It’s the year 1982 and copper wires are crisscrossing the walls of my bedroom that my brother and I shared. Listening for the crackling of the beat as we moved the wires around trying to pick up the signal of the pirate station, Radio Carolina or Radio Luxemburg. The weather conditions had to be just right so you can hear world music that no one else was playing.
I first heard the funky base of Atmosfear’s Dancing in Outer Space pulsating out of the static of the medium airwaves, it was nothing I had heard before. The record had come out a few years ago and for my 11 year old self, this was the future, the future was funk. The hypnotic beat made you feel like you were really in outer space. This was one of the records that got me into this music, they sounded American, Its only years later that I realised they were British.
Unknown to me at the time this was the beginnings of the Brit funk era where so many classic tracks came out that are still played today and feel fresh. Flash forward 36 years and I was looking forward to photographing the band at the 100 Club in March 2020. But then the virus scuppered that. Hopefully, they will play later in the year.
Having listened to the track a number of times the remix is as good as the original bringing back the atmosphere and certainly the excitement of that era. The track can be purchased on the link below on their website from the 22nd April 2020.
Cofounder, principal writer and original bassist Lester ‘LB’ Batchelor leads his evolutionary band to recreate the excitement and intrigue of Atmosfear’s own brand of intergalactic British Jazz Funk with a completely new recording entitled ‘DIOS:2020’. The single is released on Earth Day (22nd April 2020) and marks Atmosfears rebirth.
“The launch of DIOS:2020 is not meant to supersede Dancing in Outer Space. However, it marks a momentous period in my life, to not only honour my original composition but also to offer fans a new interpretation that is of this millennium. It aims to capture the energy of every band member during our live performances.
This is how I feel Right Now” LB
The new recording features the talents of ‘LB’ – Bass, Space Bass and Vocoder, Francesco Mendolia (Incognito) – Drums, Orphy ‘Vibes’ Robinson MBE – Xylosynth, Antonello Filaccio – Keyboards, Dee Byrne – Sax, Kenny Barry – Guitar, Shelley ‘Deeizm’ Debenham – Lead
vocals (Rap) and opens up an exciting new chapter to ATMOSFEAR’s musical legacy.
OFFICIAL DIGITAL RELeASE DATE – 22nd APRIL 2020 ‘EARTH DAY’
About Atmosfear
Atmosfear emerged from the ‘Brit-‐Funk’ scene along with Light of the World, Incognito, Freeez, Linx, Hi-‐Tension, Level 42, Central Line, Shakatak and many others. The band was formed in 1979 and their most notable release was “Dancing In Outer Space”, which reached the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart in 1979. A double A-sided single followed, “Motivation” / “Extract” which did not chart. This track also became BBC Radio 1 DJ, Pete Tong’s club track of the year when it was released.
About Brit Funk
There is only one aficionado of the British Funk scene and that is Gilles Peterson, you can catch him playing a recent top 20 of Brit funk from the period 1979 to 1982 on his World Wide FM show.
Brit funk (or Britfunk) is a musical style that has its origins in the British music scene of the late 1970s-1980s. It mixes elements from jazz, funk, soul, urban dance rhythms and pop hooks. The scene originated in southern England and spread with support from DJs including Greg Edwards, Robbie Vincent, Chris Hill, Colin Curtis and Gilles Peterson.
Links
Atmosfear – https://www.atmosfear.info/
Flickr Music Photos – https://www.flickr.com/photos/alalchan/albums/72157632650868299
World Wide FM – https://worldwidefm.net/
