I was first played a Jose Gonzalez in Mexico last summer but when I arrived back in the UK, his name seemed to ring few bells.

There was so little hype about his Hanbury gig back in November, it came and went without me even knowing.

Then one day a Sony advertising campaign sent his subtle melodies bouncing down a San Franscisco street with dozens of coloured balls and, a week later, his single Heartbeats was a massive hit.

Like his Nordic contemporaries Kings Of Convenience, the Swedish-Argentinian guitar maestro continues the tradition of 'quiet being the new loud'.

With meditative strumming and hypnotic melodies, his songs pull you in like a whirlpool. Seated on stage, head bowed, cradling his guitar, Gonzalez was difficult to see (and sometimes hear) over the sell-out crowd.

Although a man of few words, he couldn't help but break into a laugh when someone threw a bright green ball during the opening chords of Heartbeats.

Vocally, Gonzalez is a pure original but shares the restrained drama and emotional grace of legends such as John Martyn, Nick Drake, Elliott Smith and James Taylor.

As a teenager growing up in Gothenburg, he looked to Cuban muscian Silvio Rodriguez for inspiration and has a classical style shaded with the rhythms of samba and bossa nova.

Also a fan of cover versions (Massive Attack's Teardrop and surprisingly, Kylie's Hand On Your Heart), Gonzalez proved his box of musical tricks has only just begun to open.