Orlando ‘The Don’ Lund - songwriter, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer from London.

I began songwriting seriously (and prolifically) in about 1990 when I was signed to Virgin Music. I've explored many different genres and incorporated them into my production style. I play a variety of instruments – guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion, vocals.

In 1992, after recording the launch single for Dorado Records Ain't No Fun under the name 'Monkey Business' - and developing a hi-octane taste for soul and funk music, I formed the famously 'off the wall' soul-funk-jazz collective The Big Cheese All Stars. Our collaborations culminated in 1995 with the release of the riotously soulful double album Prawns. This contained many of my original compositions interpreted by a group of the most influential and talented musicians in the London Soul / Funk / Jazz scene at the time. Although not entirely defined by the genre, it's regarded now as an Acid Jazz classic, combining a twist of PFunk with a heavy dose of Soul. Our funky-energetic shows became renowned in London and on the European live circuit, where we played alongside the likes of James Brown, Gil Scott-Heron, Fred Wesley, Roy Ayers and others.

In 2012, I teamed up for the first time with soul-singer-extraordinaire Sheela Gathright. Originally from New York, Sheela's talent runs in the family (she is the daughter of Willie Wright, enigmatic soul artist and songwriter from the 70s, well-known by crate-diggers). By the end of 2013 we had co-written and produced an album of original material called Palma Groove Project. This too became the name of the band. The album was released independently in December 2013. The first single "What You Need" reached No.2 in the SoulSpain music chart, garnering much praise - "Sheela's animated, charismatic, and soulful vocal performances light up the album. Her honest lyrics inhabit the groove, and she explores familiar topics with a great sense of humour, humanity and tenderness. The Palma Groove Project album showcases great songwriting, great musicianship, and superb use of melody and vocal harmonies. The album successfully cross-fertilizes funk with elements of pop, blues, jazz, soul, rock and salsa." Use the embedded player below to preview the full Palma Groove Project album on SoundCloud. It can be purchased for £7.90 on iTunes, and Amazon. There are also many videos of the band on YouTube.

In 2016, a chance musical meeting with gifted Milanese soul singer-songwriter Sergio Cocchi, trumpet player Pepe Ragonese and his brother Pancho Ragonese (Wurlitzer electric piano) spawned a production / songwriting project called Spacecake International. The first recordings for the album Unicorn Street quickly began to take shape at my studio in Mallorca. Spacecake International also developed into a live band, and in 2019 the finished album, featuring original compositions co-written by myself and Sergio, was finally released. Once more I took control of all production & arranging duties (as well as a good 70% of all the instrumentation). Unicorn Street is "an honest, and sometimes scathing take on what it means to be on Planet Earth in 2019. Fusing Jazz, Psychedelic Soul, Space-Rock, Funk and Groove with Steely Dan-esque and Zappa inspired arrangements, the songs take you on a musically exhilirating ride down Unicorn Street, a journey listeners will want to repeat again and again." The album was released again in 2020 in Japan by P-Vine Records. Use the embedded player below to preview the full Spacecake International album on Bandcamp where it can be purchased for £7. It's also available on iTunes, Amazon, and Tower Japan, and can be streamed on many of the usual resources such as Spotify, Deezer, and Pandora.

Some artists who I can say definitely influenced and 'moved me' as a songwriter, musician and producer include: Sly & The Family Stone, Steely Dan, Donny Hathaway, Cameo, ParliamentFunkadelic, Roy Ayers, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Chuck Brown, D’Angelo, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Little Feat, Gil Scott-Heron, Herbie Hancock, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder and many more….

Please use the links below to follow and find additional content on social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, iTunes).