Bits_of_Lily
The watery feel of the music matches the floaty feel of the lyrics as they form a little river with mystical steam rising from it when it is morning and the sun hits it for the first time.
"HOSH DAR DAM" [MIND THROUGH BREATH]
Sop wakht meykheyzim / i wake up early
Namaz meykhonnum / i pray
Dua meguyum / i supplicate
Jai namaz mishinum / sat on the prayer mat
Chiz nameykunnum / doing nothing
Haych-iz nameykunnum / doing absolutely nothing
Tanhar .... / alone
"NAZAR BA QADAM" [SIGHT ON STEPS]
Shahr raftum / went downtown
Mardum mibinum / seeing people
Chatyaat gap meyzannan / talking shit
Aadam ~ dushman / mankind ` enemies
Harr jai naan / food everywhere
Qahwa shirin / coffee, sweet
.Qand. / sweetie
ee Chocolatee mibinee? / you seeing this chocolate?
Labreez / overflowing
Kulle chiz / everything
Dukhtarar / all the girls
Labkhand / smile
"SAFAR DAR WATAN" [JOURNEY HOME]
Espand billau band / this is peganum harmala (espand)
Bidoun e haqq i Naqshband / without Shah Naqshband
Goom shuddum / i'm lost
Paydar meykunnum / i'm finding
Khudum paydar / finding myself
Baad az Kabul jaan / after lovely Kabul
Dunya raftum / i went to the world
Afrikaa raftum / i went to africa
Amrikaa raftum / i went to america
Mordum / i died
Mordum / i died
Raah paydar kaddum / i found a way
Raah e sabz paydar kaddum / i found a green way
Khudawand mibinum / i see God
Harr roz da qalb a ma / every day, in my heart
Meerim / i go
Wakht e sop ke meykhezum / when i wake up early
I was on my own
Falling through the sky
Down into the ocean
I try , I lie
No more swimming motions.
No more survival.
Time has come to end it.
Let me be with You.
I can croon too
Bubbles out my mouth
I’m a piscean fish with a
Star in my south
Sacral chamber
I live with the danger,
Life on a knife edge
I nudge my fader
Phase in
A body built with sin
And nobody acknowledging
That sin is still a thing
It’s all cool,
Drinking soda by the pool
Sugar candy in their stool
Faces like a multi-tool
I evolved
I didn’t wanna stay
I looked in the mirror saying
Gotta be a higher way
I let go, like my dependence on eyesight
Let go, like my dad teaching me how to ride a bike
My human form
Bubbles out me at dawn
I speak the wordless language of the blue ones, unborn
In the Spirit world
And I take it with me
You see me in the gym but yeah,
Do you really?
My body is a veil,
The soul ship has a sail
Liquid lifeforms have shells
We emerge out our cells
Splutter into existence
On a painted highway
Splashes everywhere,
With no care
(My way)
Lean in to the motion
You call it chaos
Lifeforms around me
Chaos is way off
Infinity of order
Divine delightful
Meant to be here
Third-eye insightful
Life time, just a flash in the sky
I don’t hold on and I don’t ask why
Life time, just a flash in the sky
I won’t hold on and I won’t ask why
PRAYER (WHALE)
PRAYER (AFGHANISTAN)
O Merciful God,
Shower us with Your Mercy
Unite us, so that under the celestial sky of your generosity and gentle grace
We are united, in solidarity, and in sincere faith harmoniously living with one another.
O Merciful God,
Grant comfort and peace to the people of Afghanistan –
They desire unity, love, equality, and solidarity.
They detest war and its destruction.
O most Merciful God
Aid our nation in this battle,
This battle of light against ignorance and darkness.
O generously Merciful God
Provide us succor
So that in the embrace of your mercy
We can reach our dreams
That we may aid our people and nation
That we may be united and prevent those wishing to preclude
Harmony, peace, and progress among us.
O merciful Lord
Prevent the schemes of the oppressors and defeat them.
O merciful God
Cast out from among us the oppressors!
Grant us your generous aid
So that with a united front – as sisters and brothers –
We stand against the unjust oppressor and save our country.
O God of the heavens and earth!
Whatsoever we ask and desire we request from your limitless mercy and blessings.
Help us and protect us
Amen, O Lord of the worlds.
about
MASTAKAI is falling down a black hole in slow motion.
MASTAKAI is falling down a black mountain.
MASTAKAI hears voices.
VOICES ask him questions in friendly LA accents
VOICES ask questions like,
“What kind of music do you make?”
MASTAKAI grabs their hand passionately so that it will bruise tomorrow
With wide eyes and amber perfume in his beard, he says,
“There was an echo that trailed behind after the synthesizer pop music of the Afghanistan in the late 70's and 80's. That was the last time we were free from war. It was also the time that our popular music was approaching its most experimental point. Then war began. The echo pulsing through time was a mystical continuation of that wild and free keyboard sound, unrequited, playing in the spheres. It was an echo that no-one else heard but me..."
For years, MASTAKAI has been running after this sound without knowing
In fact, the echo had been waiting for MASTAKAI to catch up to it.
The time has now arrived, and Ziyara is just the beginning.
Ziyara is a somber selection of stimulants from the piscean underworld.
The dust of our earth forms into a raw collapse of hard beats
A blue cloud with sun filtrations spiking outward with
Sharp snares.
A pattern created out of the fighting streets
A distorted crackly voice echoing the spirit of
Those old wild synths and freehand hearts
A poet channeling the moderates of the city who sung in unison
~ Allah hu Akbar ~
From their Kabul rooftops
Just before these new rulers came into town.
This voice and rough spirit has chosen now to play itself out
Against the black shadow that is today’s
Ignore-Afghanistan-ignorance
The silence that we know
Will reverse itself
Again.
"Our country now has no worthwhile voices speaking for it.
There are only tiny-minded men with small eyes hiding behind glasses
Men whose heads are black, wrapped tight with
No moisture or joy left within.
They wish the pause button to remain pressed on our
Music. For no new sounds to evolve from the streets
For no tropical drips or
Heartfelt trips.
The echoes and sounds that can’t be spoken by most
Will come out and be vibrated through the being of
MASTAKAI."
VOICES change and squint, transforming into factional
haterations, hollerations,
“Who do you think you are? Leader of your people?”
MASTAKAI smiles, “Your foolish questions reveal your limitations
You do not believe that we are all potential leaders, whereas I do.
Each of us with voices must craft songs of inspiration
And vision for our people.
The people will feel and know who and what is of interest to them and react accordingly.
MASTAKAI is not into politics, unlike the religious vice squad and diaspora activists on either side.
MASTAKAI makes a beautiful wave for all to ride upon
Many would rather complain about the small-headed ones
Whereas MASTAKAI builds upon the rebel spirit that already exists in us
The spirit of bakas-chi, ba tu chi
What’s it to them, what’s it to you?
As Rachid Taha once asked, Tekitoi ?
And just who are you?
“Why are you angry?” the young VOICELET cries
"Because I embody love and this world is full of filth.
Because I lose those I love.
Because I like to fight you.
Because I like living."
MASTAKAI is your furry eyed ataan-spinner
MASTAKAI is an ancient sub-tribe of the Zazai (Zazi / Jaji) people
The MASTAKAI tribe was particularly known for their joyous dancing
And free, euphoric spirit.
MASTAKAI, over the years, would become MISDAQ
These brothers then became builders with timber
Their proud son MISDAQ would tread westward
To London, and later,
California.
And just as the ataan dancer casts a brief look back over their shoulder
So MISDAQ re-embodies MASTAKAI once again
Embodying the ancient spirit of
Get the fuck out of my face and
Watch me live with my beautiful joy
And wild freedom, the likes of
Which can never be had by those who
Live within safety nets and boxes of their own creation
Trying to stay within the bounds of respectability.
MASTAKAI laughs then spits upon the grave of your respectability
May it rot in hell.
GOD is the Spirit of everything within you.
GOD is as you choose to believe in Him.
MASTAKAI dances between the cracks
Slick enough to stay alive
Smart enough to still have a heart broken
Brave enough not to smile
MASTAKAI says GOD is all
And our broken hearts will find healing
Within the feeling.
-
Dedicado:
To: my father, who let me play with his tapes and vinyls to make my first beats, who let me leave the dinner table early to do whatever experimentI was up to when I was just a child, playing; who accompanied me into manhood, never once asking me to restrict my play or passions, no matter how hard it became. You allowed me to become a man still creating original music into his 40th year of life. You will never leave my heart, not even until the end of time. To: the people of Afghanistan, as my father held you in his heart all his life, so I hold us all in mine. Though we are separated, we all can meet each other in meditation and contemplation of one another, and in this we can all be happy. Your joys are not based on finance, and neither are your woes. All we can give one another is our silent love, all we must practice first is patience with each other, acceptance of each other, all based on the love for our Beloved - and this will be sufficient for us. Our “ignored” suffering is never ignored by our Beloved, who heals us; may we never forget. To: Every Divine Woman in my life who has ever loved me, given me support, kindness, a wish to understand, and most of all, allowed me to give my love to them. There's nothing else. To: my only brother in the world, thank you for listening to Ziara, and honouring it by your beautifully interpretive artwork. To: new listeners, I am willing to say everything, and I will continue speaking songs like these, for as long as I’m allowed to. Thank you,
M. Y.
credits
released May 20, 2022
Guitar, drum machines, synths and vocals: MASTAKAI
Album artwork: Omar Mizdaq @The.Starry.Knight
Closing prayer: M. A.
PR: Derek Sivers, Brennan Stebbins, Chris Roberts
MASTAKAI, (previously Yoshi / Yusuf Misdaq) has lived many lives in many places. He was making beats, writing lyrics, producing music and singing songs long before he was born. He is from Afghanistan. He will die there, and be reborn again there.
The Singaporean producer samples and recontextualizes Malaysian music with love, care, and just a touch of irreverence. Bandcamp Album of the Day Jun 28, 2018