Sun Trance

German touch-guitarist Markus Reuter (Stick Men) releases three albums in October.

Supported by an eleven-piece ensemble cast, Markus Reuter embarks on a most ambitious project. Recorded in front of a live audience in Mannheim, Germany, in 2017, "Sun Trance" could perhaps best be described as a sort of trance-avantgarde-psychedelic sonic hybrid. Of course, doing so might seem to unduly neglect the deep, intricately melodic orchestration inherent within the seamless arrangements punctuating its compelling compositional framework ... or Mannheimer Schlagwerk's hypnotic collective vibe: marked by a floating, dynamically unified delivery. While a diverse assembly, the musicians - led by the direction of vibraphonist and producer, Dennis Kuhn - function with a fine Swiss timepiece-like precision, with the end result exuding a comparable polished presence.

His enticing textural work aside, Markus Reuter's guitar work has never sounded bigger or more commanding. His huge, shrieking overdriven tones carry the music to some shimmering (and pleasantly surprising) heights. The guitar passages expose complexities, nuance and harmonic possibilities that reflect not only the perspective of an imaginative, intuitive improviser, but also the insight and acumen of a profound composer. You can get lost in this music, but, rest assured, it will find you. Essential feeding for the more ravenous, yet refined, of progressive and avant-garde packs.