The guitar virtuoso Matteo Mancuso reveals his brand-new single, Solar Wind, featuring the legendary Steve Vai. The song is taken from his new album Route 96, which will be released on 24 April via Music Theories Recordings.
Matteo Mancuso will also be playing the following UK shows:
13 May – Glasgow – Oran Mor
14 May – London – Islington Assembly Hall
Requiring no introduction, Steve Vai stands among the most awe-inspiring guitarists in the world. For more than five decades, he has continually redefined the limits of the instrument. He has also openly praised the young Sicilian guitarist Mancuso, widely regarded as one of the most exciting emerging talents today, as he pushes the guitar to new frontiers of his own. So having the two appear on the same song is a mesmerising spectacle.
Solar Wind is the opening track on the as yet released new album from Mancuso and sees the multiple Grammy winner and instrumental guitar mastermind Vai trade licks with Mancuso. Having him appear on the record was a huge honour, says Mancuso, and his contributions ended up making the opening track the most important song on the album. “Solar Wind is a really special song to me. I believe Steve brought a whole new dimension to the music. I was listening to a lot of his solo records like Passion And Warfare while composing this music. He sent back his parts in just a couple of weeks and what he played was spectacular. It’s not shreddy, I wanted something melodic rather than over the top, but still very Vai-like.”
There are many reasons for the young musician to feel proud of album number two – named after his year of birth, as well as the 96kHz audio sample rate Steve Vai recommended him to record at. Solar Wind is the second song to be released from the album following Isla Feliz featuring the Gypsy Jazz whirlwind Antoine Boyer.
Mancuso burst on the scene in 2023 with his debut album The Journey after his prodigious ability caught the attention of the likes of Tosin Abasi, Al Di Meola, Dweezil Zappa and Steve Vai. The release of his debut with its perfect storm of dazzling fingerstyle technique and beautifully crafted compositions saw him adorn the front covers of multiple Guitar magazines, being hailed as the “world’s hottest virtuoso,” “the young guitarist redefining virtuosity,” and saw his international touring take flight with sold-out shows across Europe and the US.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the debut and Route 96 is the musical confidence on display. The concepts are more orchestrated and developed, with Mancuso showing no shortage of creative wind in the sails. As he goes on to explain, the first album was mainly arranged in a rehearsal room, working out the structure and flow of Mancuso’s music in real-time. This time, the process was much more streamlined.
One of the big differences between Mancuso and the large majority of his peers is his musical open-mindedness. He’s the kind of player who can not only exist but thrive in a variety of different styles
Route 66 features Matteo alongside Riccardo Oliva (bass) and Gianluca Pellerito (drums) and was recorded at Fico D’India Studios in Casteldaccia, Italy and produced by Matteo along with his father Vincenzo Mancuso.
