Bence Barkóczi, the Science Driven Guitar Wizard
When Sony Music obtained the rights to work on the Jimi Hendrix catalog back in 2010, I came up with the New Guitarist contest’s idea to link past and future guitar enthusiasts. With the help of Hanosz, the Hungarian Association of Music Instrument Manufacturers, we established a project for the young Hungarian guitarists organized every four years. Every tournament mobilizes more than a hundred players for each competition, and 10 of the most talented ones participate in the live final, where a jury of professionals choose the winner.
This talent contest helped me know Bence Barkóczi since he submitted his video recording of his composition titled Wounded into the competition we run in 2014 around the Santana studio album titled Corazón. His song and his performance propelled him to second place in the semifinals, so we met personally in the finals, 18 September. The then nearly bald young man was not so confident in the live settings than during the home recording, but he performed good enough to convince everybody that he deserved his place among the best new players.
Our next joint project was related to Leander Kills since Bence joined our crew as a guitar technician for the Vienna and the Prague gigs on the 17th and 18th of November 2017, respectively. One of the memorable moments of the adventurous mini-tour was when we discussed the importance of curfew in the middle of the slightly chaotic pre-gig period in the Chelsea club. A few days later, Bence released his first solo EP titled Until The Fall Ends.
After the brief guitar technician interlude, Mr. Barkóczi returned with staggering convincing power into my life; when he sent in a new song called End Of Totipotency into the 2018 New Guitarist contest we organized around the upcoming Joe Satriani album What Happen Next. My jaws dropped when I saw and heard the video of Bence, now sporting a surprisingly wild hair. The title of the song tells everything about his story. He found his way, and he found his sound, he decided to devote himself entirely to the guitar and music. The young genius obtaining a diploma in plant biology improved his playing technic in the past few years to a world-class level, and his songs heavily influenced by scientific knowledge are unparalleled. Totipotency is the ability of a single cell to divide and produce all of the differentiated cells in an organism, and when time comes, each cell becomes something important for the organism. This moment in Bence’s carrier happened at the finals of the third New Guitarist contest. He performed his song such a sheer energy, precision and passion, that there was not the slightest doubt in any member of the jury that he is the best player in that field.
It was a gratifying moment to sign a recording contract with Bence on behalf of Hear Hungary since his universal talent finally allows our company to fulfill the meaning of its name. We quickly recorded the four songs of the Absorbed Light EP released under the name Meristem. Meristemic cells are responsible for growth in a plant, so I cannot imagine a better name for his project since his songs and releases manifest continuous development at a fantastic pace.
Even when we started to work on the Santana campaign, we dreamed of the mentor’s involvement in the project, but it was too much to expect for a small local initiative like ours, and in the case of Satriani, we failed at first. We got the approval of the concept from his label, but could not get the maestro to participate in the evaluation of the contestants. In the light of these antecedents, it was a magic moment when we were able to meet Mr. Satriani in Budapest before his gig at Barba Negra Track 24 July, introduce Bence to him, talking about instruments, taking some pictures. Everything came in full circle. This project was the most complex and most fulfilling promotion I was able to bring to life. I am really looking forward to 2022.
Fortunately, Bence continues to create new music, and a brand new EP titled Dark Phase was released 21 July, 2020. The seven tracks showcase a breathtaking talent to the listener.
Our task is given.
Hear Meristem!
(Artwork: Mester Csaba)
