Fantasy - dynamic in sound

There was a time in our music industry when the band Zodiac held sway in the Negombo circuit as well as in the Southern circuit.

Led by the versatile and dynamic vocalist Roshan Hajji the band had an overall sound that drew many fans to their fold. While still enjoying popularity the band lost their leader who died in 1999, and they unfortunately disbanded. But after a spell Sudath Mannaperuma, the vocalist in the band decided to revive the band giving it a new name Fantasy, yet retaining the same members.

They are Samantha Geekiyanage - bass/vocal, Varunajith Prasanna - keyboards and vocals, and new face Shiromi Almeida - vocals. The band is a regular act on Sundays at the Taj Airport Garden's Hotel, Seeduwa from 12 in the afternoon to 3.00 p.m.

"Zodiac was a popular band in the club circuit in most of the resort hotels and even gained a popular name on concert stages. After I revived the band under the name Fantasy we were fortunate to be featured at concerts and had a couple of overseas trips. When we are not at the Taj Airport Garden Hotel on Sundays we had gigs at Capri Club, the Colombo Swimming Club, Blue Oceanic, The Beach, Browns Beach. But what is uppermost for us now is that we are working on the release of a new DVD. This is going to be our maiden album. I'm composing a selection of Sinhala songs and we hope to include cover versions of popular English hits", comments Sudath.

In case you are wondering what the repertoire of Fantasy is, let me clue you in. The band plays the hits of the 60's-80's, evergreens, Latin, reggae and are a popular choice at weddings, corporate functions and dances. "We are not into hip hop in a big way. But to satisfy our fans of Sinhala songs we have a wide, wide repertoire modern and well loved songs for their entertainment", says Sudath.

So, the next time you want to chill out on a Sunday afternoon remember Fantasy and you won't be disappointed. M.P.