DavidSvensson ~ The Name in Shaman ~ No Shame here

Inspired by Amarok! Global Presence! Riffs of the 70s!

This recording is the result of my most ’guitar-intensive’ period ever. It came as a reaction to what came before it, a period where I focused very much on the classical guitar but a moment came when I was fed up with polishing small details in my repetoar. One day, I felt an incredible hunger for riffs, for steel string guitars, and for going back to (progressive) rock music! I always loved the rock of the 70s, considering it as ’Mount Everest of the music history’ (classical music excluded here). An era where everyone was incredibly ambitious, when everything had to be handplayed, and when the broader audience had some considerable attention span ;)

I started to explore some riffs on my CORT steel string guitar, which had been collecting dust in a corner for a long time. It soon gave me the opening riffs and some additional riffs (e.g., around 5 minutes into the track). I quickly worked up the bulk of the track and got maybe half of the track done in just a few weeks (not counting later polishing, when I re-recorded some bits to get the sound I wanted). I got a vision of the completed track, a long progressive one - yes, for sure inspired by Oldfield and YES (favorites from this era!), but it was easier said than done to complete the track. Considerable work remained, as I was about to learn….

It was incredibly hard to finalize the composition and I almost gave up on it. I arrived at a moment where I seemed to have promised too much and where the Ear demanded some serious further action; many permutations tested, but nothing seemed to work. In the end, due to all this, I lost some control of the files (e.g., a key solo guitar is badly panned but I seem to be unable to find the raw data needed to fix it).

Extremely much work went into the last months, on a mission to crack it! Late nights, tinnitus, frustration! :) Finally I think I found what I needed (but who am I to know).. I had to accept some slightly less than perfect audio at some places: does it matter? Not to me, but the listener is the jury. I decided to go for attitude and energy rather than anything else… I hope you will enjoy what I discovered!

I doubt that cold-blooded perfect ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ever will replicate what a desperate Dave J. Svensson sounds like, late at nights with all controls turned to 11 on a scale from 0 to 10 …. ;)

The SHAMBOLIC GUITARS were:
- two 6s steel: CORT (rythms!) and OVATION (main recurrent theme!)
- a 12s FENDER (colour!)
- three electric guitars: IBANEZ (now sold), PRS & SCHECTER (dirt!)
- two classical guitars: CORT, KREMONA (clarity!)
Plus, a ROLAND keyboard (for some pads), and various hardware effect boxes.

Artcover by DS, featuring the guitars listed above.

//Dave, 6th October 2023

SHAMBOLIC GUITARS

This track began taking shape back in February 2025, during a period of experimenting with different guitars and hardware pedals—especially lots of echo effects. From the outset, I decided to abandon any formal plan or structure. My approach was simple: plug in a guitar, play whatever came to mind, and keep whatever felt promising. I just wanted to create something organic, hand-played, with some kind of consistent flow... 

Over time, ideas started to accumulate, and it felt generally fun to just keep recording. 

I’ll admit, part of the inspiration came from a beautiful trip to a magical northern spot, home to a stunning waterfall (see my art cover). Whether that feeling made it into the music—well, I’m honestly not sure.

The final result is this 7-minute progressive guitar journey, featuring two electric guitars, two steel-strings, and one classical guitar. 

Feel free to take a listen and let me know what it brings to mind!

WATERFALL SESSIONS

THE WATERFALL :: DS 2025

DEDICATED TO A FRIEND

Composer of multi-instrumental music, with a preference for longer, progressive and complexly arranged pieces.   

Have played guitar for many years, but I am probably a slightly odd type of guitarist. Not particularily interested in the guitar genre, not too keen on listening to long solos, etc. I don't enjoy playing for people - a party-killer, in short. However, leave me alone with this wonderful tool (or the keyboard, which I play too), and I will start experimenting with it, searching for something to develop. 

Strongly interested in classical music and anything remotely related to that. I want to construct music with a similar structure and complexity, although with other instruments, and in my own way...  
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During 2010-2013, I worked on a suite of related pieces, GUITARS PLAYED BY DS, with every sound played on the electric guitar. A major undertaking, and (all-in-all) 45+ minutes long, all complexly related and released in five segments.

During 2014-2015, the main focus was on the full-format 'LONG INSTRUMENTAL', a progressive work with lots of different instruments and sounds, restless and complex. Some sections stand on their own feet: MYSTERY, and FANFARE. 

The 2014-2015 recordings also resulted in two shorter pieces: CAMBRIAN EXPLOSION and CLUSTER OF WARNINGS.

During 2015 I initiated a suite played on classical guitars - GUITAR STRUCTURES. It is a series of slowly changing ideas, a weave of melodies and harmony, the first section out in April 2015 (the 2nd came 2 years later).  

I played guitars on Tolubai's wonderful ambient piece 'MEMORIES' (August 2015).

EARTHSHINE came out in January 2016; a darker and slightly dissonant progressive piece, and one of my personal favorites. So is SILENCE, out 1st July 2016. September 2016: IGNITION  with TOLUBAI and LET THERE BE LIGHT 22th Sept 2016 with PuppyWolf. 

20/11-2016: The OORT CLOUD PROJECT I-IX. An 18+ minutes long progressive synth-based instrumental, with lots of short guitar phrases integrated. Also, the spin-off PASSAGE was released. 

GROTESQUE released too in the end of 2016. The 19th January 2017, I released the sketch OMMA CONTRAPUNCTUS PROJECT. The 4th February 2017, the track '3 WORLDS COLLIDE' was released.

'Guitar Structure No. 2' out in March 2017, took 2 years to complete.

BEST OF 2 WORLDS was released in November 2017, another personal favorite composition.

APPROACHING: an unfinished sketch released 1st April 2018. TAURUS IV released 8th April 2018.

New Years evening 2019, quickly improvising a track: DECADE. Uploaded 23:58 local time. It was a very fun way of ending the year and I used a symbolic art cover with red sweeping in, but I wouldn't have dreamed of what was to come soon.

One main project this year is the SNOWFLAKES VARIATIONS suite; the Prelude was released in January 2020.

8th April 2020: CREATURES RISING was released. CREATURES OF THE RAINFOREST also a spinoff track (released 2021).

In the Lockdown March-April 2020, I recorded 'Era', out of frustration...

5th June 2020: REPORT FROM PLANET THREE, which was initiated 31st May 2019. 

31st July 2020: FORECAST was released. April 2021: SUMMER SNOWFLAKES, a 25 minute long track and perhaps my most ambitious ever. 

OCTOBER 22, 2021: OUTPOST. Was hell of a lot work behind this, which started out as the "Conquerer" project already in 2017. 

APRIL 28, 2022: The Disclosure (Part I).
SEPTEMBER 23, 2022: PEACE GUITARS. A track very dear to me, much of it written outdoors at the shores with my lovely dog with me. 

OCTOBER 6, 2023: SHAMBOLIC GUITARS.  Intensive recordings!

DECEMBER 7, 2024: TABOOOO released. (Oldfield Tribute)

SEPTEMBER 6, 2025: WATERFALL (part 1). Another part will follow in 2026!
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Many thanks for visiting here, and for the comments, 'Likes' & reposts.

D. Svensson Sept. 2022

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All rights to the audio/tracks, and album photography are reserved, and respectfully belong to the owner. 

© DavidSvensson.