Tuesday 10 July 2012

Four Underrated Youtube Musicians

Hello world, this is JE and this is my first ever online music review.

Before we dive into the review allow me to briefly introduce my taste in music: I play the guitar (acoustic and electric), flute and ukulele and am a fan of pretty much anything that is old (mid-nineties and before: Elvis, the Bee Gees, Carpenters etc.), heavy (anything from Aerosmith-heavy to Cannibal Corpse-heavy) or driven by any of the instruments I play (James Galway, Greg Pattillo, John Petrucci etc.).

Here in this review I am going to share five Youtube artists that simply don't get enough credit for their skill, musicality and video production. My benchmark: if 'Baby' is able to garner one hundred million views, so should any half-decent song/artist.

1. Oliver Mochmann


Mochmann is a German multi-instrumentalist (flute, guitar and more) who mainly performs jazz and funk pieces. His nuanced musicality combined with his slick video and audio production makes for worthwhile viewing. Below is a video of his song 'Bietribschluss', a 'chill' smooth-jazz piece with understated yet stylish percussive guitar.




2. Sid Sriram


This American singer of Indian heritage can really hold a tune, as seen and heard in the video below (his rendition of the classic Beatles tune 'Yesterday'). His singing style is a testament to his culture and upbringing (as a child he practiced the Indian Carnatic vocal style), and he plays a mean piano as well. He already has a few originals such as 'Limitless', which are worth checking out as well.




3. Muris Varajic


Truth be told, I have a soft spot for artists who draw from their culture and ethnicity to enhance the aural experiences of their fans and listeners, and Muris Varajic - possibly one of the top twenty electric guitarists alive right now - does so frequently yet tastefully, as seen in the piece 'Final Dance'. Combining Western rock and jazz with ethnic Bosnian music, Varajic has been churning out masterpiece after masterpiece for a while.




4. Christophe Godin


A legitimate guitar virtuoso and a thoroughly entertaining performer, Godin has flown under the mainstream radar for a good two or three decades now - a shame, considering that the stuff he comes up with right on the spot beats 99% of the polished, heavily-produced stuff on today's radio. The video below is testament to both his improvisational skill and his capability as a live act.




Hope you people find the aforementioned artists entertaining and enjoyable to listen to :)

- JE

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