Guy Buttery

In the same way that Antoni Gaudí's buildings were guided by nature, Guy Buttery draws his musical inspiration from the outdoors. His eponymously titled sixth album was recorded on a secluded sub-tropical farm in South Africa's beautiful KwaZulu-Natal province. The result is an organic and sophisticated collection of instrumental tracks driven by acoustic guitar and speckled with drums, upright bass, the umhupe(mouth-bow) and the concertina. The listener is taken from South America to Asia and back into Africa, where the album's heart unmistakably belongs.

Most of the tracks are upbeat with playful moments of subtle spontaneity. Groove-driven loops and deep drumming give way to crescendos of acoustic marvel and the occasional wordless sound of Vusi Mahlasela's voice. The melancholic Indian sarangi can be heard on ‘From Srinager’ and ‘To Goulimine’, while the ten-string Puerto Rican cuatro guitar takes centre stage in ‘In the Shade of the Wild Fig’. Guy Buttery has created an innovative album that allows the listener – in Buttery's own words – to ‘dream out loud.’