Umoja (album)
| Umoja | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 3 March 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2003–2005 | |||
| Length | 60:05 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producers | BLØF, Holger Schwedt | |||
| BLØF chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Umoja | ||||
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Umoja is the seventh studio album by the Dutch rock band BLØF, released on 3 March 2006.[1] It was produced with the help of numerous international artists, with the band traveling to thirteen different countries for each of the tracks. Before its release, 50,000 copies of the album were pre-sold, and it became the number-one record sold in the Netherlands in the month after its release date. Umoja received double platinum certification. Its name is Swahili for "unity". The album was re-released in a special vinyl edition in 2016, with remastered tracks and four news songs.[2]
Documentary
A documentary film about the album was released in September 2007, titled Manier Om Thuis Te Komen – Umoja Live. It consists of a concert by the band at Nieuwe Luxor Theater in Rotterdam and contains the stories behind how and where the songs on the record were written. The film was directed by Van Houweninge jr. and bassist Peter Slager, and it was shown in cinemas on 20 September.[3]
Track listing
| 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
BLØF
- Paskal Jakobsen – vocals, guitar, mandolin
- Bas Kennis – keyboards, accordion, backing vocals
- Peter Slager – bass guitar
- Norman Bonink – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Additional musicians
Binnenstebuiten (Yele)
- 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
Aanzoek Zonder Ringen
- 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
- 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
- Counting Crows
- Adam Duritz – vocals
- David Immerglück – electric guitar, mandolin
Dutch lyrics by Peter Slager, English lyrics by Adam Duritz
Geen Tango
- 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
- 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
- Cristina Branco – vocals
- Custódio Castelo – Portuguese guitar
Lyrics translated by Mila Vidal Paletti, Cristina Branco, and Peter Slager
Vreemde Wegen
- Terry Woods – bouzouki, concertina
- Paul Harrigan – uilleann pipes, tin whistle
- Shane Martin – bodhrán
Donker Hart
- 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
- Jigme Drukpa – vocals, dranyen, lingm
- Ugyen Tshewang – cymbals
- Dung Norbu – French horn
- Tsagay – horn
- Tashi Wangchuk – drum
De Hemel Is De Aarde
- Mark Atkins – didgeridoo
- Mark Robinson – didgeridoo
- Bronson – vocals, clapsticks
Eén En Alleen
- Pravin Godkhindi – bansuri
- Rafiuddin Sabri – tabla
- L. Kishore Kumar – sitar
- Santosh Mishra – sarangi
- Dhroeh Nankoe – vocals
References
- ↑ "BLØF Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ↑ "BLØF-album Umoja verschijnt op vinyl" [BLØF album Umoja appears on vinyl] (in Dutch). Omroep Zeeland. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Bløf sluit Umoja-periode af met muziekfilm" [Bløf closes Umoja period with a music film]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). 12 September 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2026.