From creating his own brand of expressive, jazz-infused yet genre-fluid guitar music to capturing the internet's fascination with his Fender Jaguar baritone setup and his penchant for using a Tascam as a preamp, Mk.gee has truly managed to capture – and conquer – the zeitgeist.
The elusive guitarist and multi-instrumentalist recently opened up about his technique and how his innovative approach to guitar is partly due to learning the basics from an upright bassist.
“I think it was helpful to do it that way,” he tells Dazed. “I never liked the idea of getting lessons from a guitar player, and thought it would be more useful to learn from someone who didn’t play the guitar at all – someone who could give musical lessons that were more exploratory, more about trying things out.”
In his early teens, Mk.Gee formed a jazz trio with two older friends, and started gigging in bars along the Jersey Shore. However, tension and creative differences meant the young musician had to forge his own path.
“I always knew that I wanted something more, you know, because I wanted to be the best ever. And so eventually, as one does, I got a four-track recorder. And then I was just like, ‘All right, fuck y’all, I can play your instruments even better than you can. I’m just gonna learn how to record myself.’”
Earlier this year, Mk.gee released the 33-minute Two Star & the Dream Police, his debut album. What followed was his first-ever televised performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! of his single Are You Looking Up, plus an endorsement from Eric Clapton, who picked him as his favorite contemporary guitarist.
“Mk.gee kinda sits in a bit of a pop category for me. Right. But it's unique. And he has found things to do on the guitar that are like nobody else,” said Clapton.
“My daughter turned me on [to Mk.gee] today, and I trust her taste. And not only that, we're [referring to the guitar scene and the music industry] safe. The same when I first saw Prince, it was like we're safe. Just to know it's there [artists like Mk.gee] is enough.”
In addition to his solo endeavours, the experimental guitarist has confirmed he's working on new music with pop superstar Justin Bieber.
“Anything that comes out of his mouth: That’s pop music," he reveals in a recent New York Times interview. "You can really do pretty wild stuff behind that, just because it represents something.”
