747 is a DJ and producer from Vancouver. Best known for his acidic contributions to Aquaregia, he continues to impress with each and every release. Like his hypnotic DJ sets, his tracks are constantly evolving with a mixture of lush pads, dreamy soundscapes, and the sonically pleasing sound of the 303. Inspired by the sounds of Berlin, Detroit, and the acid legends, his sound is high-fidelity yet old-school, uplifting yet melancholic, a journey with no destination.
His most notable release, the widely acclaimed Aurora Centralis EP, immediately brought 747 to the forefront of the acid techno scene, while the title track captivated floors around the world. He saw a quick rise the following year with his eight-track Paleo series on Aquaregia. The acidic collection was well received and built a loyal following for his particular brand of melancholic acid, leading him to bookings at some of the world’s most renowned clubs including Fabric and Rex.
2019 saw the release of his debut album, ‘The Gate of Life’, a 63 minutes journey through trance, techno, and acid. After a one-year hiatus, 747’s latest offering comes from his ‘While My 303 Gently Weeps’ EP on Aquaregia. The acidic four-tracker stands to be one of his most memorable releases as we look ahead to 2021.
1. Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb
An obvious pick here. The Pulse version is probably my favourite version of it. My dad even bought me a red Squier Strat to match Gilmour’s for my birthday when I was young because I loved this solo so much.
2. Pink Floyd – Time
Another Pink Floyd pick – let’s just get all the Gilmour out of the way first. This one’s a classic, not only for Gilmour’s smooth melodic solo, but also for the way the solo ties in with the theme of Roger Water’s lyrics. The song talks about how time passes us all by so quickly, and by the time you realize it’s passed you, it’s too late to get it back. The solo starts off energetic and youthful with Gilmour’s signature bends, before transitioning into a slower, floaty and melancholic section to represent growing older. My favourite version of the solo is on their live album ‘The Delicate Sound of Thunder’.
3. Peter Frampton – Do You Feel Like We Do
One of the most famous songs to feature a talk box from one of the happiest guitar players ever. ‘Do You Feel Like We Do’ is a feel-good song with an amazing guitar solo and infectious energy. Watching a recorded live version is definitely part of the full experience of this song.
4. The Beatles ft. Eric Clapton – While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Written by George Harrison, this Beatles song features a rare collaboration with a solo from Eric Clapton. There’s a really cool live version of it where George Harrison and Eric Clapton play the final guitar solo together with Ringo and Phil Collins on the drums, and Elton John on the keys.
5. Daft Punk – Digital Love
This counts right? One of my favourite albums of all time. There’s actually quite a bit of guitar throughout the entire album and the story of Interstella 5555 ties that all together.
6. Justice – Planisphère (Final)
Continuing with another electronic song, the final part of Justice’s Planisphère features an electric guitar led section. It’s an extremely epic finale to one of the best pieces of music the two have ever done in my opinion.
7. Led Zeppelin – Stairway To Heaven
Another obvious one. Coming from techno and electronic music it’s kind of unheard of to slowly ramp up BPM over the course of the song. As DJs it’s something you might do over the course of a set, but in the case of Stairway the tempo increases as the song’s energy builds and more instruments get introduced. Jimmy Page’s solo flawlessly bridges the fanfare-like section to the harder finale section. My favourite version is from their performance at MSG from ‘The Song Remains The Same’. Robert Plant’s famous ad lib “Does Anybody Remember Laughter?” is also in that version.
8. Eagles – Hotel California
I grew up listening to a lot of Eagles, and ‘Hotel California’ was always one of my favourites with the dueling guitar solo, or as we call it these days ‘B2B’. The harmonizing triplets are really satisfying to listen to and for me it’s a very nostalgic song. There’s an acoustic version from ‘Hell Freezes Over’ that is definitely worth checking out too.
9. Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing
Mark Knopfler plays the entire song finger picked, which gives a certain level of control, expression, and a unique sound that makes it really difficult to imitate. It easily has one of the best guitar solos as well.
10. Deep Purple – Highway Star
This one’s kind of a Rock Band classic for having one of the hardest guitar solos to clear. But video games aside, this song has a beautifully composed solo that is almost meant to be driven fast to.
747’s ‘While My 303 Gently Weeps’EP is now available via Aquaregia. Stream and buy here.
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