Empire of the Sun, the visionary Australian electronic duo comprising Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore, have been making waves across the world with phenomenal live shows and anthemic smash hits for the last decade as one of Australia’s most successful musical exports.
With Steele's background in The Sleepy Jackson and Littlemore's founding role in PNAU, the duo embarked on a sonic odyssey that has captivated audiences worldwide. Since their emergence, Empire of the Sun has transcended boundaries, blending alternative electronica with mesmerizing visuals to create an immersive musical experience unlike any other.

Their seminal debut album, Walking On A Dream, which the musicians described as "a spiritual road movie" spawned iconic singles “Walking On A Dream” and “We Are The People”. The critically acclaimed second LP, disco-pop Ice On The Dune featured “Alive” and “DNA” and saw the band tour the world. Third LP "Two Vines," saw the band welcoming guests like Lindsey Buckingham, members of David Bowie's band from the Blackstar sessions, and Wendy Melvoin from Prince & the Revolution and featured singles “High And Low” and “Way To Go”.
Their chart success extends far beyond their native Australia, with their albums achieving multi-platinum certifications across the globe. In addition to their commercial triumphs, the duo has garnered an impressive array of accolades, including eight ARIA Awards, two APRA Awards, and an APRA Billions Award. With over 5.5 million albums sold globally and a staggering 7.6 billion streams, Empire of the Sun's impact on the music industry is undeniable, solidifying their status as icons of the electronic music genre. 8 years since their last LP, 2024 sees the dawn of a new era. The journey continues…this time we’re going through “Changes”.

Gheorghe Zamfir is a Romanian musician, known as "The Master of the Pan Flute",  a leading figure within the history of international pan flute music.
Zamfir is known for playing an expanded version of the traditional Romanian-style pan flute (nai). 
Zamfir came to the public eye when he was "discovered" by Swiss ethno-musicologist Marcel Cellier who extensively researched Romanian folk music in the 1960s. Brought for the first time with his pan flute to western European countries in 1972 by the composer Vladimir Cosma as soloist in Cosma's original music for the movie "Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire" and made a big success, since then, he has been used as soloist in movie soundtracks by composers Francis Lai, Ennio Morricone and many others. Largely through television commercials where he was billed as "Zamfir, Master of the pan Flute", he introduced the folk instrument to a modern audience and revived it from obscurity. In the United States his commercials were widely seen on CNN in the 1980s.
Zamfir's big break in the English-speaking world came when the BBC religious television program  "The Light of Experience" adopted his recording of "Doina De Jale", a traditional Romanian funeral song, as its theme. Popular demand forced Epic Records to release the tune as a single in 1976, and it climbed to number four on the UK charts. It would prove to be his only hit single, but it helped pave the way for a consistent stream of album sales in Britain.
After nearly a decade-long absence, Romanian pan flute virtuoso Gheorghe Zamfir returns to Canada in January 2006 for a seven-city tour with TRAFFIC STRINGS quintet . In the program was include a world premiere: Vivaldi's Four Seasons for PanFlute and string quintet arranged by Lucian Moraru, jazz standards, and well-known favorites.
Gheorghe Zamfir & Traffic Strings
Most recently, Zamfir has been sampled by Animal Collective in the song "Graze" on their EP Fall Be Kind.

One of his most notable contributions was to the soundtrack for the classic Australian film Picnic at Hanging Rock. His first appearance in 1972 as soloist interpreter in a movie soundtrack was in Vladimir Cosma's "Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire" with a very famous and successful melody known all over the world. His music has also been heard on the soundtracks of many Hollywood movies. He was asked by Ennio Morricone to perform the pieces "Childhood Memories" and "Cockeye's Song" for the soundtrack of Sergio Leone's 1984 gangster film "Once Upon A Time In America". His music is heard throughout the 1984 film "The Karate Kid", and his piece "The Lonely Shepherd", recorded with the James Last Orchestra, is featured in Quentin Tarantino's film Kill Bill Vol. 1. The melody "The lonely shepherd" was written by James Last and first released on his album "Memories from Russia", released 1977 (Polydor Germany 2371 856). The panflute was played by Gheorghe Zamfir, who had a contract with the Philips record company. An agreement was made that Philips could release "The lonely shepherd" as a single (45 rpm) on the Philips label.
Zamfir continues to concertize and record a wide variety of music. Sales of Zamfir's LPs and CDs have generally been strong, owing to their purchase by many buyers who previously had little or no exposure to the pan flute, but who found its exotic, soothing sonority of great appeal. 

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