Manuel Mota

Guitarist Manuel Mota is, to quote critic Dan Warburton, “a singular figure in the post-Fahey continuum (to misquote Anthony Braxton) of improv guitar heroes”, and one whose career is now entering its third decade of serene constancy. His suspended lines, insular notes and warbly elipses are played with an intimate force and a courage of feeling unparalleled in modern improvisational circles. Master of his craft while avoiding needless excesses, he fascinates listeners through the density of his strumming and stroking and the musical matter he creates and transforms in the moment. Currently living between Ericeira and Brussels, he regularly collaborates with musicians like Margarida Garcia and Giovanni di Domenico in the Belgian capital, as well as David Maranha or the Wire Quartet in Portugal. He released his work “Crypt” with Margarida Garcia on Marcia Bassett’s Yew imprint, and his own Headlights Recordings has been steadily releasing his music in limited numbers with work such as “Sete” or “Exodus”.