Umoja is the seventh album by Dutch band BLØF, released on 3 March 2006. It was produced with the help of numerous international artists. 50,000 copies of the album were pre-sold before it was released,[citation needed] and it became the number-one album sold in the Netherlands in the month after its release date.[citation needed] The title of the album is Swahili for "unity".

Umoja
Studio album by
Released3 March 2006
Recorded2003–2005
Length60:05
LabelEMI
ProducerBLØF, Holger Schwedt
BLØF chronology
Het Eind Van Het Begin
(2005)
Umoja
(2006)
XXS
(2006)
Singles from Umoja
  1. "Aanzoek Zonder Ringen"
    Released: 9 January 2006
  2. "Hemingway"
    Released: 5 May 2006
  3. "Mens"
    Released: September 2006
  4. "Een Manier Om Thuis Te Komen"
    Released: 17 November 2006
  5. "Donker Hart"
    Released: 2007

A documentary about the album was made in September 2007.[citation needed]

Track listing edit

Track Title Made in Recorded Length
01 "Binnenstebuiten (Yele)" Nairobi, Kenya October 2003 6:03
02 "Mens" Antalya, Turkey December 2003 3:56
03 "Aanzoek Zonder Ringen" Sado, Japan September 2005 4:43
04 "Hemingway" Havana, Cuba March 2004 3:41
05 "Wennen Aan September" New York City, United States July 2004 4:19
06 "Geen Tango" Buenos Aires, Argentina January 2005 4:37
07 "Laag Bij De Grond" Lagos, Nigeria September 2004 4:21
08 "Herinnering Aan Later" Óbidos, Portugal June 2004 3:19
09 "Vreemde Wegen" Celbridge, Ireland October 2005 4:16
10 "Donker Hart" St. Petersburg, Russia November 2005 4:07
11 "Een Manier Om Thuis Te Komen" Wangdue Phodrang, Bhutan May 2005 5:11
12 "De Hemel Is De Aarde" Adelaide River, Australia September 2005 4:31
13 "Eén En Alleen" New Delhi, India March 2005 7:01

Personnel edit

 
The thirteen countries where BLØF recorded Umoja

BLØF edit

  • Paskal Jakobsen – vocals, guitar, mandolin
  • Bas Kennis – keyboards, accordion, backing vocals
  • Peter Slager – bass guitar
  • Norman Bonink – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional musicians edit

Binnenstebuiten (Yele) edit

  • Harry Kimani – vocals
  • George Odero Achieng – orutu
  • Ongeri "Magao" Magati – percussion
  • Charles Obuya "Charlotti" Owino – percussion
  • Wicyllffe Chagala "Kaboge" Idah – percussion
  • Urvin Magarita – percussion

Lyrics translated by Harry Kimani

Mens edit

Aanzoek Zonder Ringen edit

  • Kodo
    • Tsubasa Hori – oke gun
    • Eiichi Saito – oke daiko
    • Yoshie Sunahata – oke daiko
    • Tomohiro Mitome – chu daiko
    • Kazuki Imagai – chu daiko
    • Mitsuru Ishizuka – hirado

Hemingway edit

  • Eliades Ochoa – vocals, guitar
  • Alberto Rodriguez Pineda – tres
  • Haruhiko Kono – quiro
  • Gustav Klimt Kwartet
    • Arlia de Ruiter – first violin
    • Lorre Trytten – second violin
    • Mieke Honingh – viola
    • Bastiaan van der Werf – cello

Arrangement by Tom Bakker Lyrics translated by Annet Jimènez Rodriguez and Peter Slager

Wennen Aan September edit

Dutch lyrics by Peter Slager, English lyrics by Adam Duritz

Geen Tango edit

  • Carel Kraayenhof – bandoneón
  • Orquesta Tipica Sans Souci
    • Leonardo Ferreya – violin
    • Fabian Bertero – violin
    • Guillermo Ferreyra – violin
    • Sophie Lussi – violin
    • Felipe Ricciardi – bandoneón
    • Raúl Salvetti – bandoneón
    • Afredo Gomez – bandoneón
    • Eleonora Ferreyra – bandoneón
    • Silvio Acosta – double bass
    • Leonardo Fabricio Fernández – piano

Arrangement by Carel Kraayenhof and Tom Bakker

Laag Bij De Grond edit

  • Femi Kuti – vocals, saxophone
  • Saidi Obara – percussion
  • Adekunle Adeyemi – percussion
  • Tiwalade Ogunlowo – trombone
  • Emmanuel Abowoba – saxophone
  • Olugbenga Laleye – trumpet
  • Tayo Olajide – vocals, dancing
  • Anthonia Bernards – vocals, dancing
  • Yemi Oriyomi – vocals, dancing
  • Comfort Adenike Michael – vocals, dancing
  • Olayinka Anjorin – vocals, dancing

Herinnering Aan Later edit

Lyrics translated by Mila Vidal Paletti, Cristina Branco, and Peter Slager

Vreemde Wegen edit

Donker Hart edit

  • Natalia Sergeeva – violin
  • Liana Zingarenko – violin
  • Olga Vikovisheva – viola
  • Liubov Pavlova – cello
  • Elena Abrosimova – double bass

Arrangement by Peter Bauwens

Een Manier Om Thuis Te Komen edit

  • Jigme Drukpa – vocals, dranyen, lingm
  • Ugyen Tshewang – cymbals
  • Dung Norbu – French horn
  • Tsagay – horn
  • Tashi Wangchuk – drum

De Hemel Is De Aarde edit

Eén En Alleen edit

References edit