This is what rapper Blaxtar said in an interview about the cooperation with Kaizers:
The Dutch rapper Blaxtar can be heard on the new album of the Norwegian band Kaizers Orchestra, to his own surprise. The artist contributes a Dutch part to the song "En for orgelet, en for meg."
"I haven't heard the result yet," Blaxtar tells us on the phone, laughing. "You surprised me. I was approched by my distributor Rough Trade. That is also the label of Kaizers Orchestra. They wanted to release a separate single in a number of countries, with different rappers. I didn't know the band yet, and honestly, I thought of Kytemans Orchestra. This is a complete blind date, I've never met them. But it's a nice song, and the style immediately grabbed me. I recorded the lines in my fast studio Morgan Avenue in Den Dolder. I sent them out, but I never even got a download confirmation. All this was several months ago."
According to Blaxtar, it was immediately clear that he should rap in Dutch. "I've learned that when a track is meant solely for the Dutch market, there is no point in rapping in English. Except for Kyteman, where the entire album is in English and French." Of course, Blaxtar wanted to write lyrics that fit the chorus. He received the Norwegian text and used Google Translate to get started. "I understood that the song is about an old woman, who is sad that her husband ran away with their daughter. She pours two drinks: one for organ and one for herself. She is a bit lost. I sent my lyrics through Google Translate and then to the band. I think they were pretty enthusiastic."
On March 26, the Norwegians play at Paradiso. Will Blaxtar join them? "If they ask me and it's possible, that would be great, yes. Could you just send me the single? I'm pretty curious." In Germany, the single was recorded with rapper Prinz Pi, and in Sweden with Timbuktu.
You can listen to the Dutch version on this podcast!
Thanks a lot to Linda for writing down the lyrics and translating them! A short remark about the translation: "noren" can mean both "Norwegians" and "ice skates" - a nice (though not really translatable =;-)) ambiguity.
En for orgelet, en for meg | One for the organ, one for me |
| Een voor de orgel, een voor het dametje | One for the organ, one for the lady |
| Kamertje heeft twee gaten in het plafond, hageltjes | There's two holes in the room's ceiling, lead shots |
| Twee schoten, een dubbelloopse winchester | Two shots, one double-barreled winchester |
| Ze, drie liter benzine om te matchen | She, three liters of gasoline to match |
| -Bom fire- | -Bom fire- |
| Zelf overgoten loopt ze rond met een benzinelucht | Self-drenched she walks around with an air of fuel |
| Beatrice, wiebelen op de stoel | Beatrice, rocking on the chair |
| Hond op schoot, schoothond | Dog on her lap, lap dog |
| Denkend aan de dochter | Thinking of her daughter |
| Godver-dikkeme | Fuck it |
| Volgt nu de flashback | Here is the flashback |
| Eg setter meg og pumper for å få rett klang | I sit down and pump to get the right sound |
| Dagen er for kort og nåttå er for lang | The day is too short and the night is too long |
| Så eg skjenker Absolut oppi to glass av krystall | So I pour Absolut in two crystal glasses |
| En for orgelet og en for meg | One for the organ and one for me |
| Og eg kan ikkje bretta opp kjolen, det får bli en annen sang | And I can't roll up my dress, that would be another song |
| For ein: Eg har ikkje skjorta. Og to: Eg er ikkje mann | Because one: I don't have a shirt. And two: I'm not a man. |
| Så eg skjenker Absolut oppi to glass av krystall | So I pour Absolut in two crystal glasses |
| En for orgelet og en for meg | One for the organ and one for me |
| Svart går i dur og kvitt i moll | Black is major and white is minor |
| Og når eg vil opp, tar eg en halv kopp med svart | And when I want to get up, I take half a cup of black |
| Eg heller i og cirka sånn er nok | I pour, and about this much is enough |
| Og så drømmer eg meg vekk som i et ekstatisk sjokk | And then I dream myself away like in an ecstatic shock |
| Ruzie met d'r ex man, d'r ex man was weg | Fighting with her ex husband, he left |
| want hij kon niet meer dealen | Because he couldn't deal anymore |
| met een moeder die te gek was, letterlijk | With a mother who had lost it, literally |
| Scheef is gaan rijden, hang met mijn noren | Is starting to ride askew, hanging with my Nordic skates |
| Klapmetaforen, onhebbelijk | Clap skate methaphors, rude |
| Een voor de orgel, geef 'm een borrel | One for the organ, give it a drink |
| Whiskey, 't is de biggy blax | Whiskey, it's the biggy blax |
| Friend | Friend |
| Eg setter meg og pumper for å få rett klang | I sit down and pump to get the right sound |
| Dagen er for kort og nåttå er for lang | The day is too short and the night is too long |
| Så eg skjenker Absolut oppi to glass av krystall | So I pour Absolut in two crystal glasses |
| En for orgelet og en for meg | One for the organ and one for me |
| Og eg kan ikkje bretta opp kjolen, det får bli en annen sang | And I can't roll up my dress, that would be another song |
| For ein: Eg har ikkje skjorta. Og to: Eg er ikkje mann | Because one: I don't have a shirt. And two: I'm not a man. |
| Så eg skjenker Absolut oppi to glass av krystall | So I pour Absolut in two crystal glasses |
| En for orgelet og en for meg | One for the organ and one for me |