finds the chordal connections from modern bluesman Kirk Fletcher, to jazz legends Joe Pass and Wes Montgomery, via the great Robben Ford.

50 Studio Hacks ...To Help You Make Better Music

From creative ideas to mixdown advice, we’re here to make your music making life easier – one tip at a time!

TROY REDFERN

A musical awakening courtesy of that famous sequence in Back To The Future led to a lifelong interest in country blues, National Resonators and gnarly, fuzzed-up slide guitar…

Mods Like Us

One way to view these new ProShop guitars is as pre-modded Vintage models. So with our own Mod Squad experience in mind we grilled the team

JOAN ARMATRADING

She’s the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter whose observational songs have struck a chord since ’72. Now, as Joan Armatrading releases her 22nd studio album, Consequences, she tells us about pawn-shop guitars, disapproving parents and why human emotion still drives her songwriting

TEENAGE FANCLUB

AS GLASGOW’S FINEST RETURN WITH THEIR ELEVENTH ALBUM, ENDLESS ARCADE, WE ASK CO-FOUNDING GUITARISTS NORMAN B LAKE AND RAYMOND MC GINLEY ABOUT SONGWRITING, STOLEN GUITARS, CHANNELLING ROBERT FRIPP AND WHY THEIR WORKING RELATIONSHIP IS “LIKE THE CHUCKLE BROTHERS”…

Shaping Sound

Few guitar companies have the kind of technology Yamaha boasts at their disposal when it comes to the acoustic. The redesigned NX series illustrates some complex electronics under the hood of these new nylon-strings

RICKENBACKER PICKUPS

Martin Kelly – author of Rickenbacker Guitars 1931-1999: Out Of The Frying Pan Into The Fireglo – straightens out the subject of Rickenbacker pickups

Epiphone Slash Les Paul ProBuckers

As authentic clones, the pickups in these Epiphone signature guitars offer true Gibson tone

Longtermers

A few months’ gigging, recording and everything that goes with it – welcome to Guitarist ’s longterm test report

60 YEARS OF THE SG

Its sharp horns seemed to belong to the Devil’s orchestra, not the polite jazz scene of the early 60s. As a statement of intent, the SG’s radical styling succeeded – but maybe not as first intended. The design was swiftly disowned by Les Paul, though it was supposed to be his signature instrument. Rejected by its patron, the SG grew up in the shadow of its iconic sibling, the Les Paul Standard, becoming the anti-hero’s tool of choice from Angus and Iommi onwards...

CHRIS BUCK

The Cardinal Black guitar maestro spins tales of a bargain ’62 Strat and how the P-90 is criminally underrated…

MEETING THE MARK

Mark Lettieri is one of the most in-demand players in the world at the moment. Aside from his edgy instrumental jazz work with Snarky Puppy, he’s also a close musical compadre of neo-funk stars Vulfpeck. We catch up with him to find out how, with Paul Reed Smith’s help, he designed a guitar to cover all musical terrains – and how tins of soup played an unexpectedly important role in the process…

JACKSON BROWNE

A laureate of the Laurel Canyon scene of the 70s, Jackson Browne’s love of guitar has fuelled a 50-year career that keeps getting better. As he releases his latest album, Downhill From Everywhere, we catch up with the Californian songsmith to talk old guitars and new directions

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN

He’s the Swedish wizard whose neo-classical flash turned the 80s shred scene on its head. Now, as Yngwie Malmsteen releases new album, Parabellum, he looks back on first Strats, scalloped fretboards, crashed sports cars, and his notorious ‘air rage’ spat