The Undiscovered: Marcel Wittfeld

Los Angles guitarist Marcel Wittfeld possesses an over-the-top arsenal of contemporary electric guitar techniques, yet also has developed compositional chops and the sensitivity required to pull off convincing classical statements. Marcel Wittfeld, his new, independently released instrumental CD release completely demonstrates his top-notch musicianship and passionate, high tech guitar playing. Marcel Wittfeld was produced by Wittfeld, and contains worthy contributions by British guitar prodigy Thomas McRocklin and drummer Jim Keltner. Most noises (locomotives, whales) on the album were produced with Wittfeld's guitar, even though no synthesizers, whammy pedals or harmonizers were used.

Wittfeld was born in 1972 in Aachen, West Germany, and he began classical guitar studies at the age of 11. Later, Wittfeld completed a degree program in classical guitar at the Academy of Music in Cologne as a member of Prof. Tadashi Sasaki's master-class. He then completed his first demo at the age of 18, which led to a record deal and features in guitar magazines in Germany and the U.S.A. In addition, Wittfeld also found time to co-found the first German Institute for Guitar and Bass in Julich, Germany.

While Wittfeld owes an obvious debt to guitarist Steve Vai, one can sense he's only scratched the surface of what he's capable of producing. Elements of both Greg Howe and Ronnie Montrose stylings are also evident in his technique, and coupled with his classical background, make Wittfeld's musical influences broader in scope than many young guitarists. In any event, Vai never recorded anything like the Marcel Wittfeld CD.

Marcel Wittfeld
1567 Waldran Avenue
Eagle Rock, CA 90041
United States