Introducing nu-disco shred, a fresh genre of guitar playing that combines ’70s pop and ’80s soloing – and where dancing while you two-hand tap is an absolute must

Dre DiMura
(Image credit: Alex Bemis)

One of the joys of working as a guitar journalist in 2023 is bearing witness to how the ‘Spotify effect’ shapes the future of the instrument. In a world where everyone has access to pretty much all the music ever recorded, we’ve seen genre boundaries broken down and a wealth of production approaches that keep the electric guitar sounding fresh.

The posterboys of this six-string boundary-smashing are undoubtedly Polyphia, and trap and lo-fi beats continue to be a muse for cutting-edge players.

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Michael Astley-Brown
Editor-in-Chief, GuitarWorld.com

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.