With a reputation for resistance against oppression going back 1,000 years, Sfakia was the extraction point for the Allied troops caught up in the surprise invasion of Crete by the Nazis in 1941.
He also toured the SADF camps in the Angolan Border, performing with many of South Africa's popular musical stars of the era on morale boosting concerts for the troops.
This encounter with P.W Botha was one of many instances of non-violent protest that characterized an unhappy, traumatic period of living under and resenting the rule of the Christian Apartheid regime.
His first professional contract, the Quirinale Hotel in Hillbrow was for three-months, performing solo with foot bass pedals and a drum box, for four hours, five nights weekly.
Between 1981 and 1985, Brel averaged over 300 paid appearances annually whilst a full-time student, earning positive reviews on numerous occasions in The Star, then the most widely circulated news publication in South Africa.
During this time he experienced undiagnosed PTSD, which led to a formal interest in learning about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and then sharing information about the condition in published articles that have been referenced in treatment programs by doctors in South Africa.
Although thousands died in the conflict, many more on both sides carried the psychological scars forward, impacting significantly on the Countries political and social transition away from white minority rule.
[4] In 1985, aged 24 and with some skills as a performing and recording musician, Brel left Apartheid South Africa for a new life in England, arriving with a total of £1,500 and no plan beyond playing music for money.
Soon after arrival he began a 3-year Saturday night 'sold-out' stint at Bo-Jangles, a wine bar owned by a music Industry personality in Hampton Wick, South West London.
Bo Jangles was at that time a trending in-place for musicians where being the featured attraction every Saturday night led to many musical introductions and album recording opportunities.
Within one year of arriving in the UK, aged 25 in 1986, Brel bought his first home on the Thames Riverbank near Hampton Court in the picturesque Surrey village of East Molesey.
After 8-hour studio sessions on most days, in the evenings Brel continued public performances as a guitarist/singer, increasingly in duo context with musicians including Duncan Mackay (10cc), John Edwards (Status Quo) and Ronnie Johnson (Van Morrison).
[6] During the 1990s this association with the largest publisher of music related magazines enabled co ventures between Brel and Terry Day that helped the careers of many guitar players and included starting the Guitarist Magazine 'Guitarist of the Year' competition, which gave unknown players the opportunity to perform live with top session musicians in front of an audience for the prize of publicity and a recording opportunity.
As a writer, Brel contributed numerous articles for publication in Music Maker titles including lengthy features on Manfred Mann,[7] and songwriter Terry Britten.
Containing new content each month by a variety of contributors that would include Martin Taylor and Guthrie Govan along with many of the top level of teachers and players in the UK.
This conceptual idea, which began in a coffee meeting between Brel and Terry Day in Cambridge, provided a new and original approach to music tuition that has left a lasting legacy.
The success of the CD cover mounts and the quality of the content improved magazine circulation and assisted with the eventual sale of the Music Maker brand to Future Publishing.
In 1995, Bridge Recordings expanded its production capability to include ownership of Black Barn Studios in Ripley, Surrey, the early home of Eric Clapton.
With this high quality recording facility, Brel produced and released fifteen promoted albums, two with the SAS Band; Queen keyboard player Spike Edney's all star band featuring musicians including; Chris Thompson, Roger Taylor, Peter Green, Ian Anderson, Tony Hadley, Roy Wood and Paul Young.
[11] Soon after Charlie Morgan left Elton John's band and moved to the United States where he resides in Nashville, while Terry Day sold Music Maker Publications.
In 2019 Brel released a second album specifically for the 'Sleep Music genre' called Deep Sleep, widely used in Youtube videos providing for insomniacs.
Outside of the meditation music compositions, Brel has worked on several collaborations with guitarist and composer, Hugh Burns, including The Paradise Key[15] in 2003 which recalled events in the Iran Iraq war surrounding the religiously inspired 'human wave' attacks.
The long term social consequences of forced conscription and the PTSD generation that returned from the border war without any medical help are detailed.
In June 2017 The Emergency Bouzouki Player was banned from sale in all seven Emirates of the UAE where Amazon sells books and remains forbidden to residents of all countries practicing Sharia law.
The account of a fictitious attack in Paris masterminded by former British Army officer, Dan Blake, a skillful PTSD affected sociopath with superior intelligence.
Featuring Mickey Moody 1993 - Blues Britannia by Various Artists including Peter Green, Mickey Moody, Cliff Aungier and Geoff Bradford 1995 - FleshDevils by Dino Archon, Jojo Alves and Charlie Morgan 1997 - Under African Skies by Louis Ribeiro and Jive Nation 1998 - Mindwash by Hugh Burns 1999 - SAS Band by Spike Edneys All stars feat Chris Thompson, Tony Hadley, Roger Taylor, Ian Anderson and Peter Green 2000 - Live in London by Leo Sayer 2001 - The Show by SAS Band.
Featuring Chris Thompson, Roger Taylor, Roy Wood, Leo Sayer and Richard O'Brien 2018 - Riverbank Songwriting by Various artists 2018 - What I love by Hugo Fernandes As composer/performer in meditation music.