I am Bastiaan Kamãvena, I am a medicine musician from the Netherlands. I humbly ask you to support a vision that is seeking its way into the world - and that is recording an album of sacred prayers from the Brazilian Amazon in my musical composition, through my study with the Yawanawá tribe. With the blessing of my dear teacher Matsini Yawanawá, the album is slowly being created. With your help, we will be able to finish it, and as an act of gratitude, each donor will receive a digital copy of this work.
I had the honor to experience many cultures and teachings. One of them, the indigenous tribe Yawanawá, conquered my heart. During the last seven years of profound study of their music, spirituality and culture, I became a bridge and alliance who translates the voice of Yawanawá to the western world. My own musicality, combined with theirs, started to emerge, blossom and shape into my own musical expression of their sacred prayers, called Saiti.
For all these years, I kept most of the prayers for ceremonies, where they entered into the hearts of the people. More and more people have been asking me to record them. After years of hesitation, I feel the time is ripe to open this intimate creative process again. So eight years after my last solo album Portals of Light and the trilogy of Astral Flowers, I stepped into a studio again.
HOW THE ALBUM IS BEING BORN
The sacredness of the chants and my respect for the indigenous traditions of the Amazon made me hesitant to bring them outside ceremonial context. But nowadays the songs from the Amazon spread all over the world, bringing people together and bringing healing.
Also, I went through my own personal healing and growth processes. When growing stronger on the spiritual path, the initiations and challenges also become stronger.
After I finished a more serious and profound diet in Mutum in November last year, with Matsini Yawanawá guiding me, I felt a new chapter opening.
The 5 songs I am recording represent the scope of feelings alive in me right now. Journeying through the world of sound and silence. Organically moving from deeper, melancholic, mysterious energies to more uplifting, joyful and upbeat energies.
Work on the album is in full swing and far beyond the borders of the Czech Republic, where I started recording in the Barrandov studio in Prague, March 2024 with the producer and multi-instrumentalist Yarousek Helesic and with the love and support of of my czech friends from Yuxibu Xarabu. Recording also took place in Mutum in the Brazilian Amazon, where Matsini and Kenetsãiny Yawanawá contributed and blessed the album with their voices and prayers. Percussion is being recorded by amazing drumtek artist Nadav Dagon in Israel. The recording continues in Oslo, Norway, with my dear brother Txai Fernando.
WHY THIS FUNDRAISER
A professional album recording and its global distribution involves various expenses, such as
Studio time
Mixing and mastering
Guest musicians
Artwork
Travel expenses
Assistant
In the beginning of my musical development, I started to record at home with my own recording equipment, in a very simple and humble fashion. And shared those recordings on my SoundCloud and with the album Me Leva.Â
About 8 years ago I recorded around 40 songs within 2 weeks, for my band Astral Flowers with Txai Fernando, inside his magical studio in Oslo. These songs have been spread out over 3 albums these last years, and still there are some songs waiting to be shared. During that time I also recorded in Los Angeles another album, called Portals of Light.
Eight years have passed and I feel that the music I create remains alive in people and brings healing where it is needed. That's the mission I'm trying to fulfill with the new album as well. The help received from this fundraiser will help me make my visions real, help me create a work that will touch people's hearts.
If the fundraiser goes well, we have an ambition to make animated music video for one of the songs.
VISION
I have always felt that where I receive, I want to give back. My future aspirations are to keep on supporting the Yawanawá by helping them with the maintenance and structuring of the Spiritual Healing and Diet Center, Samakey, in Mutum. With bringing and supporting groups there for spiritual diets, retreats and festivals. The fountain of their spirituality is very profound, potent and magical there. My teacher, Matsini Yawanawá, is the spiritual teacher there, and as well the chief of the village Mutum. He and his family are guiding the people who feel the calling to study their spirituality, music and tradition and those who are in need of healing. For me personally, my study with them has been life transforming, and I wish to support them to continue sharing their magical school and inspire people to go there who feel the calling to enter into this study without end, and receive the healing that they need.