(Les Disques Bongo Joe, Baku)
The blazing sounds of the “Azerbaijani Gitara” sprang from one of the most tumultuous and transformative periods in Azerbaijan’s history, capturing both the spirit and the contradictions of its time.
In the years since, Rəhman Məmmədli has become the emblem of this unique musical style and subculture that developed around the electric guitar. Next to the late Rüstəm Quliyev, whose “Azerbaijani Gitara” (Bongo Joe Records, 2020) introduced the West to the genre, sounding a bit like surf music to the untrained ear, Rəhman is the uncrowned king of this scene, often going live on social media for hours on end, shredding. On May 31, 2024, Geneva’s mighty Bongo Joe imprint released an extensive introduction to Rəhman’s early oeuvre, appropriately titled “Azerbaijani Gitara Vol. 2” which is nothing less than a compendium of brain-melting psychedelic music from the East.
The first European shows of harp-dressed, mild-mannered guitar god of the Caucasus in November 2023, including an appearance at Le Guess Who? Festival went down a storm, and we are over the moon about the possibility of having him back in 2026. Rəhman’s group features his son Tural on keyboards and Elshad Abdulrahimov on percussion.
Rəhman was born in 1961 in the Fuzuli district of Karabakh and grew up surrounded by and immersed in the music of that region. In his childhood, he had already mastered the garmon-accordion before coming across the guitar. After only a few days with a guitar in his hands, he was able to play a whole range of melodies and was soon invited to join the Karabakh Ensemble as their guitarist. Following a short break from music, he began to release his own albums in the 1990s as a solo artist. Being deeply connected to traditional music, both the mugham and ashiq traditions, he has managed to transpose these genres onto the electric guitar through his creation of new and distinct playing techniques. His ability to emulate the voice of classic mugham singers led to him being given the nickname “the man with singing fingers”.