A heartfelt indie pop tune with a familiar arrangement and textural choices that is sure to have you tapping your foot and singing along to one of the many melodic hooks is “Into the Dark” by Kita Menari. Lyrically the song plays with the concepts of being stuck in the social constructs of today and trying to break the cycle but also to me it is a sad love song about being all alone in the world. Visually stunning artwork and a long history of releasing great tracks Kita Menari delivers with his new piece “Into the Dark”. Learn more and stream from other releases below!
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
You would be forgiven for thinking the music from Kita Menari, a project born from a near death drowning experience and homed in the grounds of the resting place of the last German Kaiser, would be steeped in sorrow, angst or depression. However Micha de Jonge takes a much more positive outlook on life since that fateful day in Malaysia 2 years ago.
“I was diving in this incredible lagoon in Malaysia, really soaking in my surroundings when suddenly my oxygen tank jammed underwater. I very quickly went from serenity to panic as I fought my way to the surface before the end of my last breath”.
Back on shore, Micha told of his experience to the locals and, determined to celebrate winning his dance with Death, drank until dawn. When he awoke he found a penned note in his pocket consisting of the words ‘Kita Menari’. “I don’t know how it got there and I didn’t know that the words meant ‘we dance’ in Malay. As soon as I found out I thought ‘that’s it’! From now on that is going to be the motto of my songwriting”.
On returning to the Netherlands, Micha set about approaching songwriting from a new, reflective angle. What transpired was a sound as vibrant as Passion Pit with the electronic hooks of MGMT and sonic energy of Parisian dance pop outfit Phoenix.
Micha’s unusual living arrangements have only helped hone his new found energy and positivity within his work. He resides in a 40-hectare estate called Doorn Huis, famous for being the final home and now resting place of Germany’s last Kaiser, Wilhelm II. “In the Netherlands the government have a program where you can apply to live in some weird and wonderful places to deter squatters and burglars” de Jonge mentions. This one-of-a-kind environment influences his determinedly positive take on music. “I won’t bore you with the history of Doorn Huis but it means I’m surrounded by a lot of amazing images and objects that inspire me and my music. It’s a little like winning the lottery to be given the chance to live in such an inspiring, amazing location.”
According to de Jonge, the fragility of life should lead us to a greater celebration of life. For him, to dance in the face of adversity is the only way to remove life’s intensity, it’s what makes us feel human. By letting go of life’s serious side the band enjoy life to the fullest and this is certainly reflected in the absolute joy of the songs of Kita Menari. Micha quips “everything in life becomes relative if you think about what would happen to the world if you would no longer be here. Because nothing would change. One person is just not that important, life’s beat goes on. For me, that means I can go through life rather careless. Like a child, in a flow. It’s a knowledge I cherish.”
New EP ‘Finally Awake’ will be released on April 26th. Singles ‘Feel It All’ (Feb 22nd) and ‘Pretty Sure’ (Jan 11th) were supported by international blogs The 405, Earmilk and The Line Of Best Fit. Collectively the tracks went on to appear on Spotify’s ‘New Music Friday’ playlists in AUS/NZ, Mexico, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and home country The Netherlands. Apple Music would also select ‘Pretty Sure’ in 11 ‘Best Of The Week’ playlists worldwide. Kita Menari soon found themselves #1 on Hype Machine’s ‘Most Blogged Artists’ with ‘Pretty
Sure’ climbing to #3 in their ‘Popular Now’ charts. On January 19th Kita Menari performed their most important show to date at ESNS in Groningen to an audience packed full of industry tastemakers.
Debut single ‘Young Lovers’, released in May 2017, immediately found itself included on Apple Music’s ‘Best Of The Week’ as well as Spotify’s ‘New Music Friday’ in both the UK and NL where it would go on to appear in the top 5 of both countries Spotify Viral Charts. Micha quickly set about putting a band together and were soon invited to play various Dutch radio shows, including biggest public radio station Radio 2FM and new music station 3FM. Here there were named ‘Nieuwe Naam’ (New Name) by Radio 2FM with ‘Young Lovers’ named ‘Radio Hit Of The Week.’ All this before they had even played one live show. Their debut performance came in front of more than one million people on popular Dutch TV-show De Wereld Draait Door. Lagoon EP was released in February 2018 alongside a sold out show at Paradiso in Amsterdam.
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