What Dan Patlansky can do with a six string Fender Stratocaster at the age of 30, most critically acclaimed guitarists will never quite achieve in a lifetime.
The word “legend” is loaded with meaning – especially when one thinks of Blues-legends. It conjures up images of seasoned older players that have been touched with a rare gift, and whose talent has been salted through the onslaught of years in the music business..
To achieve legend-status as a Blues-musician at the age of 30 is almost unheard of.
Enter Dan Patlansky – an artist who shares the muse that touched Hendrix, Zeppelin and Stevie Ray Vaughan. What Dan Patlansky can do with a six-string Fender Stratocaster at the age of 30, most critically acclaimed guitarists will never quite achieve in a lifetime.
Dan Patlansky is a conglomerate of charisma, charm and musical genius – and all of this comes wrapped up in an unassuming, startlingly attractive package that bespeaks his Judeo-Spanish heritage. And yet, he doesn’t seem to realise the extent of his extremely tactile appeal – both on stage and in person. Humility suits him well and is as much an extension of his being as his Fender. There are no airs and graces here – just sincerity and an incredible musical talent.
In only a little over a decade on the music scene, Dan Patlansky has become one of the busiest and most respected blues artists to ever come out of South Africa. His music can best be described as vacillating between slick, soulful blues and the renegade psychedelic angst and raw emotion of Hendrix or Zeppelin – fire encased in ice…if you will.
“Dan Patlansky is one of the most renowned and fiery blues artists in the southern hemisphere and one of the greatest I’ve ever seen.”
–David Batiste Sr. (New Orleans)
“Dan has some of the fastest fingers I’ve ever seen”
–Phillip Walker (New York)
His epic talent as a Blues-musician aside, a little-known fact about the man is that he can sing…Dan’s voice has a gut-wrenching quality that compliments the renegade approach to the Blues. Imagine a young Tom Waits and Marianne Faithful (post-Lucy Jordan) producing a musical heir – and you’re close to understanding the emotive quality of Dan’s voice. When he grabs hold of his Fender he becomes a modern-day knight slaying dragons on stage and bemoaning the carnage all at once. He is one of those rare talents capable of whisking an audience into a netherworld of sonic orgasms.
David Batiste Sr. once said that “Dan Patlansky is one of the most renowned and fiery blues artists in the southern hemisphere and one of the greatest I’ve ever seen.” Anyone who hears him play will agree. Meanwhile, Dan Patlansky just carries on playing and blazing musical trails across South Africa and the world, as effortlessly as a summer breeze. One might call him an enigma. Perhaps. But would one call him a legend? For sure.
Visit his official website: www.danpatlansky.com/