Spotlight: Brennan Dylan

by | Jan 12, 2012 | Interviews and Features

LA Guitar Wizard Crashes the Rave

WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN: Fretboard shredding with a beat you can wobble to.

GENRE: Dubstep/Guitar Rock

HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, CA

WEBSITE: www.sonicbids.com/BrennanDylan

“When I’m playing live, I’m not thinking about anything but just having fun. I’m totally gone.”

Brennan Dylan, a guitar virtuoso and DIY artist from Los Angeles, has effectively bridged the gap between rock and electronic music to create a new and inventive sound. Inspired by classic rock such as AC/DC and Van Halen, Dylan weaves complex guitar riffs with synths influenced by Deadmau5 and Skrillex. This month, Performer had the chance to speak with Dylan about his creative process and performing live.

Brennan Dylan – “Shattered” by performermag

Dylan’s interest in music began at an early age when he started playing three times a week at a local club, improvising jazz, rock and blues music. Dylan later attended Berklee where he studied Joe Stump, Paganini and Yngwie Malmsteen. With the work of the great musicians in mind and a heavy neoclassical influence, Dylan began composing his own unique style of music.

The creative process for Dylan usually varies from song to song. “I’ll come up with a guitar riff and then build an electronic track around that or sometimes I’ll be playing a synth part and come up with a melody…whatever comes first,” he says, “I let it just naturally come to me and play it.” According to Dylan, the guitar riff in his standout track “Lock Jaw” was first developed before he added in the dubstep. “It all just worked,” recalls Dylan, “I’ll have the idea in my head already done but then I gotta get it all on the computer and program all the drums and the synths. That takes longer but it’s fun.”

And Dylan does it all himself – from the runs on his Gary Kramer guitar named Animal to the beats he generates – everything is recorded using a MacBook Pro. Dylan’s true passion, however, is in performing. “[Performing live] is a lot of fun. I love it. It’s probably like the best feeling in the world when [audience members] say, ‘You did such a good job, I really liked your music,’ or ‘How’d you do that?’”

Dylan has certainly caught the attention of Big Machine Media in New York with whom he is currently working. This February, fans of Dylan’s music can expect many shows as he tours the U.S. and Europe. But Dylan hasn’t let this all go to his head. “I’m just a guitar player,” he tells Performer. “When I’m playing live, I’m not thinking about anything but just having fun – I’m totally like, gone. I just kind of go and get it done.”

photos by Daniel Siboni