Self-taught and young, James Blackshaw is a London-based musician who has gained an international audience and huge critical acclaim for his recordings and breathtaking performances as a 12-string acoustic guitarist. Evoking the minimalism of Steve Reich and Terry Riley as much as the likes of John Fahey, Blackshaw’s dexterous guitar work is mesmerizing, using drones, repeating patterns and melody to create intelligent and emotionally charged music. In recent years, his albums have included other instruments, with Blackshaw also performing on piano. He has released fifteen albums on labels such as Important Records and Tompkins Square, while his most recent work – “The Glass Bead Game” – was put out by Young God Records. Rolling Stone wrote of Blackshaw: “One of the best and most original instrumentalists in the new, acoustic renaissance.” Pitchfork said: “A veritable solo symphony that’s as schooled in uncommon beauty as it is in complex 20^th century composition.”

http://www.myspace.com/jamesblackshaw