JOHN ILLSLEY

On the streets of our musical eden casually wander a few artists, a little less famous than others though their mere evocation takes us on sweet reveries. That's what happens with John Illsley who directly entered the essential however discreet musicians pantheon by being Dire Straights co-founder with his non-less mythical fellow Mark Knopfler. The both of them have left – even still – a permanent print on rock history, creating classics as naturally as breathing, from «Sultans of swing» and «Romeo & Juliet» to «Money for nothing» and «Brother in arms». And if they have been walking separate ways those past twenty years, each of them choosing to work on solo projects, we still cherish in our collective memory their unique distinctive sound, those fancy melodies that still rock our minds.

Far from short-lived burning passions, John Illsley is one of those artists who humbly take their time, album after album, to build their musical universe, refusing to give way to easiness and redundancy and preferring to liberate the energy of the moment, thus opening wider the door to imagination and creativity. Sharing his time between painting and music, John Illsley knows how important it is to proceed with little touches to let inspiration take over and slowly reveal a coherent and poetic whole. Therefore, he quietly composes personal albums, soft and elegant, almost melancholic, made of delicate poetry and brilliant melodies. While his sixth solo album «Coming up for Air» is about to be released, recorded with his fellows Robbie McIntosh and Scott McKeon, John Illsley hits the road again for a new tour, between Dire Straights classics and solo tracks, on which he will cross roads with his old partner Mark Knopfler in the magical and full of surprises playground of Guitare and Scène. Everything seems possible then...