Aquamanda (Amanda Greatorex) has been mesmerizing many a chill-out room with her celestial voice, having played at The Big Chill festival on a number of occasions (maybe even in 2011 - watch this space!) , where she enchanted the mind & body stage with her breezy seductive songs. Previously you may have seen her at Glastonbury, Mass, The Fridge, Pendragon, the Dulwich Arts Festival, Goose Green Festival, and London Fashion Week (93ft East). Maybe you'll catch her at one of her rare and special appearances peforming her intimate repertoire of new material in 2011.

The albums here, feature songs old and new, drawn from personal experience, exposing an emotional Aquamanda very much with her own take on life. Songs of longing & intimacy, wonderment and angels, a need for space, a need for expressing love. The new compilation (Dark Side of the Room) is at times heartwrenchingly sad....."we all have moments at the end of the day where we sit alone in the dark side of the room, where life catches up with us, where you try to hold on, carry on, and move on - it's about picking up the pieces".

Many tracks feature real instruments whilst embracing technology, with Amanda playing grand piano, autoharp & monochord (a 26 stringed instrument producing a drone and harmonics - as heard on "Kiss the wind") or a string quartet swelling around that heavenly voice ( "Angels"). Her craft of songwriting shines through this timeless collection of songs.

John Peel put her first release “Knees Up Mother Earth” (with Knights of The Occasional Table) in his Festive 50 calling it “a lovely record”. Amanda wrote all the hippy trippy lyrics and multi layered the spacey vocals in keeping with this iconic rare sell-out of an album (which you can listen to in it's entirety here).

Aquamanda has released 12" dance tracks on her own label "FAIRY CAKE UNIVERSE" Here Amanda is in her own cosmic disco! (check out the compilation cd of the same name). Evidence of her scientific and intuitive thoughts on the universe are abundant. The joy of enlightenment through dance, love, stars, meditation, the elements, the interconnectedness of everything. Already with a BA in Fashion/textiles under her designer belt, she then went on to explore her natural abilities to work with energy (Tama Do Academy of Sound, Colour & Movement Diploma with "the father of Vibrational healing, Fabian Maman). Red gave her a headache. Magenta pink was her colour top to toe for a decade.

"Beautiful", the 2003 12" release on pink vinyl began the production partnership with Larry Lush who has worked with Amanda co-producing many tracks plus the folktronica project, Chinashop - David Clarke Allen's latin influenced guitar and Amanda's trademark voice and insightful lyrics. David has since gone on to work with Larry to develop his instrumental electroflamenco style under the name of Widescreen.

A regular at Dulwich Picture Gallery performing best on the lawn in the open air (summer 2010 Dulwich On View party) or by the old masters at launches and late night openings. "I only seem to play in buildings of architectural significance!"

Amanda's vocals have impressed and inspired other artists to collaborate and remix her tracks. Haris & Automatic dance remix of "Angels", James Hare (aka the drum and bass dj/producer "Perception") uses Amanda's vocals and takes them to another dimension! Examples of which you can hear on the cosmic disco compilation. Slicing up the cheeky yet romantic song "Statue" and producing "Oblivious" and "Close my eyes" from the choice cuts. Plus there is the dancier remix of "Wonderland" which incidentally James originally co-produced whilst he was still at school.

Back in the lovely leafy burbs of Dulwich, you may find Amanda in various Choral Societies nestled amongst the sopranos. Performing Verdi's Requiem at Blackheath halls this spring with JAGS choral society for example. Like such sacred music, you get a sense that Amanda's music connects to the source...

Click on DJ Aquamanda on the home page for list of gigs and venues re djing: dj Amanda has a wild time of her own - from Dax's 7th at the scout hut, Carolines's 40th at Soho House, a civil partnership at Dulwich College to Brucie's 80th at the BBC

Other stuff:

Amanda also writes for dulwichonview (art & music), and is a volunteer schools art tour guide at The Dulwich Picture Gallery. She's on the Friends' Commitee there too and has designed over 80 posters for Friends' events over the last 3 years. Previously being Chair of Dulwich Village Infants' PTA (2007-2008) instigating creative projects such as the recording of a Christmas CD of all 210 children, various design projects, and co-odinating school fairs, discos, parents event nights, she's a regular local in the know and can pull it all together over a cup of coffee (usually found in her morning office - Romeo Jones cafe, Dulwich Village). PR and event organising is her "day job" this being the 4th year of working with the presenters of The Charity Awards, Grosvenor House Hotel, June. Last year she conjured up a star studded cast of 13 presenters with the host at the helm, Jo Brand.

In the meantime she's juggling two lovely boys and a full time film & video course (2010-11) whilst tutoring local mums over tea and biscuits with creative and technical dilemmas (from installing software and photoshop projects), PR for MidCentury Modern www.modernshows.com (Dulwich College twice a year - "the coolest show in London") and working with the groovy Rollerdisco people www.rollerdisco.com in Vauxhall (Catch Amanda Djing at Family Jam, Saturdays) and where our future Queen Kate famously took a tumble in her pink leggings - all for charity!