RAZL: Rotonova - Intergalactic dirty guitar grooves for earthling weirdos

I've really been enjoying the debut album [released in 2008] by Spanish guitarist Razl called "Rotonova."

Razl has a couple of things going for him that set him apart from the crowd. First, he does not use a pick so solos are finger picked and chords often plucked, which gives him a different approach than most players. Second, I really like his guitar sound and pedal choices. He plays mostly with a clean tone and spices it up with rotating Leslie simulations and tremolo to great effect. Even though he reminds me a little of John Scofield and Oz Noy [and some of the tracks echo the jazz-funk of the Brecker Brothers minus the horns], he definitely has his own voice which is refreshing in this day and age of "me-too" players. The bass player and drummer lay down some frantic funky grooves on "Rotonova", which provide the perfect backdrop for Razl to build some very tasteful solos.

A foundation for Razl's sounds and approach is the H&K Rotosphere. I have been wanting a DLS RotoSim for months to get a similar rotating Leslie simulation. And hearing "Rotonova" has really got me thinking about picking one up. Here's a look at Razl's pedalboard:


Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere
Line 6 FM4 (Filter) & DL4 (Delay)
Moogerfooger Ring Modulator
Voodoo Lab Tremolo
Z Vex Distortron
DOD FX17 Wah
Boss TU 2 Tuner
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 plus
Carl Martin Big John Power Supply

The 2008 CD "Rotonova" is highly recommended if you like funky jazz/fusion. The good news is he has just released a new CD called "Microscopic" which has been added to my shopping list without hesitation.

More info at www.razlplanet.com and CDs at www.abstractlogix.com as well as www.cdbaby.com.