The second in an ongoing trilogy of albums, Citizen Deep’s ARCADE 2< builds up on the South African producer’s sonic adventure, which started with 2021’s ARCADE. “ARCADE 2 has a slogan,” Citizen Deep tells Apple Music. “And, the slogan is ‘Afro-house with some soul’.” The albums lives up to the mantra, as it sees the producer gathering vocalists like Azana, Just Bheki, ZaneeMusiq, Nkosazana Daughter and Umzulu Phaqa and more to merge with his soulful production that’s embellished with a vast array of sounds. While the album’s artwork makes a subtle reference to arcade games—peep the 50-cent coin hanging around Citizen Deep’s neck—‘ARCADE’ is also an acronym for “A Rare Collection of Art Designed to Entertain”. Below, Citizen Deep takes us through the making of each song on ARCADE 2.
”Bheki's Prayer” (feat. Just Bheki)
“Just Bheki and I were meant to work a long time ago. When we [finally] got into the studio, the vibe was so dope, that we just played whatever we had [on hand]. I had this chord progression that got him to tap into that energy where he would write something so deep and so spiritual in terms of the message, which is why I ended up calling it ‘Bheki’s Prayer’.”
”Ethembeni” [Citizen Deep & Azana]
“‘Ethembeni’ also came about the same way. It was the first time I met Azana. And her work ethic is so crazy that we'd open up projects; things that were not done; ideas—but then she'd write immediately. It’s why the song is so special, because most of the instruments, the drums and the feel of the song came from what she had written and how she had delivered the vocals.”
“Baba Mongameli” (feat. ZaneeMusiq) [Citizen Deep & El Maestro]
“I thank El Maestro for trusting me with this project, because I had just started with the album and I paid him a visit in the studio. And when he played me the song, he was like, 'No, you can have it. You can add your flavour.' Because I think he trusted that I would give it the direction that he wanted. And I was surprised that he was like, 'No, this is for your album.' So yes, the song was almost done when I got it and I just added my flavour and we recorded the vocals with Zanele.”
“Umhlaba Wakho” (feat. Nkosazana Daughter & Azana)
“After working on this project, I lost it. It wasn't done. It did not have vocals yet, but I played it for a friend of mine and his reaction was that the song was perfect. And I told him that the only downside is that I lost the project, but after some time I was able to get it, and Nkosazana and I were meant to work [together]. And when we got to studio, this is one of the beats she heard. And she also got Azana, who I wanted to put on the project [anyway], but because now Azana fell in love with Nkosazana's touch on the song, it inspired something in her too.”
“Ngentombi” (feat. Vernotile)
“We’re on track five, and all the song titles are in Zulu. Which is crazy, because Vernotile is from KZN also as well; most people who are on this album are from there. But, with ‘Ngentombi’, the message was deep, and I've always wanted to work with her. From the stuff she had released with Sun-EL Musician [2020’s “Ithemba], I've always wanted to work with her. Only to find out that the energy is the same. And, when she was in Johannesburg, she just let me know and we rocked.”
“Gqizi Qakala” (feat. Umzulu Phaqa)
“‘Ngentombi’ was the first time I met Vernotile. She came with Umzulu Phaqa, and I did not know her in person, but I loved her music. So, I sent her this beat. This beat right now is rocking, it’s probably 110 BPM. It’s a very slow beat. But when I made it, before I sent this song to her, it was 123. It was very fast, but she gave it that feel and I felt like we need to make it a laid-back song.”
“Kiwi'’ (feat. Inalekuma)
“I'm Tsonga-speaking. My brother and I had a sit-down—he had an intervention for me, and he mentioned that I always work with people from different ethnic groups, however, he had not heard anything that has a Tsonga feel. That inspired this song more than anything. It was challenging, and it took me some time to find someone who was going to give me that feel that I wanted in terms of that Tsonga sound, and trying to add a young, modern taste; my perspective to the Tsonga feel. But then I came across Amukelani [Inalekuma], and I think she connected with it so much that when you listen to your traditional Tsonga music, and this, you can tell that there's a big connection. It's inspired by the stuff we used to listen to; the traditional stuff that our parents listened to. It's my taste of the Tsonga sound, and I’ve given it that house feel also.”
“Uzobuya” (feat. Azana)
“Azana wasn't in the best of moods when she got to the studio. When she explained to me, she was like, ‘You know when you have those sad days and you just say to yourself, I just want to make music’—which you can feel with ‘Ethembeni’ and ‘Uzobuya’. There's that that feel, that sad romantic feel and the writing. This is actually the first song we had recorded. So, she just went in with these emotions. It’s a song about uBaba, the man of the house leaving with the kids; it’s a plea for him to come back. Azana was able to tap into that energy, and put it out there in song.”
“Dtjoh” (feat. Jessica LM)
“‘Dtjoh’ was recorded the same day as ‘Umhlaba Wakho’. I hadn't met Jessica ever, but I had this beat I had worked on. Jessica and Nkosazana in studio also have a crazy vibe; they are not afraid to be creative. ‘Dtjoh’ has no meaning. It's a made-up language, which they wrote on the spot, and it was so great to witness.”
“Dali Lalela” (feat. Just Bheki & Vernotile) [Citizen Deep, Josiah De Disciple & Atmos Blaq]
“How many people are on the song? It's myself, Just Bheki, Vernotile, Josiah De Disciple, who is an amapiano artist, and Atmos Blaq, who's into Afrotech. So, it's going to catch people by surprise because it's a fusion of all these sounds. It's a fusion of all these sounds. Just Bheki and Vernotile, they're on the album, but I felt like I needed to bring them back and hear what they have on the up-tempo scale. I am grateful to have collaborated with Josiah De Disciple and Atmos Blaq, because we had tapped into an energy that I don't think I could tap into on my own. That's the beauty of collaboration.”
“Let's Do It Again” (feat. Afrotraction) [Citizen Deep & DJ Terance]
This is the oldest song on the album. It was done back in 2017. I remember using my small PC. It was way ahead of its time, because this kind of music, nothing has changed. The way it was done back in 2017 is the way it's being released right now. Big shout out to DJ Terance and Afrotraction also for carrying this song and making it what it sounds like. The song’s been there for five years just waiting for the right time. And I believe that it's the right time. And funny enough, it's the last song on the album and it says, let's do it again. The message means, ‘Play the album again. From the last track, let's start all over’.”
Tracklist:
- Citizen Deep - Bheki's Prayer (feat. Just Bheki)
- Citizen Deep & Azana - Ethembeni
- Citizen Deep & El Maestro - Baba Mongameli (feat. ZaneeMusiq)
- Citizen Deep - Umhlaba Wakho (feat. Nkosazana Daughter & Azana)
- Citizen Deep - Ngentombi (feat. Vernotile)
- Citizen Deep - Gqizi Qakala (feat. Umzulu Phaqa)
- Citizen Deep - Kiwi (feat. Inalekuma)
- Citizen Deep - Uzobuya (feat. Azana)
- Citizen Deep - Dtjoh (feat. Jessica LM)
- Citizen Deep, Josiah De Disciple & Atmos Blaq - Dali Lalela (feat. Just Bheki & Vernotile)
- Citizen Deep & DJ Terance - Let's Do It Again (feat. Afrotraction)
Stream the track below.
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