Born in Paris on October 12, 1960, Patrick Rondat is a French guitarist renowned for his technique and eclecticism. Growing up in Drancy, Seine-Saint-Denis, he discovered the electric guitar, learning and improving his technique by listening to rock and jazz records. In 1983, he founded The Element with bassist Frédéric Guillemet and singer Raphaël Guerrido, aka Ralph Towers. Based in Düsseldorf, Germany, the band released the album Time in 1985 on the French label Rocks Records. After the split, the guitarist gave lessons and composed material for his first solo album Just for Fun (1989), followed by Rape of the Earth (1991), Amphibia (1996), Amphibia Tour (1997) and On the Edge (1999), with contributions from Michel Petrucciani on piano and Dider Lockwood on violin. At the same time, he began a long collaboration with Jean-Michel Jarre (1993-2005), taking part in large-scale concerts. In 1998, Patrick Rondat toured with the star trio G3, led by Joe Satriani, which became G4 at a concert at Le Zénith in Paris, before joining the metal band Elegy for the albums Forbidden Fruit (2000) and Principles of Pain (2002). Still working alongside singer Ian Parry, he briefly took part in Consortium Project, then returned to his solo career with the album An Ephemeral World (2004), in between several sessions for other artists including Alpha Blondy, Stone Age and Patrick Coutin. In 2008, he teamed up with pianist Hervé N'Kaoua for a series of covers of classical pieces by Vivaldi, Beethoven, Mozart and Fauré. He tours as a duo with keyboardist Manu Martin, and in 2024 takes part in the Guitar Night Project tour. 2025 saw the release of the solo album Escape from Shadows.
