Join David Gerrish as he explores the blazing licks and colossal tone of South African, Stratslinging guitarist and songwriter, Dan Patlansky.
South Africa may not be a place tht one most associates with producing blues guitar virtuosi, but this month’s featured artist provides us with an incredible exception to the rule.
Hailing from Johannesburg, Dan Patlansky has carved a career path in a world that must have seemed out of reach as a young budding musician hooked on the blues. Dan himself describes how his music taste made him a bit of an outlier growing up, as the only teenager for miles with a burning passion for the music that made up his parents record collection. He wasn’t to let this deter him though, and his ambition saw him forming bands in his teenage years, eventually leading him to release his debut album in 2000. Since then he has been working tirelessly, recording albums and touring all over the world.
Dan clearly has done his homework, so is well versed in the language of the blues. He takes influence from artists such as SRV, Hendrix and David Gilmour, so it’s no surprise that he would adopt the Fender Stratocaster as his exclusive axe of choice. He unashamedly professes his love of the Strat’s sound and advocates for the approach of sticking to one guitar in order to have a deeper understanding of every nuance, every unique characteristic, thus allowing him to coax every imaginable sound from the instrument. What is obvious is that tone is an incredibly important part of his music, made evident by his tattoo of the word printed across the fingers of his picking hand. Moreover, any of Dan’s studio recordings or live shows demonstrate a powerful, muscular sound that is perfectly partnered with his fiery, ferocious chops. Rolling back the volume slightly, he creates a sweet, clean chime with an airy, glassy quality, and it is here that we see the softer side of Patlansky. His live shows will often include a segment that sees Dan bring the volume down to almost inaudible levels, forcing the audience to really lean in to hear his notes at pin
