(some more permanent than others!)
Pete Ardron, keyboards and other stuff
Myo - vocals
Samanta Ray - vocals
Pierre Luigi - guitar/bass
Jon Bongly - percussion
Becky Dell - marimba, other percussion, vocals
Kait Farbon - violin
Diane Everitt - dancer
Sandra Eveno - dancer
Sean Spindrift - percussion
Sam Hicks - keyboards
Gareth Small - guitar/bass
Bagz - electronic percussion
Onyx Ashanti - wind synth
Teresa Gabriel - vocals
Nalini - vocals
Maya Metcalfe - percussion
Anna Franklin - visuals
Verdi Stewart - trumpet
Orchid-Star was put together by Pete Ardron at the start of 2005, initially as a vehicle to perform music he had written for DJ sets, mostly for chill-out rooms.
The sound is lush and colourful with a strong world music influence – Indian, Arabic, Celtic, African and more - fused with everything from psychedelic chill and dub to drum & bass and funk. Part electronic, part live, their revolving line-up includes vocalists – Myo and Samanta Ray, guitar & bass – Pierre Luigi, electric fiddle – Kait Farbon, full-size marimba – Becky Dell, percussionists – Jon Bongly, Sean Spindrift and Becky, keyboards - Pete, dancers SandRa and Diane Everitt and occasionally more.
Orchid-Star have featured an increasing list of guest performers from here and abroad, vocalists, instrumentalists, dancers and visual artists, giving a real variety to their shows, performing with anything from 3-10 people on stage.
Both core members and guests have diverse musical roots, several with classical training and members with backgrounds in rock, reggae, soul, funk, jazz, world and other fields, having played with people as varied as Frank Sinatra(!), Jimi Hendrix(!), Tim Finn of Crowded House, True Life Confessions, Basement Jaxx, Soul2Soul, Hallucinogen and Stomp.
Pete’s last major project before this was Glow, well known on the global-dance/world-music scene in the late 90s and with whom several other Orchid-Star members also served time.
By the summer of 2005, with a regular core established, the band had started to take on its own sound, identity and direction, moving away from the initial plan and concentrating more on the more up-tempo dancy tracks – a trend reflected in the first new tracks to be written specifically for the Orchid-Star.
Highlights of the first year included the main stages at Kingston Green Fair, the London Green Lifestyles Show and Big Green Gathering and the main headline slot on the largest of Glastonbury Festival’s fringe stages, Croissant Neuf where the Orchid-Star and Pete also received about 3 hours of airplay on the festival’s radio station, Radio Avalon.
The Orchid-Star are as at home in a club environment as on a festival stage and have played at the Synergy Project, Planet Angel, Acid Monkey, and Edensounds amongst others.
2006 saw the band concentrate mostly finishing off their first album “Birth” - in Pete’s opinion the best thing he has ever produced – a collection of tracks originally written for sets for Planet Angel, ID Spiral, Bingly Bongly and Liquid Connective
While people who have seen the Orchid-Star live will be familiar with most of the tunes on "Birth" they may be surprised to find that, whilst this is still a very rhythmic, big, lush sounding album, it is predominantly down-tempo. This is a legacy of the chill-out roots of this project - the second album, already half-written, promises to a much more up-tempo affair.
2007 has seen Orchid-Star back out live more including performances at Sunrise, Antiworld, Glade, Bowl and Waveform festivals, and clubs like Planet Angel and Synergy with sets ranging from their first full-on dance set to some special performances of ‘Birth’ in it’s entirety
The band saw 2008 in in style with 2 gigs in the first 12 hours and on 1st Feb their debut album ‘Birth’ was released on Liquid Sound including a 2nd CD, 'reBirth', with remixes by Youth, Tripswitch, Kuba, Subsonar and Pete.
The summer included performances at the following festivals, Glastonbury, Glade, Hadra (France), Offworld, Boom (Portugal) and Solfest though a prime-time main-stage slot at Sunrise was sadly lost to freak weather.
Their first (7-mix) single ‘Passion’ will be release digitally by Archangel Recordings on Oct.27th '08. Pre-order now from www.archangeluk.co.uk/orchidstar
Watch the video for Passion below
OUT NOW !!! : Carl Roda & Baldomer feat Nicky Teeuw "JADE" {REMIXES} - Roda Records incl. - Club Mix - Marc Fisher Remix - Maleza Mix availible on 9th July in your Musicstore !!!
Thanks for the add! Good to have you as a friend! So great to see the internet in action this way, shortening distances between people. :) I hope all's well with you and that you enjoy checking out my web site at www.faberoptime.com some time. For occasional, new, refreshing, insightful and (possibly?!) valuable content, I encourage you to sign up for my free newsfeed/email newsletter (using the form on site at page right - high quality, low quantity, no spam!). Oh and you might like to take a look at some of my vids on my YouTube channel too! www.youtube.com/faberoptime Take care and keep in touch. Best, Faber. "Just a guy trying to make the world a better place."
COME AND SEE ME ON MY STALL ON BRICK LANE THIS SUNDAAAAAAAY - TOMORROW!!! I'll have loads of bargains to come and take advantage coz I'm normally well tight innit!! ha ha!! hope to see you there xxx
FESTIVAL FASHION BAZAAR BRICK LANE THIS SUNDAY! (next to the truman brewery by the bus n the pink car n that!)
Festival Fashion Bazaar is a one off special pop-up market of independent designer festival-geared fashion and accessories situated next to the Truman Brewery, in Ely's Yard, Brick Lane.
Come and enjoy the bohemian atmosphere as this is not your everyday market! Expect roaming mannequins, bazaar performers from Prangsta Entertainments, Whoopie Club and other festival acts along with Ely's Yard's usual fine selection of world foods.
Expect to see Playsuit Parlour’s cutesy playsuits and shorts, OOPS! Fashion's African/vintage mash up pieces, MissChief Glitz head-dresses, Havelli’s delicately block-printed tent bedding, Temple of Sensuality’s seductive lingerie, Shock and Souls sparkly spectacular french vintage, Lily Vanilli’s exquisite cupcakes, Antic Establishment’s roaming minstrels, Woppie Club’s show girls and much more!!!
This is the association of two graphic designers Nico ([fracture//Lab]) and Trëz (The Orbscurarium). His aim is to promote and sell their work and to introduce the creative universe which inspires them through the announcement of different events. Have a good experience in the catacombs...
------------------------------------------- DfC seek some retailers for its tshirts ! We also wish to find places of exhibitions for our graphic works. Do not hesitate to contact us. -------------------------------------------
Thx so much for the add I love your music even more ! I wish you like my sound, tell me what you think, your opinion matters for us ! We are a French electro label, listen to our last band “haxis” Visit us and our electro music: http://www.myspace.com/neosonnix
Support your local deejay! "March Of The Sultans" is doing great at iTunes. If YOU like it, buy it and play it loud! As heard on Studio Brussel and BBC radio one!
Feeder, Ash, Gary Numan, Hundred Reasons, Kids In Glass Houses, Cancer Bats, We Are The Ocean, Attack! Attack!, Sonic Boom Six, In Case Of Fire & many more hit the Kent coast for a one-day alternative music festival this Summer!
Hevy Music Festival • Folkestone Seafront (CT20 1PU) Saturday 1st August 2009 • Gates 1pm • Tickets £48 www.hevy.co.uk
Now Available
Cyberpunkers Official TEE Shirt
for info and order send a mail here
info@cyberpunkers.com
Available in black and white
XS - S - M - L - XL