JAZZANOVA's Sonar Kollektiv label celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2007. To mark this momentous occasion they formed the SK ORCHESTER - a Sonar Kollektiv allstar band made up of members of JAZZANOVA, artists and musicians connected to the label, enhanced by further local musicians resembling the finest of their craft label artists. This fifteen musician strong ensemble is almost a big band and so truly earns the name Orchestra. The complete instrumentation is 3 vocals, 4 strings, 3 horns and a full rhythm section.
The SK ORCHESTER is led by VOLKER MEITZ who has worked with JAZZANOVA, DEPHAZZ, WIR SIND HELDEN and ROSENSTOLZ to name a few. He is joined by a highly skilled group of musicians. A trio of three of singers make up the bands leads vocalists. These are ESTHER COWENS, WILSON MICHAELS and CLARA HILL, who recently released her own new album Folkwaves on the label last year (SK161CD/folkwaves). CAROLINE SIEGERS and ANJA-SUSANN HAMMER from the string section, both played on said Clara Hill's Folkwaves album, while their colleague SIBYLLE STROBEL (Violin) has played for the BERLIN PHILHARMONICS, GRÖNEMEYER, RONAN KEATING and VIRGINIA JETZT! The SKO also boasts of a full brass/horns sections thanks to the talents of NIKOLAUS NEUSER (trumpet/flugelhorn), DIRK STEGLICH (tenor sax, clarinet, flute) and PETRA KRUMPHUBER (trombone, euphonium). Guitars are supplied by KALLE KALIMA who has played for JIMI TENOR as well as JAZZANOVA, GEORG LEVIN and THIEF, with PAUL KLEBER from MICATONE takes care of the bass grooves. And last but not least RAINER WINCH and PHILIPP KULLEN make up the rhythm section on drum-kit and percussion respectively. With a team of musicians like this you would expect some pretty impressive results, and the SKO sound is indeed nothing less than exceptional. The full length SK ORCHESTER album (SK170CD/illicity) is a cross selection of tunes from the SK label back catalogue put into an orchestral context thanks to brand new arrangements for a 15 piece band. The album features such JAZZANOVA classics as Love & You and I , No Use, Boom Clicky Boom Klack and Let Your Heart Be Free. Also included is the MICATONE song Run and CLARA HILL's Silent Distance, Midnite Marauders by FAT FREDDYS DROP singer JOE DUKIE and How To Find Royal Jelly by THE LOST SCROLLS OF HAMARIC amongst others.

The entire album has a gloriously warm and funky sound. The arrangements throughout have a genuine lounge feel with a tight horns section, fender rhodes and true-soul vocals. It’s a super hi-fi production thanks to VOLKER MEITZ who worked with the band as producer on the whole SK ORCHESTER project. For this reason the song Africa re-written in 2002 by VOLKER MEITZ himself and re-arranged especially for the SK ORCHESTER has been picked up for digital release on Digital Kollektiv! And in 2 special versions: a radio-edit and an exclusive live version!
Africa is a re-interpretation of GEORGE DUKE's latin-jazz-disco classic Brazilian Love Affair from 1980. And the SKO's radio edit is a funky jazzy number with a wonderful afro feeling throughout, driven on with PHILIPP KULLEN thumping the congas as only he can. The exclusive version has been recorded for the premiere of the SK ORCHESTRA at the Sonar Kollektiv festival at TAPE CLUB (Berlin) during POPKOMM 2007 and as you will hear the SONAR KOLLEKTIV ORCHESTER sounds just as fresh live on stage as they do on record.