I've been living in London for over twenty years, but was born and raised in Singapore, where I spent my youth playing small gigs at places like the Fat Frog (which became Timbre) and then started a group Peculiar Remedies with Pam Oei (the actor), Chris Toh (formerly of AWOL), Dominic Wan and Don Bosco (formerly Twang Bar Kings and DAZE); we released one eponymous album, in 1999. We never split up but, since I moved to London around that time, that was effectively the end of that chapter.
Since moving to London I have done a mixture of working with others and on my own (I have a day job since my music doesn't pay the bills!)
I released two EPs under my own name (Len), "Snowdrop" and "It's Beautiful". The song It's Beautiful (from the EP of the same name) ended up being used in the Singapore youth drama "Chase", which was nice; the song was also played on XFM (now Radio X), the UK rock radio station.
I also spent some years playing guitar with Sophie Barker, who was singing with the band Zero 7 (along with now global star Sia).
These days I dabble on youtube (my channel is www.youtube.com/lenmusic123), playing covers by not so well known artists (e.g. Red House Painters, Kings of Convenience). I also play sometimes in cover bands.
PLAYING STYLE
I am primarily an acoustic guitar player, and I use mainly fingerstyle to accompany myself, although I play electric on occasion when I play in other bands. My sound tends to be sparse and pure, but intricate in its own way.
Most of my own songs are written in alternate tunings (DADGAD being the most common one I use). In terms of acoustic players, I love players like Michael Hedges, Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, etc. I also love the sound of a nylon/classical guitar because I spent much of my youth listening to Brazilian music like Joao Gilberto, Joao Bosco and others. I also love the guitar playing of jazz masters like Pat Martino, Pat Metheny and Joe Pass. On the electric, I would say the Edge, Mark Knopfler, Tom Morello, Julian Lage and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Others that inspire me include Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon (but only before 2004), Ryuichi Sakamoto, Kings of Convenience, Michael Hedges and Bill Evans.
I must confess I don't do much by way of guitar exercises other than occasional scales - I really should more!
MAIN INSTRUMENTS
My main guitar is the same steel string acoustic I have played for over 20 years - a beautiful Larrivee L-09 (around 1999) that I asked my friend Andrew to buy from Toronto (where he lived) when he came to visit me in London. It's the one in most of my youtube videos. Larrivee was founded by Jean Larrivee in Canada and is still going strong. I liked having a guitar that wasn't a big name brand, and the Larrivee L shape is unique.
I decided after 20 years I should get another good steel string, so I just bought (though an auction) a 1970s Fylde guitar (model: Goodfellow). Fylde guitars are made by Roger Bucknall in a small workshop in Cumbria, England.
I also played a cheap Admira nylon string for many years but recently bought a really nice luthier instrument, a Teodoro Perez "Madrid" classical guitar. It has a cedar top and rosewood back and sides; it is very warm with, literally, what the classical guitar players call the "Madrid" sound - a warm and rounded tone, built with traditional bracing, not like some of the more modern sounding classical guitars with new bracing styles etc.
For playing electric in bands (sometimes I play in cover bands), I just needed one workhorse electric guitar, so I got a Fender American Standard Stratocaster around 2007. It's just a good, decent guitar and does the job.
Finally, I bought a hollowbody jazz guitar off Ebay - an Ibanez AF-200 built around 1981 - for when I want to play traditional jazz and pretend to be Joe Pass.
OTHER EQUIPMENT
When I play my acoustic live, I use a LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI - it's odd that in the past 20 years I haven't found another DI that is markedly better. Does the job and built like a tank. I usually use D'Addario 13-56s for my acoustic.
For my electric, any strings will do. I use an assortment of pedals, like the Wampler Tumnus overdrive, Flashback delay, and Source Audio Ventris Dual Reverb. My amp is a Laney Lionheart L5T-112 tube amp - just 5 watts so I can play at home. I bought that because the Jazz Cafe in London, where I did a gig, had that as a stage amp and I had yet to buy my first amp! Otherwise I'm using digital modelling like most people these days. The Neural DSP range is amazing.
OTHER LOCAL GUITARISTS/BASSISTS YOU FIND INTERESTING
Easy - Leslie Low. His chord voicings based on standard tuning, which he used in Humpback Oak, were wonderful. His own output as a solo artist, where he uses alternate tunings, is also pretty special. And of course his more avant garde work with The Observatory.
And who doesn't love the late, great, Zul Sultan? He would just play so effortlessly, with always beautiful feel and tone. Someone who has done the 10,000 hours many times over.
