The Undiscovered: Luke Rake

Submitting his ten-song instrumental hard rock CD-R, entitled Time To Breathe, is the U.K. guitarist Luke Rake. A nimble-fingered axemeister in the vein of Joe Satriani and Mike Keneally, Rake pays special attention on several tracks to his intricate arrangements and double- and triple-tracked guitar, ensuring a quality listen - beyond the rhythm 'n improv approach taken by a lot of beginning shredders. Production is basic, but the overall goal of Time To Breathe appears to be split between showcasing Rake's technical chops, which are unquestioned, and his compositional style. You'll hear a wealth of modern playing ideas on Rake's CD-R, including tapping, whammy bar work, minor third harmony (a la Iron Maiden), speed picking, and delay effect popularized by Edward Van Halen. Rake's recording shows a lot of promise, and should be the first in a long line of instrumental projects.

A late starter in most people's eyes, Luke first picked up the guitar at the age of 17. However, he grew up in a house filled with music in every room, having a mother who was of child of the '60s and into a massive range of sounds, from the rock of Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones, and out the other side to the Moody Blues and Donovan. Having been thrilled by seeing a friend at school playing Mr. Scary by George Lynch, Luke decided the guitar was the thing and dived headlong into a passionate affair with the instrument, and completely self-taught himself the dynamics of six-string playing. The following years were taken up with getting a degree at Oxford University, but guitar was also played pretty much solidly from then on. - this is a guitarist who plays as much with his brain as his heart. The melting pot of university was also the time to start live work, and with the development of the Internet, collaborative work with other individuals from the UK and beyond.

Rake now combines a successful career as a senior teacher in the UK and is currently working with two band projects in his free time. His is particularly interested in extreme sports/film projects and will consider session work subject to contract negotiation and time commitments.

Luke Rake
United Kingdom

Web site: www.lukerake.com