The Durutti Column

• Genre: Post-Punk
• Hometown: Manchester, England
• The Durutti Column Website

About

The Durutti Column came out of the England's Post-Punk scene in the late '70s and is basically the singular output of guitarist/pianist Vini Reilly. Forgoing angst for compositional beauty, his gingerly approach to guitar playing has seen him touch on a variety of styles that border on an organic ambient sound. Working in a mostly instrumental realm, his music has a dreamy, flowing, celestial quality aided by his use of the echo-box, as well as his penchant for reverb and arpeggios. A mainstay of Manchester's Factory Records throughout the '80s, his closest brush with mainstream success came with playing on Morrissey's first post-Smiths record, Viva Hate in '88. His own career has shown a prolific amount of releases and he remains an undervalued artist and a purveyor of gorgeous, hypnotic music.

- Jon Pruett