The 2017 release of the debut album Inner Life Burst from guitarist Luis Coelho, couldn’t come at a more poignant moment in such troubled times; the tracks feeding the listener with motivational sentiment and energy via the soaring Guitar lines, encapsulating melodies and intriguing rhythms.

Originating from Portugal, and with roots in Latin, Progressive Rock, and Jazz/Fusion genres, Luis Coelho’s influences, as his guitar playing, are extremely diverse. His career began in the booming late 1990s rock scene in Portugal, where he toured with the most popular covers bands of the time. Luis’ earliest most notable achievement came in 2002 when he was invited to pay tribute to the great Portuguese traditional guitar player Carlos Paredes, organized by a national radio station - Antena3. Another high-point came in 2010 when he was invited to play in a national guitar player’s event and to contribute with a composition to a CD collection with the most influential Portuguese guitar players of the time. 

Early on, the Portuguese guitarist/songwriter was positioned alongside some of the country’s most popular musicians as a virtuoso guitarist. In 2011, he was selected as a finalist of Guitar Idol III, a worldwide talent search to find the hottest undiscovered guitarists from every corner of the globe; going on to become the 10th most voted by the public amongst 1700 competitors from all over the world.
 
A job in economics and a taste for adventure had taken Luis to China a few years earlier, in 2009. He quickly immersed himself in the scene, quit the day job and established himself as one of Shanghai’s most talked about and sought after lead guitarists. Over the course of the last 8 years, Luis has shared his talents with the "Polymorph Extra" signed by Sennheiser Media Label, was the founder of the international progressive rock band “The 88’s”, became the guitarist of Hip Hop/Jazz/Funk band “The Word” and of Eclectic Pop- Gospel Rock band, Redic & The Stormriders. After having toured Europe, Asia, and participating in TV Shows and studio recordings including for The Voice of China; the next step for Luis was the formation of his own band, that would lead to the recording of his debut album.
 
Whilst the first footsteps of his musical career were deep rooted in rock, Coelho could not resist the strong Mediterranean sounds he had grown up around. Hailing from historic Coimbra, Portugal, the home of Fado; you can always hear the impact of this music culture within his writing and solos, whether it be playing live with a pop or rock band or as a solo instrumentalist.
Inner Life Burst was independently released in September 2017 and appears on multiple streaming platforms such as Spotify and iTunes. It’s an elegant quartet outing featuring the newly formed Coelho Band, with musicians Andy Santana from Cuba (bass), Giovanni Chaton from Mauritius (keys) and Anton Shumeev from Russia (drums) bringing to life the soaring sentiments of album tracks Carry On and acoustic ethnically influenced masterpieces such as Desert Whispers. Luis throws in a few surprises; an achingly beautiful Restraining the Grandness and a vocal feature from Hazel Gould on “When it Rains”. Luis’ method of operation in the studio is methodical whilst onstage, liberated—at least ten of these tracks are developments of songs written in the beginnings of his career. An eclectic artist, Luis’ collection of songs share his exploration of rock-influenced and Mediterranean harmony alongside intricate rhythms and time signatures; a strong melodic grain holds together the album whilst leaving the listener with excitement of what’s next.
 
Throughout a career-spanning the last 15 years, the one constant has been Luis’ devotion to rock music and its playfully theatrical nature; plus a musical dedication to his culture. These elements combined with exposure to the different musical cultures within the Shanghai music scene, has resulted in the pioneering sound of the artist Luis Coelho that you hear today.