Qkumba Zoo
Encyclopedia
Qkumba Zoo is a dance music
trio from Johannesburg
, South Africa
, consisting of vocalist Levannah, dancer/sculptor Tziki and musician/producer Owl. The band was originally formed by Owl and Levannah as a duo called "Ocean Road".
Track Listing
1. Rain (3:58)
2. Happy Earthday (3:42)
3. The Child (Inside) (3:27)
4. Cloud Eyes (I'm Scared, You're Scared) (4:28)
5. Flesh & Blood (4:04)
6. Big (3:48)
7. Into The Night (5:04)
8. Mermaids (4:45)
9. Time of Wonder (5:18)
11. Big - Mothership (4:15)
in 1996. As Levannah said, "We wanted to form something that could be part of the global village. And, at the same time, have it be tied to its birthplace." This is apparent with Owl's fusion of tribal & synth, backed by Levannah's trilling vocals.
Track Listing
1. Rain (3:45)
2. The Child (Inside) (3:58)
3. Cloud Eyes (I'm Scared, You're Scared) (4:32)
4. Flesh & Blood (4:03)
5. Big (3:48)
6. Into The Night (5:04)
7. Weeping (5:06)
8. Mermaids (4:46)
9. Happy Earthday (3:42)
10. Time of Wonder (5:14)
11. Big Mothership (4:04)
Their first single, "The Child (Inside)," produced by the Berman Brothers, hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1996 and #69 on the Hot 100. It peaked on the Radio & Records
contemporary hit radio
charts at #34 on 10/18/96. The 1996 Arista maxi-single of "The Child (Inside)" featured a mix by DJ Junior Vasquez that became the standard for the song in American clubs. Vasquez followed up with a version of "Cloud Eyes (I'm Scared You're Scared)" that was played regularly at the Arena party at New York's Palladium night club on Saturday nights. (More recently, for his October 2008 Halloween party, Vasquez played a mashup of his Piano Dub of "The Child (Inside)" and Shannon's "Let the Music Play" done by Swiss DJ/Producer Nick Harvey.) In recent years, the original mix of "The Child (Inside)" has been used in several US television commercials, the most popular being from Seaworld
amusement parks and Carnival Cruise Lines
.
The track Weeping was added to this release, the a cover of an anti-apartheid song by Bright Blue
, another South African band. Bonus tracks are also provided on this album, including a musical remix of "Mermaids" and two stories/poems narrated by Levannah.
in favor of their own independent label, Zoocumba Music. The unfortunate part of the Butterfly Peepl release is that it hardly gained attention, and even slipped through the hands of many QZoo fans, only having been for sale for a short time on QZoo's official site.
Track Listing
1. Beautiful (4:28)
2. Torn Between You and the Sky (7:01)
3. Invisible (3:55)
4. Slap Bang (4:00)
5. Virgin (4:28)
6. Wonder Woman (4:54)
7. DNA (4:51)
8. Butterfly People (4:03)
9. Let the Light In (4:50)
10. Words (6:41)
11. In The Moon (2:57)
The album, simply put, is all about "becoming a butterfly" - going through the cocoon and emerging as something better and new. Butterfly Peepl shows a deeper side of QZoo, diving into emotional tracks like "Torn Between You and the Sky" and "Let the Light In". However, the band still retains its initial upbeat nature in songs like "Invisible" and "DNA". Bonus tracks are also included on this album, such as a musical track with middle eastern flare that is accompanied by Levannah's "world language." The CD is also enhanced, and when played on the computer, shows a short slideshow/video promoting the album and website.
CD Sampler (1996)
1. The Child (Inside) (4:01)
2. Weeping (4:50)
3. Flesh & Blood (4:04)
4. Cloud Eyes (I'm Scared, You're Scared) (4:56)
The Child (Inside) - Promo CD (1996)
1. The Child (Inside) (4:01)
The Child (Inside) - CD/Cassette (1996)
1. The Child (Inside) - Radio Mix (3:58)
2. The Child (Inside) - Berman Bros. Remix Edit (3:58)
3. Wake Up & Dream (Album Snippets) - Weeping & Flesh and Blood & Big (4:40)
The Child (Inside) Remixes - CD (1996)
1. Extended Album Mix (4:54)
2. Junior's Club Mix (8:47)
3. Berman Brothers Club Mix (6:40)
4. Anthony Acid's Up-Lift Mix (8:41)
5. Toxic Twins Solid Waste Dub (6:13)
The Child (Inside) Remixes - Vinyl (1996)
Side A: Junior's Club Mix (8:48), Anthony Acid's Hard Drum Mix (3:52)
Side B: Berman Brothers Club Mix (6:39), Toxic Twins New Energy Dub (7:24)
Side C: Anthony Acid's Up-Lifted Mix (8:40), Junior's Piano Dub (5:03)
Side D: Extended Album Mix (5:45), Berman Bros Dub Mix (6:56)
Enhanced CD Bio (1996)
1. Multimedia Presentation
2. The Child (Inside) (4:01)
3. Weeping (4:50)
4. Flesh and Blood (4:04)
5. Cloud Eyes (I'm Scared, You're Scared) (4:56)
The Enhanced CD Bio was special because it contained an interactive track that could be played on the computer, providing a band bio, interview clips, recipes, games, and videos.
I'm Scared, You're Scared {Cloud Eyes} - CD (1997)
1. Radio Mix (3:47)
2. Album Version {Edit} (4:02)
3. Dance Radio Mix (3:28)
I'm Scared, You're Scared {Cloud Eyes} - Vinyl (1997)
Side A: Murk Big Time Club Mix, Murk Radio Mix
Side B: Murk Big Fat Dub, Murk Green Dub
I'm Scared, You're Scared {Cloud Eyes} Dance Mixes - Vinyl (1997)
1. Junior's Club Mix (9:11)
2. Junior's Tribal Beats (5:42)
3. Murk Club Mix (10:05)
4. Murk Radio Mix (3:30)
5FM presents The Santa Sessions (2002)
This CD was released by the South African radio station 5FM, and contains Christmas songs covered by South African bands. QZoo is featured on track 14 covering "O Holy Night."
Eventually, Owl resurfaced online and made it clear that he hadn't stopped making music, whether solo or paired with Levannah's voice. Tracks like "Vision Afrika 2000", "These Visions", "Spidr Girl", and "My Shepherd" appeared for fans to stream/download.
In 2009, Qkumba Zoo quietly released a new EP called N3X+, available for download on Rhythm Music Store's website.
Track Listing:
1. Earthbound
2. Torn Between You And The Sky
3. Strike Out Against The Tide
4. Karmic Book Track
5. Let The Light In
Tracks 2 and 5, while previously released on Butterfly Peepl, were remastered for N3X+. "Earthbound" was a song originally written while the band was still known as Ocean Road. Between Owl's solo work and N3X+, there is an apparent musical change from previous albums, which is now heading in the direction of traditional folk while continuing to integrate electronic/tribal sounds.
In late 2009, another official Qkumba Zoo site opened at Qkumbazoo.co.za, which contains a blog and other band info.
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
trio from Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, consisting of vocalist Levannah, dancer/sculptor Tziki and musician/producer Owl. The band was originally formed by Owl and Levannah as a duo called "Ocean Road".
BIG
Qkumba Zoo's first release was titled BIG, and released in South Africa on Gresham Records. At the time, the band's name was spelled Qcumba Zoo, and even Tziki's name was the elongated Tsatsiki. The booklet contained a very colorful, busy design, featuring original artwork from Tziki, and pictures from Qcumba's stage shows. The title track on BIG has slightly different music and vocals from its subsequent release on Wake Up & Dream, and "The Child (Inside)" has a fading outro.Track Listing
1. Rain (3:58)
2. Happy Earthday (3:42)
3. The Child (Inside) (3:27)
4. Cloud Eyes (I'm Scared, You're Scared) (4:28)
5. Flesh & Blood (4:04)
6. Big (3:48)
7. Into The Night (5:04)
8. Mermaids (4:45)
9. Time of Wonder (5:18)
11. Big - Mothership (4:15)
Wake Up & Dream
Qkumba Zoo's international debut, Wake Up & Dream, was released on Arista RecordsArista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
in 1996. As Levannah said, "We wanted to form something that could be part of the global village. And, at the same time, have it be tied to its birthplace." This is apparent with Owl's fusion of tribal & synth, backed by Levannah's trilling vocals.
Track Listing
1. Rain (3:45)
2. The Child (Inside) (3:58)
3. Cloud Eyes (I'm Scared, You're Scared) (4:32)
4. Flesh & Blood (4:03)
5. Big (3:48)
6. Into The Night (5:04)
7. Weeping (5:06)
8. Mermaids (4:46)
9. Happy Earthday (3:42)
10. Time of Wonder (5:14)
11. Big Mothership (4:04)
Their first single, "The Child (Inside)," produced by the Berman Brothers, hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1996 and #69 on the Hot 100. It peaked on the Radio & Records
Radio & Records
Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...
contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
charts at #34 on 10/18/96. The 1996 Arista maxi-single of "The Child (Inside)" featured a mix by DJ Junior Vasquez that became the standard for the song in American clubs. Vasquez followed up with a version of "Cloud Eyes (I'm Scared You're Scared)" that was played regularly at the Arena party at New York's Palladium night club on Saturday nights. (More recently, for his October 2008 Halloween party, Vasquez played a mashup of his Piano Dub of "The Child (Inside)" and Shannon's "Let the Music Play" done by Swiss DJ/Producer Nick Harvey.) In recent years, the original mix of "The Child (Inside)" has been used in several US television commercials, the most popular being from Seaworld
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is a United States chain of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, and animal theme parks owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The parks feature captive orca, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. There are operations in Orlando,...
amusement parks and Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...
.
The track Weeping was added to this release, the a cover of an anti-apartheid song by Bright Blue
Bright Blue
Bright Blue is a sporadic South African band that was prominent on the progressive scene in the final years of apartheid. The band's name "reflected the paradox of being bright in a very blue time" but was also a tribute to Chelsea FC....
, another South African band. Bonus tracks are also provided on this album, including a musical remix of "Mermaids" and two stories/poems narrated by Levannah.
Butterfly Peepl
Several years after the release of the debut album, band member Tziki committed suicide. This was one of the catalysts that changed Owl and Levannah, which can be heard in the music of their second album, Butterfly Peepl, released in 2000. In addition to the album's release, the band's name was officially shortened from Qkumba Zoo to QZoo. The group also left Arista RecordsArista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
in favor of their own independent label, Zoocumba Music. The unfortunate part of the Butterfly Peepl release is that it hardly gained attention, and even slipped through the hands of many QZoo fans, only having been for sale for a short time on QZoo's official site.
Track Listing
1. Beautiful (4:28)
2. Torn Between You and the Sky (7:01)
3. Invisible (3:55)
4. Slap Bang (4:00)
5. Virgin (4:28)
6. Wonder Woman (4:54)
7. DNA (4:51)
8. Butterfly People (4:03)
9. Let the Light In (4:50)
10. Words (6:41)
11. In The Moon (2:57)
The album, simply put, is all about "becoming a butterfly" - going through the cocoon and emerging as something better and new. Butterfly Peepl shows a deeper side of QZoo, diving into emotional tracks like "Torn Between You and the Sky" and "Let the Light In". However, the band still retains its initial upbeat nature in songs like "Invisible" and "DNA". Bonus tracks are also included on this album, such as a musical track with middle eastern flare that is accompanied by Levannah's "world language." The CD is also enhanced, and when played on the computer, shows a short slideshow/video promoting the album and website.
Other releases
While on the Arista label, many singles/samplers were released on CD, cassette, and vinyl:CD Sampler (1996)
1. The Child (Inside) (4:01)
2. Weeping (4:50)
3. Flesh & Blood (4:04)
4. Cloud Eyes (I'm Scared, You're Scared) (4:56)
The Child (Inside) - Promo CD (1996)
1. The Child (Inside) (4:01)
The Child (Inside) - CD/Cassette (1996)
1. The Child (Inside) - Radio Mix (3:58)
2. The Child (Inside) - Berman Bros. Remix Edit (3:58)
3. Wake Up & Dream (Album Snippets) - Weeping & Flesh and Blood & Big (4:40)
The Child (Inside) Remixes - CD (1996)
1. Extended Album Mix (4:54)
2. Junior's Club Mix (8:47)
3. Berman Brothers Club Mix (6:40)
4. Anthony Acid's Up-Lift Mix (8:41)
5. Toxic Twins Solid Waste Dub (6:13)
The Child (Inside) Remixes - Vinyl (1996)
Side A: Junior's Club Mix (8:48), Anthony Acid's Hard Drum Mix (3:52)
Side B: Berman Brothers Club Mix (6:39), Toxic Twins New Energy Dub (7:24)
Side C: Anthony Acid's Up-Lifted Mix (8:40), Junior's Piano Dub (5:03)
Side D: Extended Album Mix (5:45), Berman Bros Dub Mix (6:56)
Enhanced CD Bio (1996)
1. Multimedia Presentation
2. The Child (Inside) (4:01)
3. Weeping (4:50)
4. Flesh and Blood (4:04)
5. Cloud Eyes (I'm Scared, You're Scared) (4:56)
The Enhanced CD Bio was special because it contained an interactive track that could be played on the computer, providing a band bio, interview clips, recipes, games, and videos.
I'm Scared, You're Scared {Cloud Eyes} - CD (1997)
1. Radio Mix (3:47)
2. Album Version {Edit} (4:02)
3. Dance Radio Mix (3:28)
I'm Scared, You're Scared {Cloud Eyes} - Vinyl (1997)
Side A: Murk Big Time Club Mix, Murk Radio Mix
Side B: Murk Big Fat Dub, Murk Green Dub
I'm Scared, You're Scared {Cloud Eyes} Dance Mixes - Vinyl (1997)
1. Junior's Club Mix (9:11)
2. Junior's Tribal Beats (5:42)
3. Murk Club Mix (10:05)
4. Murk Radio Mix (3:30)
5FM presents The Santa Sessions (2002)
This CD was released by the South African radio station 5FM, and contains Christmas songs covered by South African bands. QZoo is featured on track 14 covering "O Holy Night."
N3X+
In 2001, after their official domain had disappeared, QZoo popped up on a new website under the name "Innaskinz". The band still consisted of Owl and Levannah, who were now paired with a woman named Cajun. Lyrics for a new song, "Strike Out Against the Tide", appeared on the main page for a brief while, but soon the site disappeared.Eventually, Owl resurfaced online and made it clear that he hadn't stopped making music, whether solo or paired with Levannah's voice. Tracks like "Vision Afrika 2000", "These Visions", "Spidr Girl", and "My Shepherd" appeared for fans to stream/download.
In 2009, Qkumba Zoo quietly released a new EP called N3X+, available for download on Rhythm Music Store's website.
Track Listing:
1. Earthbound
2. Torn Between You And The Sky
3. Strike Out Against The Tide
4. Karmic Book Track
5. Let The Light In
Tracks 2 and 5, while previously released on Butterfly Peepl, were remastered for N3X+. "Earthbound" was a song originally written while the band was still known as Ocean Road. Between Owl's solo work and N3X+, there is an apparent musical change from previous albums, which is now heading in the direction of traditional folk while continuing to integrate electronic/tribal sounds.
In late 2009, another official Qkumba Zoo site opened at Qkumbazoo.co.za, which contains a blog and other band info.