Aesthetical Thoughts by Ilyas Ahmed

For all intents and purposes, Pakistani-born Portland-raised Ilyas Ahmed is nothing short of a contemporary guitar mastermind. Inspired by his guitar-based hazy ambiance, we reached out to him for guidance on some essential guitar pieces. He was kind enough to pick out a selection of tracks, justifying his choices around the premises of the following criteria: the pieces capture sound as action; sound as thought aesthetic that inform and inspire over and over again; the tracks occupy savage beauty, controlled chaos, and sound as pure vision.

Due to unfortunate circumstances, Ilyas Ahmed was forced to cancel his European tour. We’re working on lining up a replacing date in early 2016. In the meanwhile we’re finding solace in the beautiful playlist below. Please enjoy.

1. Sonny Sharrock – Blind Willie

2. Television – The Dream’s Dream

3. Fripp & Eno – Swastika Girls

4. Bert Jansch – Jack Orion

5. Valet – Blood is Clean

6. Captain Beefheart – One Red Rose That I Mean

7. John Frusciante – My Smile is a Rifle

8. Velvet Underground – Heard Her Call My Name

9. My Bloody Valentine – Only Shallow