Atmosfear
Adrzej (Andy) Sojka (b. 10 July 1951, d. 12 February 2000) formed Atmosfear in late 1977 to record the type of danceable jazz/funk that he knew would sell in UK specialist soul shops, including his own, All Ears. This influential band's nucleus included Sojka (guitar), Lester Batchelor (bass), Anthony Antoniou (rhythm guitar) and Stewart Cawthorne (saxophone). Various drummers and other session people were involved, often including Light Of The World's Peter Hinds. Atmosfear claimed to be the first UK band to record jazz-funk and the first to start its own label, Elite. Whenever it looked as though they had a hit on their hands, they would lease the master to a major label. This happened with their debut single on MCA in 1979, "Dancing in Outer Space", which entered the UK Top 50. The band continued to record throughout the 80s but never returned to the pop chart. A businessman, musician, producer and prolific writer, Sojka also produced several other acts on the Elite and Jam Today labels, including Level 42, whom he signed to Polydor Records in 1980. He died of multiple myeloma in February 2000.
Listen to Atmosfear
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Top Tracks
- Motivation
- Dancing In Outer Space
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