The First Light Orchestra

THE FIRST LIGHT ORCHESTRA is a roots reggae and dub band based in Florence, Italy. Formed in 2005, the group’s sounds are drawn mainly from the Jamaican and British roots and dub of the Seventies. However, this choice of direction does not in any way limit the musicians or keep them from experimenting and scouting into other sonic landscapes. The group is composed of musicians who come from various musical genres (reggae, afro, samba, soul, funk) and who all originate from different parts of Italy except for the lead singer and guitarist Pavle Djukic who is a British-born Serb. The current line-up includes also Alessandro Pujia from Calabria on drums, Giacomo Villani from the Pistoia mountains on bass and Marco Sirigu from La Spezia on percussion. Apart from their own shows, the band has also worked as a backing band for artists such as Fido Guido, a versatile singjay from the southern Italian city of Taranto, and the South African poetess Natalia Molebatsi. Over the past two years they have been concentrating on studio work and are looking to quickly expand the number of their recordings. At the beginning of 2007 their song "Soul Brutalization" (in defence of the forests) came out on the pro-Chiapas compilation "Un Cafesito Mami". In June 2008 their first 10 inch vinyl will be released through Matxino Records, featuring the songs "Natty Dread No Dead" (stating that the rebels are alive and well), "Before It's Too Late" (a call for introspection and self-respect) and "Under Pressure Skank" (a Lee Perry-type dub with Roberto Sanchez on melodica). The songs were partly recorded in Pavle's analogue studio in Italy, then finished off and mixed at the Lone Ark Studios in Santander (Spain) by Roberto Sanchez (famous for his roots activity with the bands Basque Dub Foundation and Lone Ark Riddim Force, and with singers such as Earl 16, Kiddus I, Alpheus, amongst others). Taking time off from live shows, in May 2008 they will be back in the studio working on their next releases.CONTACT: thefirstlightorchestra@gmail.com TEL: (+39)3472275008 or (+39)3335947880