Ana Mazzotti
O Filho Do Homem

David Versace is an Australian multi-genre keyboardist, composer and producer based in Meanjin, Queensland. Growing up in a very musical household it was always important to express and embrace all types of music and sonics. His sound ranges from Jazz and Samba to ambient works and the odd dance-floor heater. David also plays in Meanjin nu-jazz dance outfit First Beige.Since late 2019, he has self released around 20 different tracks and with the most recent signing to La Sape Records David is excited to announce his debut solo album 'Okra' a conceptual body of work that flows through a culmination of raw organic concepts conceived In The Moment, and his most elegant & articulated work yet.

After the well-received, sold-out on the spot seven-inch single containing "Monika" and "Zabawa w ciemności", as well as a special repress for the renowned German shop HHV, the time has come for a full-length album entitled "Zbliżenie" presenting nine never before released compositions by the Henryk Debich's Orchestra.Over the last two years, Astigmatic Records have been digging through the Radio Łódź archives, listening to hundreds of recordings of the local Orchestra conducted by Henryk Debich. As a result, 13 gems were selected from the period between 1974 and 1977, which was also the time when the Holy Grail of Polish jazz-funk was created: the highly sought after by record collectors in all corners of the globe "String Beat" album. At the beginning of the year, the first vinyl from the series of releases under the baton of Maestro came out. It was a seven-inch record entitled "Monika/Zabawa w ciemności". The next in line is the long-awaited album "Zbliżenie" ("The Close-up"), initially planned for June, but postponed to September due to overloaded pressing plants."Zbliżenie" is a longplay packed with groove, pulsating drums, powerful brass and string sections, and unique, previously unreleased compositions. The album's title is not that random, as, apart from the B-side opening track under the same title, we take a closer look at the period when the Łódź Orchestra, thanks to the "angry youngsters" such as Jacek Malinowski, Mirosław Racewicz, Jacek Delong, Andrzej Żylis and Zbigniew Karwacki, was exploring the genre taking the West by storm – Jazz-Funk. In the seventies, despite having over twenty years of experience, the Łódź Orchestra of the Polish Radio and Television was reinventing itself, sounding ever more modern and exciting with every passing year. Depending on the piece, there could be from forty to seventy musicians performing! The orchestra smoothly maneuvered between funk and disco, touching on illustrative music and jazz.Upon the project's completion, it turned out that 2021 will be a year of many anniversaries. 18 January marked the 100th birthday anniversary of the legendary conductor and founder of the Łódź Orchestra of the Polish Radio and Television, while July marked 20 years since he is no longer with us. What's more, Radio Łódź, Debich's home away from home for almost half a century, celebrated its 80th anniversary, and 30 years ago the Orchestra he managed until the very end was disbanded.

Prince’s “Raspberry Beret” was playing on the radio in his dad’s car when Stimulator Jones was in grade school, but the lyric he thought he heard on the hook was: “round spiritual ring.”That’s become the title of his new album. Round Spiritual Ring shows a more personal and vulnerable side than Stimulator’s debut Exotic Worlds and Masterful Treasures, with lyrics that touch on his struggles with depression and chronic pain. But Stimulator – aka Sam Lunsford – is an optimist at heart, and his album’s overarching message is that love and connection are the forces that will ultimately save us. The first track from the album, “Love Will Light Your Dreams,” carries this message: “It’s hard for you to see / When your life is empty / But that’s alright / Just close your eyes / And love will light your dreams.”Stimulator Jones now knows all the lyrics to “Raspberry Beret,” and can play the song on virtually any instrument, from bass to sitar. Round Spiritual Ring’s title does more than pay homage to one of his musical heroes; it also symbolizes the connectedness of everything, what Sam calls “repetitive forces in the world” – think DNA, the planets, or vinyl records.

1971 release. Jazz-infused prog rock act Catapilla began in London in 1970, with saxophonists Robert Calvert (who later worked with Daevid Allen in various Gong spin-off projects) and Hugh Eaglestone, bassist Dave Taylor (of chart-topping pop act Edison Lighthouse, and later active in hard-rock group, Liar), along with drummer Malcolm Frith, guitarist Graham Wilson, and clarinet player/flautist, Thierry Rheinhardt; original vocalist "Lady" Jo Meek quit early (to work with the keyboardist, poet, and science fiction author, Julian Jay Savarin) and was duly replaced by her sister, Anna, whose gutsy gasps gave the band it's noteworthy difference, along with the woodwinds and horns. Former Millionaires' bassist Cliff Cooper (who had worked with producer Joe Meek before founding Orange Amplifiers), brought Catapilla to the attention of Black Sabbath's manager, Patrick Meehan, who swiftly got them a contract with Vertigo, Philips's prog subsidiary; this self-titled debut has four freaky tracks, including the side-long closer, "Embryonic Fusion".