Plini

Chatting the next modern development of the guitar as an instrument? Travelling with his own headless guitar? Why focus on creating EP's? What's his advice for other players - old and new - out there? What inspires him beyond mere music? Find out what prog-instrumental guitarist extraordinaire Plini thinks on all these matters below!

What do you think about the modern developments of the guitar as an instrument? Do you think there’s innovation just around the corner or that it has maybe hit its peak for now?

There are a lot of contemporary guitar companies and luthiers who are still doing incredible work based on refining more ‘traditional’ interpretation of what the electric guitar is, but what really excites me is the handful of companies that are exploring how the design and making of the electric guitar can be truly updated for the 21st century. I think it will continue to be this way, just as it is with music: lots of safe and derivative work, balanced by a small but innovative group of forward-thinkers.

How do you find travelling and touring with a headless guitar? Has it ever been damaged when flying or while out on the road?

It’s the best! For domestic gigs, because it’s so small, I can fly with it as carry-on, and for other travel, the lack of a headstock leaves me plenty of room in the guitar case for spare socks. So far, no damage despite the dozens of flights and thousands of kilometres of bumpy roads it has travelled on!

What’s your biggest musical influence that isn't a band – what other art and media do you consume that inspires your music? 

I travel a lot, so all the things that come with that make up a great part of my inspiration - architecture, cities, meeting people, food. Architecture especially inspires me because I think it can, if put together thoughtfully and with attention to detail, transport the person experiencing it to somewhere other-worldly or sublime. The same as a great piece of music.

What do you feel would be the best piece of advice for guitarists – from the new and old, to the beginners and experts? 

Figure out why you like playing the instrument, and what you’d most like to achieve with it. Then you can frame the way you practice and learn with your own personal or artistic goals, and maximise the enjoyment you get out of the time you spend with the instrument.

Why do you tend to release EPs instead of full-length albums? Is it easier on the creation side of things for yourself, thus having a quicker turn around for releases?

Definitely not so much for the turn-around - it took me two years just to make this four-track! There’s no real reason I’ve so far preferred the EP format. But I definitely think a smaller number of intensely-detailed instrumental compositions can have a greater impact than a larger number of less-detailed compositions could.

Do you have any other creative outlets other than music? Maybe certain hobbies or outlets that people don’t know about that you like to fill spare time with?

I don't really have much spare time at the moment! But I do like to dabble in travel iPhone photography…

Lastly, have you found any new music recently that you're really excited about? Which artists/works are you loving that should get a shout out here? 

I absolutely love the albums 'Singularity' by Jon Hopkins, 'Tribus' by Sirintip and of course 'Sonder' by my 2018 world-touring friends, Tesseract. All three of them are perfect examples of artists making music that’s inventive, atmospheric and hard to categorise under any typical genre term. Inspiring stuff!

Plini's new EP, 'Sunhead', is out now!

PLINI  “SUNHEAD” AUSTRALIAN TOUR

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

MESTIS (USA)

DAVID MAXIM MICIC (SERBIA)

FRIDAY 7 SEPTEMBER - THE ZOO, BRISBANE

SATURDAY 8 SEPTEMBER - MANNING BAR, SYDNEY

THURSDAY 13 SEPTEMBER - BADLANDS, PERTH

FRIDAY 14 SEPTEMBER - JIVE, ADELAIDE

SATURDAY 15 SEPTEMBER - CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT HTTP://WWW.PLINI.CO/AUS