Oasis, by Zitakula

Oasis

by Zitakula

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The real deal: the complete vinyl LP of our debut album.

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Comes in a gatefold card case, with all the artwork designed by Machine.

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1.	Frenzy 03:56	lyrics	buy track
It’s a dark world And there’s no light to be seen We have broken all our dreams Forgotten how to use our wings Hope is forbidden, but can you keep it away? Explosions of colors dripping down the wall Shattered glass, careful not to fall It’s snowing in the bathroom There’s a hurricane in my head today is one of those days That I feel like screaming There’s dust on all my windows The sun fights to let through light Winds are blustering through my bedroom Thunder sparks my neural pathways Thick clouds on the ceiling I think we’re about to have a storm It’s gonna rain seas Flowers sprouting in my head I’m standing in the eye of a hurricane And the storms are raging in my brain I feel I’m standing at the edge of something big And I can’t see what it is The leaves on the trees are way too thick Today is one of those days That I feel like screaming
2.	Children of the Sun 04:02	lyrics	buy track
Oh the shadows They crawl out of the shadows Hear the children of the sun Within the very blood in our veins as children of the sun Lies the potential for our greatness We’re not meant to live in shame and weakness We build, we go upward We were meant to overcome We are the architects of splendor Built in crimson and gold We are hollow men—tricksters so clever Happy to welcome you into the fold We are children of the sun We answer to all your fears Sweet like a siren’s song Climbing higher and higher and higher Then we fall Oh the shadows They crawl out of the shadows Hear the children of the sun
3.	Bonzenga 03:41	lyrics	buy track
Africa Mema nga na Africa Na mona bonzenga ya ebale Nayoka loyembo likolo ya bangomba Na pokwa lokola ndeke Africa Mema nga na Africa Esika diamant na wolo ebimaka Kasi bomengo ya solo efandaka na motema na motema Africa nalingi yo mingi, Africa Bonzenga bonzega mama, Africa Ebandeli ya bomoyi ya moto, Africa
4.	Why So Mad 04:00	lyrics	buy track
Why you so mad Why you so mad You’re keeping tabs Ready to let loose if I ever miss the groove I know you don’t like me Go ahead and write me an essay, I wouldn’t read it anyway I know you want me to spill the tea But I sip water, crystal clear For you to see that I really don’t care, I really don’t care Hypocritically smiling at me Spreading words that never could be Truth is you want me to pay attention to you, yet Boohoohoo I bet you thought I’d cry But I really don’t have the time Cause right now I’m jamming with the guys Jamming with the guys Why you so mad Damn straight, can’t touch this, even if you tried Go ahead and hate I feed on your masquerade And they say that I’m the child My mama always told me Jealousy will make you ugly Didn’t get the memo, no? Check your reflection, bro While you have this fixation Generating your own suffocation I’m getting this addiction to brand new realisations And I thought like, all this anger, that can’t be healthy Maybe you should try some soul searching Yoga, anger management classes, mindfulness Why you so mad Hating on me, dissatisfaction Calling for desperate reactions Chill down! There’s no killing my flow I was born ready to go And just so you know I had fun putting up this show!
5.	Mirage 04:26		buy track
6.	Bwanya 04:55	lyrics	buy track
Mosika na yo Mosika ya nyoso Mosika ya mokili Oyo ezali kokomisa biso liboma Payadayadaya Na ko lela te Na ko nganga te Na ko wela te Tango ekoki ekofungwama Na za na posa ya koseka te Na ko lela pe te Na za ngai yo pe oza yo So so la, so so la Toza komisala mabe na maloba Pasi na pasi Nazo loba, nazo loba Kasi ozo yoka nga té Je parle mais tu ne m’entends pas Et même quand je crie tu ne m’écoute pas Elongi na yo ya mawa Azalaki ko ngenga Nzoka elili ya mawa Okoli kasi ozwi bwanya té Toza komisala mabe na maloba Pasi na pasi Nazo loba, nazo loba Kasi ozo yoka nga té
7.	Quicksand 03:21	lyrics	buy track
Look into the depth of my eyes Can you see the fire? Burning my bones, consuming my soul Buried by the quicksand Don’t follow the quicksand It’s the flood that generates my body The sound that clings to my ears and eases my fears Don’t be the dream I never had Un mirage in the dry desert Look into the depth of my eyes Can you see the fire? Burning my bones, consuming my soul Buried by the quicksand Don’t you follow the quicksand Liquid make-believe, dripping down the stream Following the path, leading to a dream If I used the stars to find my way they wouldn’t show me how to find The oasis of your eyes But I sure as hell can follow the quicksand Look into the depth of my eyes Can you see the fire? Burning my bones, consuming my soul Buried by the quicksand Don’t you follow the quicksand
8.	Missing Home 03:31	lyrics	buy track
I’ve been feeling like coming home But it’s a tricky situation See I’m staring at the line called horizon Where the sky touches the ground And I’ve yet to see the world But I’m already missing home I’ve put my first steps in the world And it’s both scary and beautiful Like the face of a nightmare beneath the seams of a dream I’d love to show you all I’ve learned But it’s just a drop in the ocean It’s a mystery I’d like to solve You know me It’s the answer that I need You know me Yet to see the world but I’m missing home
9.	The Silk Road 04:06		buy track
10.	Georgine 03:28	lyrics	buy track
Je veux danser avec toi Contre les vents et marrées je serais toujours la Quand le soleil n’est pas présent Quand tu perds le sourire Ouvre ton coeur et rejoins moi Tu vois le ciel est bien plus beau quand on est toi et moi Contre les vents et marées tu n’es pas seul souviens toi Ouvre ton coeur et tu verra Prends moi la main rejoins moi Laisse le bonheur prendre place dans ton coeur Et danse et danse et danse Je veux danser avec toi Contre les vents et marrées je serais toujours la

about

About the album

Zitakula took its time to prepare a debut album, but in the end it all happened very quickly. Barely four months after the fortunate day that singer Sandy Miessi Bakomi joined the band, we spent two weeks in Schenk Studio in Amsterdam to lay down the tracks for this record. Two weeks we spent immersed in nothing but music, in an oasis of fun and hard work at the end of a busy year. We got to work with an amazing and tireless crew that remained in good spirits throughout the whole session. To us, oasis signifies the safe haven in which we are free to spend our time making music, which is a true privilege in these troublesome times.
But oases are also a source of life in a sometimes hostile world, just as music is a source of energy for so many of us. Oases have sustained the caravans and traders in desert area’s that have long brought the wealth of Sub-Saharan Africa to Mediterranean Europe. In that sense they signify the meeting of so many traditions and languages that lies at the heart of our music. In the end we hope this record can be its own oasis: a place of the specific sounds and stories of these ten songs, a place to dwell and a place to return to. Enjoy!

— Zitakula, December 2016

Chance Encounters

Music is an encounter. If you have once had the pleasure to see Zitakula play, you may recognize that their music is made for new encounters.
I remember a bright summer day in Amsterdam’s Vondelpark, not far from the rehearsal space where the band members first met. It was a lazy day, filled with sunshine, laughter and chance encounters with people whom I hadn’t seen for a long time. And Zitakula played, and played, and played…
On stage, the musicians connected over and over again—with each song, each bar and measure, each thrust of the saxophone, punch of the bass or gentle wail of the Hammond organ. Rose-ringed parakeets, those green world travelers who have made the Vondelpark their home, flew by. Gazing upon the stage, they fluttered their wings in approval.
These exotic birds are Zitakula’s namesake—warm-blooded expats who don’t seem to belong in the Dutch foliage. But as with many things, juxtapositions like these make for the best encounters. The same goes for Zitakula’s band members, who—with their diverse backgrounds—bring different ingredients to the table. From afrobeat to swamprock, from samba to jazz. Their aim is to surprise, when you, in your turn, meet them—whether on stage or on this album.
Singer Sandy Miessi Bakomi encountered her seven men only recently. She joined the band only shortly before they started working on Oasis. To plunge into a recording studio surrounded by people you have just met, to pour out your soul on record, to be vulnerable without reservations—one should try it sometime.
A band works only when there is a connection, when it has what all great encounters should have: a click. While all its members are different, Zitakula operates on a shared level of bizarreness—and musicianship—that binds these eight souls together.
Sandy found an oasis in Zitakula. This record is not only a reflection of their encounter, but also an invitation, for you, to enter this aptly titled Oasis.

— Joris Belgers, pop journalist, January 2017

credits

released April 7, 2017

Recorded and mixed by Wiboud Burkens at Schenk Studio, Amsterdam and Wipeout Studio, Den Haag, Netherlands, December 2016 | Engineer: Jan Schenk | Assistent: Casper van der Lans

Mastered by Steve Berson at Total Sonic Media, Cedar Park, Texas

Produced by Wiboud Burkens

Zitakula is:
Sandy Miessi Bakomi on vocals
Mark Oomen on tenor sax and guitars
Luc Janssens on trumpet, bugel, trombone and synth
Wolf Bierens on alto sax and baritone sax
Camiel van Zilfhout on guitars
Mathijs Boom on electric piano, organ and synth
Pieter Wolter on bass
Robbert Jaspers on drums and percussion

Additional musicians:
Chris Bruining on conga, djembe and percussion

Booking by Rob van den Bosch at Radar Agency, Amsterdam
Album artwork by Machine, www.ourmachine.com
Photography by Tim Hillege

Special thanks to: Annemieke Wolter, Beau Eckhardt, Bob Aronds, Casper Boom, Chibida Dumbu, Daniëlle Uleman, Joey Skeete Mcleed, Joris Belgers, Mario da Silva, Paul de Beus, Roeland van Doorn, Symen Verbruggen, Tess Janse, Tessel Schole, our parents, and our family and friends

This production was supported by Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, VSBfonds, Sena Muziekproductiefonds, and the generosity of all the people who helped to crowd fund this album through Voordekunst.