CHANOYU RECORDS is a label created to release the music of UK guitarist/composer John Ellis.

The title of the site reflects John's lifelong interest in Japanese culture that started when he watched Kurosawa's classic film Seven Samurai on TV when he was a young teenager.

While still at art school John learned to play GO.

He is hoping to complete his trilogy of 'Japanese Culture' albums sometime soon. Wabi Sabi 21© is the first in the series.

Our latest release is INFINITY DRIVE, an album of demos written for The Stranglers (but not used) featuring the amazing voice of PAUL ROBERTS.

Our first release on Chanoyu Records was SLY GUITAR, a car crash of experimental guitar and electronic music. His work as a guitarist has been compared with artists such as Robert Fripp and Fred Frith.
So if you are interested in modern guitar music, this is the place for you. Copies of SLY GUITAR are now available from this site.

"The moody soloing on “Infanta” could easily have come off one of Andy Summers’ and Robert Fripp’s well-known collaborative albums, Bewitched and I Advance Masked from the early eighties. “Pedalo” would actually fit rather well on a late-period King Crimson album." From a review by 'Make your own taste'.

We have made available free downloads of various tracks from John's catalogue here.

And if you are interested in guitar lessons please get in touch via the contact page.
We also have gift vouchers for guitar lessons with John Ellis.

You can subscribe to our mailing list to receive news of our releases and live performances by John Ellis.

If you are new to his work as a musician and composer, the biography and discography sections will tell you all you need to know.

If you would like to use music from Sly Guitar in any new media please contact us.

The portraits on this page are by Russell Duncan.

Nemo Griffin