Tosin Abasi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tosin Abasi
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Tosin Abasi performing at the Euroblast Festival in Cologne, 2016
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| Background information | |
| Born | January 7, 1983 Washington, D.C. |
| Genres |
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| Occupations | Guitarist |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Prosthetic, Sumerian |
Tosin Abasi (born January 7, 1983) is an American musician. He is best known as the founder and lead guitarist of the band Animals as Leaders. This band plays instrumental progressive metal music.
Tosin has released five albums with Animals as Leaders. These include their first album, Animals as Leaders, Weightless, The Joy of Motion, The Madness of Many, and their latest album, Parrhesia.
About Tosin Abasi
Early Life and Learning Guitar
Tosin Abasi was born in Washington D.C. His parents moved to the United States from Nigeria. His brother, Abdul Abasi, is a fashion designer.
Tosin mostly taught himself how to play the guitar. He first tried a guitar at a friend's house. He just strummed it and made up simple tunes. He also learned the clarinet in elementary school. Later, he rented guitar lesson videos from a music store.
Tosin's father was very supportive when he decided to learn guitar. He even bought Tosin his first guitar. His mother, however, first thought that school and traditional jobs were more important than music.
Starting His Music Career
Tosin was the guitarist for a metal band called PSI. Then he joined a technical metalcore band named Reflux. This was in the early 2000s.
A record company called Prosthetic Records saw him play. They were impressed and offered him a deal to record his own music. At first, Tosin felt he wasn't skilled enough to make his own album. So, he went to the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media to study more. After finishing his studies, he contacted Prosthetic Records again. He then started his band, Animals as Leaders. The band's name was inspired by a book called Ishmael.
Success with Animals as Leaders
In 2009, Tosin recorded the first Animals as Leaders album. Misha Mansoor helped produce and record the album. After the album was done, Javier Reyes joined on guitar and Navene Koperweis joined on drums. This made Animals as Leaders a full band for touring.
In 2011, Tosin started a new band called T.R.A.M. The name stands for Terrazas, Reyes, Abasi, Moore. It included his bandmate Javier Reyes, drummer Eric Moore, and wind player Adrián Terrazas-González. T.R.A.M. played their first show in March 2011. Tosin formed T.R.A.M. to explore musical ideas that didn't fit Animals as Leaders.
Animals as Leaders released their second album, Weightless, in November 2011. They released The Joy of Motion in March 2014. This album received many positive reviews. In July 2014, Tosin appeared in a web-series called Guitar Power.
In 2015, Tosin joined famous guitarists like Joe Satriani for the G4 tour. He also toured with other great guitarists like Steve Vai on the Generation Axe tour in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
In August 2020, it was revealed that Tosin was the musician behind the "air guitar" playing in the movie Bill & Ted Face the Music.
Animals as Leaders released their album Parrhesia in March 2022. Critics generally liked the album. They noted that it showed a more refined style for the band.
Abasi Concepts Guitars
In 2017, Tosin started his own guitar company called Abasi Concepts. He wanted to create guitars with his own unique designs. These guitars have special features like locking tuners and unique wood. They also use his signature Fishman pickups.
Abasi Concepts offers 6, 7, and 8-string guitars. Tosin designed the "Larada" guitar shape himself. This design focuses on making the guitar comfortable to play. It has a unique neck shape and fanned frets. These features help guitarists play chords and stretches more easily. In 2022, Abasi Concepts also introduced a new guitar model called the Emi.
Tosin's Guitar Gear
Guitars Tosin Plays
Tosin Abasi has played many different guitars. He is most known for his own Abasi Concepts guitars. He also uses Ernie Ball Music Man guitars, including his signature "Kaizen" model. For a few years, he had a signature model with Ibanez guitars.
He has also played guitars from other brands like Strandberg and Kiesel. Tosin used to own hundreds of guitars, but he sold many of them in 2020.
- Abasi Concepts Larada and other models
- Ernie Ball Kaizen
- Ibanez RG series
- Ibanez TAM10 and TAM100 (his signature models)
- Strandberg Made to Measure #17
- Rick Toone's Sketch 7-string
- Abasi Guitars Emi
Tosin also uses nylon acoustic-electric guitars. These guitars combine classical guitar sounds with electric guitar features. They can be plugged into amplifiers.
- Godin Multiac Nylon SA 6- and Encore 7-string models
- Kiesel NS1
- Abasi Guitars Prototype Nylon Acoustic-Electric
He also uses some special guitars for unique sounds. These include 8-string and 9-string guitars. Some of his 8-string guitars have extra "negative frets" for the lowest strings.
- Rick Toone's Blur
- Strandberg Made to Measure #8
- Ibanez RG9 9-string guitar
Guitar Pickups
Tosin Abasi has designed two sets of signature pickups. Pickups are parts of the guitar that turn string vibrations into electrical signals. His first signature pickups were with DiMarzio. Later, he switched to Fishman for their Fluence design. Now, most Abasi Guitars use his Tosin Abasi Fishman Fluence pickups.
Amplifiers and Effects
Tosin uses both digital and analog equipment for his sound. For much of the 2010s, he used a digital system called Fractal Audio's AXE-FX II. Later, he started using more traditional analog amplifiers and effects.
- Port City Amps
- Fractal Audio AXE-FX II, III
- Morgan Amplifiers
Tosin's Musical Influences
Tosin is inspired by many guitarists and musicians. Some of his favorite artists include Steve Vai, Allan Holdsworth, and Fredrik Thordendal from Meshuggah. He also likes Thom Yorke from Radiohead, Aphex Twin, and Dream Theater.
Tosin practices Transcendental Meditation.
Music Albums
PSI (Pounds Per Square Inch)
- Virus (2001)
Reflux
- The Illusion of Democracy (2004)
Animals as Leaders
- Animals as Leaders (2009)
- "Wave of Babies (Digital Single)" (2010)
- Weightless (2011)
- The Joy of Motion (2014)
- Animals as Leaders Encore Edition (2015)
- The Madness of Many (2016)
- Parrhesia (2022)
T.R.A.M.
- Lingua Franca (Sumerian, 2012)
Tigran Hamasyan
- The Call Within (Guitars in "Vortex") (Nonesuch Records, 2020)
See also
In Spanish: Tosin Abasi para niños
