Yohan Delasalle is a French guitarist, composer and multi-instrumentalist, based in northern France. He has around 25 years of experience as a guitarist and created his solo project Past And Secrets in 2019.
The project came about after one of his earlier musical projects ended. Rather than stop making music, he decided to create an instrumental project combining things he loved: heavy, low-tuned guitar riffs with atmospheric and emotional passages. He cites Meshuggah as an important discovery for him, as well as the Polish instrumental guitarist Widek.
What’s unusual about Past And Secrets is that Yohan does essentially everything himself. He records the guitars and other instruments, programs drums, handles the composition and production, and works from his own home studio.
His style
I’d describe his music as sitting somewhere between:
- Djent
- Progressive metal
- Ambient / atmospheric metal
- Instrumental prog
- Fusion / progressive rock
- Cinematic guitar music
The contrast is a big part of the appeal: very heavy, rhythmically complex riffs alongside spacious, melancholic and almost dreamy passages. Since there are no vocals, the lead guitar often takes the role that a singer would normally have, carrying the emotional narrative.
He uses a 7-string guitar, which fits the low-register djent side of his music. A 2026 tour listing specifically describes Past And Secrets as atmospheric progressive metal from France featuring 7-string guitar.
Past And Secrets releases
His first major release was Memories, released in 2020. The project also released a personal interpretation of Pink Floyd’s “Learning to Fly”, a song Yohan says has a particularly strong emotional connection for him.
Then came Another Day, Another Time, a 22-minute EP released in 2024. This is probably the best introduction to what he does today.
The interesting thing is that although Yohan is the sole musician behind the project, he invited five different guitarists to perform guest solos, one on each track:
| Track | Guest guitarist |
|---|---|
| Above Us | Greg Schollaert 🇧🇪 |
| Come On Board | Radek Stojda 🇵🇱 |
| World | Brian Bajak 🇨🇿 |
| Sleep Well, Little Child | Mika Dienst Ibanez 🇫🇷 |
| Together On A Mountain | Demetrio “Dimitri” Scopelliti 🇮🇹 |
Yohan himself plays the rest of the instruments, including guitar, bass, programmed drums, piano and samples.
A particularly interesting aspect
I think one of the coolest things about Yohan’s project is how deliberately he uses other guitarists.
In an interview, he explained that he sends guest guitarists the musical passages and gives them complete freedom to add their own personality. He chooses them partly by listening to their playing online and imagining what they could contribute to his compositions.
So Past And Secrets isn’t really a conventional band. It’s more like Yohan’s musical universe, with different guitarists temporarily entering that universe and leaving their own signature on a track.
That comes through particularly well on Another Day, Another Time.
He has continued to develop the project
There’s also evidence that Past And Secrets has moved beyond being simply a home-recording project. In 2024, Yohan was interviewed internationally about the project, and in 2025–2026 he began appearing in live events connected with other virtuoso musicians.
For example, he appeared as the opening act for an Inspiria Guitars tour, alongside guitarist Demetrio Scopelliti and electric violinist Laurent Bernadac.
There’s also a 2024 interview with Yohan on Prog Dog’s YouTube/podcast, specifically about Past And Secrets and his instrumental guitar music.
