Dana Shanti's sole mark on 2020 (save August's release of her pulled-from-the-archives Butterfly In the Storm) is possibly her most stirring and potent of her career. Doubling as both an autobiographical glimpse into her childhood behind the Berlin Wall, and commentary on the current state of human interaction, the genre-defying and self-produced Stronger Than Walls rejects the idea of being beholden to any sort of boundary or vehicle of separation. Said Ms. Shanti about the Daniel Cordero co-produced standalone single:

“As a child of East Germany, borders and walls were a reality I never questioned. Seeing them fall caused me far more fear than joy, and it took me awhile before I was able to expand beyond the borders that had been built in my mind. “Stronger Than Walls” is my response -- and something of a call to arms -- to anyone who finds themselves buckling under the feeling of being restricted. It is merely my offering to a larger soundtrack for what I hope to be a spiritual renaissance for humankind.”

Stronger Than Walls

Dana Shanti feat. the intern - Remedy

BLUE SKY,
is the first single from the PLANET EARTH STUDIO SESSION, a three-track wonderland envisioned and curated by Berlin based Singer-songwriter Dana Shanti. 

Blue Sky highlights Shanti's sultry and smooth vocals amidst an opus of melodic currents, featuring Haggai Cohen-Milo on contrabass and Tobias Fröhlich on drums. This trio brings to life a full range of emotions, while offering listeners a constant sense of harmony and wholeness.

The acoustic Urban-NeoSoul sound is captured perfectly in this live studio recording, and offers an intimate perspective on how the fading of summer, and the desire for brighter sun-kissed afternoons, feels in the onset of winter. Not without hope, however, Shanti magnificently encapsulates the beauty of these moments within her nostalgic hymn. 

Blue Sky is musically, lyrically, and vocally the type of song that can transport you into the happy memories of the past, while at the same time giving you hope for the future. Perfect for cozying up on a cold evening and tuning into your favorite easy listening playlist.



Recorded at Planet Earth Studios Berlin
Engineer and Mixing: Quincy Cojones
Master: Seth Hamilcar for Sound Of Cannae (SOC)



Song written and composed by Dana Apitz
piano/voice: Dana Shanti
contrabass: Haggai Cohen-Milo
drums: Tobias Fröhlich




Cover art: Anna Berroth

BLUE SKY

Broken Glass explores the entanglements of love and heartbreak, reality and illusion, joy and sorrow - things that we all experience at some point in our lives. Honing in on one’s ability to turn pain into something beautiful, Dana Shanti magnificently displays these contrasting, yet intertwined, emotions in both lyrical, and musical context. Broken Glass offers a sense of deep sentiment that transforms into a powerful, unstoppable force.

With an ambient, and playful, first phrase, Broken Glass beautifully introduces each player one at a time. Voice, contrabass, grand piano, and then slowly the drums join, escalating the groove into a churning steam engine that sets Shanti’s powerful, and full ranged, vocals free to flourish the grooves and scales. Mimicking the fluctuations in life - the ups, the downs, and the sideways - each phrase flows effortlessly into the next. An excellent example of both musical composition and top notch songwriting, combined with the eloquent chemistry of the trio, is captured perfectly in this live studio recording.

BROKEN GLASS

In this third installment of the Planet Earth Studio Session by Dana Shanti, Water gives us the rarest of opportunities - a dance in the rain with our inner child. The magical combination of a simple change of weather, paired with the brooding of a storm, can provide a unique sense of wonder. Likewise, Shanti sonically evokes feelings of youthful playfulness and spontaneity, alongside our more intimate sense of vulnerability, offering us a journey downstream of deep and intoxicating reflection.

As strong as the currents in a churning river, Water holds a ship-sure groove that carries its listeners from the very first key all the way down to the last drop of the journey. In wonderful storytelling fashion, Shanti paints a picture of a passerby caught in the rain. Running for cover, but childishly enjoying the mad dash to safety, she exquisitely parallels the human epic of life’s little adventures. Like seeing the universe in a grain of sand, or seeing your soul in a drop of water, this song is your beacon of light on a cloudy day.

WATER

The first single from Dana Shanti’s five track Ep, Cosmic View, is Turning - a slow churning soulful tune, laced with a tender and delicate soundscape. Using minimal instrumentation to leave ample space for Shanti’s vocal tendrils, with the subtle underlying bass by Or Rosenfeld, Shanti has produced this track to perfectly display her unique disposition. This piece addresses the constant repetitions of life’s bittersweet lessons, and our ability to choose a perspective of joy over one of misery.

Song written and composed by Dana Apitz
Recorded and produced by Dana Shanti
@Vaida

Bass @Or Rozenfeld
Mixing & Mastering @Adam Whittaker

Turning

Morse is the epitome of a love song. A big, fulfilling, evolving love that is deep and transformative. Beginning with playful overtones reminiscent of butterflies in your stomach, you are soon swept up by a smooth, rolling melody that sets you adrift amidst the eb and flow of the soulful seas. Riding waves of r&b and soul infused currents, Shanti’s vocals take you beyond the horizon where feelings of distance and longing metamorphose into a sense of movement and oneness.

M O R S E

If ever were an epic tale of tragedy turned to joy, The Abyss would most certainly be its soundtrack. Once again, Shanti creates a powerful dichotomy of sorrow and hopefulness beginning with only her voice and a piano in the opening stanza. She sets the stage of a world in disarray, yet with an undeniable presence of something magical waiting to be discovered. Her call to embrace the moment, for within it is a constant state of wonderment, is the sage advice everyone seems to be searching for.

The ABYSS

SpaceFusionJam at Malena Bar, with Dana Shanti, Wynton Kelly Stevenson, Leo Pogodda & Kris Tidjan, recorded and mixed live by Giotto

SpaceFusionJam at Malena Bar, with Dana Shanti, Wynton Kelly Stevenson, Leo Pogodda & Kris Tidjan

What Is Wrong With Groovin'

When love is not enough
And attempts to communicate end like knotted threats
Left alone with reflections and questions, a puzzled mind, searches to find understanding in its own echo.
"Off Guard" is the expression of that feeling.

written, produced & sang @Dana Apitz alias Dana Shanti
mixing & mastering @Mathis Peckedrath alias The Intern

Dana Shanti - Off Guard

DanasTag live SpaceFusionJam 
Dana Shanti, Wynton Kelly Stevenson, Leo Pogodda & Kris Tidjan at Malena Bar, Dec 2014
Recoreded, mixed & effected by Giotto

Doctor Delay

DanasTag live SpaceFusionJam 
Dana Shanti, Wynton Kelly Stevenson, Leo Pogodda & Kris Tidjan
at Malena Bar, Dec. 2014
recorded, mixed & effected by Giotto

We Jammin'

No Sad Face

Fighting For Nothing live

Happiness

live at Lagari feat. Wynton Kelly Stevenson (Beatbox) und Joy Stuhr (Cello)

Mr Sandman Live

...a little sneak preview into the upcoming album

Album Snippet - Anything to hold - Sandman - Upside down

Is there Anything to Hold,
When everythning, yes everything goes?
Is there Anything to Do,
When everything, yes everything moves?
Is there Anything to Say,
When everything, yes everything Fades....

The first song of my recently published Album.

Anything To Hold

Sandman

Dana Shanti -Sandman (Werd Remix)

Berlin-based singer/songwriter, Dana Shanti, is a product of a bygone era wherein her country quaked in the shadow of the Berlin Wall. It was behind this wall that she was taught early to create that which she couldn’t otherwise obtain. This lesson spurred her to try her hand at music composition via a variety of instruments, pre-production of her own work, choreography, and both filming and film editing. 

Steeped in nuance and subtlety, her music stands as anti-pop made for the patient, discerning ear and has been described by one of her collaborative partners as “a terrific slow burn”. As the artist self-explains “The music of my favorite artists and main influences -- Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Sade, Erykah Badu, and Tracy Chapman -- is what one would get if they turned a healthy, home cooked meal of organic food and pumpkin coconut soup into sound. I count myself as an artist in what I hope is a similar vein.”

Dana Shanti

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