Session recording
Send stems, a rough, or just a reference. You get back DI + mic'd amp tracks, tempo-locked and labelled, ready to drop into your session.
- — WAV stems + DI
- — Two rounds of revisions
- — 48h typical turnaround
Cape Town / Available worldwide — remote sessions
Michael Bester Session guitarist
Tasteful, mix-ready guitar tracking for albums, jingles, film and live sets. Electric, acoustic or nylon. You send the song; I send back parts that serve it, on time.
- 25+
- Years playing
- 100+
- Sessions delivered
- 48h
- Typical turnaround
01 — About
From the studio
I've spent 25 years learning the difference between a part that's impressive and a part that's right. My job on your track is to find the tone, the feel, and the part that adds exactly what the track needs, nothing more.
Electric, acoustic, nylon, and a room full of amps and pedals to match the brief. I read charts, I take direction well, and I deliver stems labelled the way an engineer actually wants them.
- Fully treated home studio + outboard
- Charts, tabs, or by ear
- DI + mic'd amp on every take
- Revisions until it's right
- Highly versatile - Specialist in jazz, pop, rock, acoustic and african styles
- Experienced composer, arranger and producer
to the stage
25 years on stages all over the world. My job on live shows is consistency, solid rhythm section playing, big leads when the moment calls for it, and making life easy for the producer or musical director, so they can focus on the big picture.
I am an expert at "getting the tone" for all styles of music, a strong music reader and confident improviser in many styles, from jazz, to rock, pop, african and country/folk
I have worked on these live shows:
- Idols SA (TV)
- Noot vir Noot (TV)
- The Voice SA (TV)
- Strictly Come Dancing (TV)
- Dancing with the stars (TV)
- The bantu hour (TV)
- Huis-Genoot Skouspel (Arena live show)
- RMB Starlight Classics (Live show)
- Symphonic Rocks (Arena Live show)
I have performed with these well-known artists:
- Mango Groove (afro-pop)
- Loyiso Bala (RnB/gospel)
- Lira (soul/RnB)
- ZAR orchestra (big band jazz)
- Dr Tumi (gospel)
- Nils Landgren (funk/jazz)
- Wouter Kellerman (world/new-age)
02 — The Reel
Hear it in context.
A short spread of parts across genres — same player, different rooms. Audio up top, video sessions below.
High Rollers Opening Theme - From the soundtrack to "High rollers"
Rock/Afro · Stratocaster · Funk main riff, clean afro fills, big rock rhythm/leads
Riding the Hog - from the movie soundtrack "Semi-soet"
Country · Stratocaster/Martin acoustic · Acoustic rhythm + Country lead
Family Matters - original composition
Jazz · Gibson ES175 · Melody/comping/solo/composition
03 — Credits
Selected credits.
A running list of records, artists, and projects. Sorted by year, most recent first.
2022-2026
RMB Starlight Classics
Electric and acoustic guitars
Guitarist on annual live production with full orchestra and genre crossing featured artists, from opera to pop, rock and hiphop
2025
Pat Blake and the Bad Hombres — "Sundown" (album)
Electric and acoustic guitars
Prod. by Johann Audiffren
2024
Steve Umculo — "Elements" (album)
Electric guitars
Prod. by Johann Audiffren
2021
Sarah Blake — "The Journey" (EP)
Acoustic guitar, nylon guitar
In-studio
2020
Michael Bester — "Now, not yet" (album)
Composition, guitars
In-studio, original release
2016-2018
The Voice SA (Season 1-3)
All live guitars
Performed all pre-recorded and live rounds in studio
2015
High Rollers (series) — Original Score
Composition, all guitars
In-studio, co-composer of full score
2015
Jeremy Olivier — Self-titled (album)
Electric guitars, acoustic guitars, leads and guitar arrangements
In-studio
2011
Mango Groove — "Live in concert" DVD
Electric guitar
Live, studio and touring guitarist (2009-2015)
04 — Services
Three ways to put guitar on your project.
Live performance
Dep, touring, or one-off shows — a reliable pair of hands who shows up prepared, in-ear ready, and easy to work with on stage and off.
- — Charts learned ahead
- — Own backline & IEMs
- — Fly dates welcome
Arrangement & parts
Not sure what the song needs? I'll write and demo guitar arrangements — hooks, counter-lines, and texture beds that lift the production.
- — Multiple part options
- — Reference-matched tones
- — Producer-friendly stems
Genres & styles
Pop
Jazz
Rock
Funk / RnB
Indie & Alt
Cinematic / Score
Country & Americana
Worship
Ambient
05 — Rates & Booking
Simple rates. Straight answers.
Every project's different — these are starting points. Tell me about yours and I'll send a quote within a day.
Per track
from $120
(R2000)
One song, remote. DI + amp stems, two revisions, delivered in 48 hours.
EP / Album — most popular
Custom
Multi-song rate with a per-track discount. Consistent tones across the record.
Live & touring
Day rate
Rehearsals, shows, and fly dates. Rate depends on scope and travel.
Start a booking
Send the essentials and I'll reply with availability and a quote. Prefer to talk first? Email or DM works too.
✎ michaelbesterguitar@gmail.com
☎ +27 76 455 3979
06 — In their words
"Sent a rough on Monday, had the perfect parts back Wednesday. No notes."
"He hears the song, not his own playing. That's rare and it's why we keep calling."
"Tones dialled, stems labelled, zero fuss. A dream to mix."
07 — Contact
Let's make the song better.
Based in Cape Town, tracking for artists, agencies and producers worldwide. Send a note and let's talk about your recording project.