By 1997 Jay Cowley had joined and with some financial help from friends Toka Project started to put together a studio of their own. The following year saw the release of the much acclaimed ‘Be Free’ep for Chicago’s Guidance records, the title track also appeared on Guidance’s’ High Fidelity House Imprint Vol 2’. These two releases helped to push the Toka Project profile abroad and in 1999 Andy and Jay embarked on a three-month tour of the U.S and Canada with Andy Macari, stopping off in New York, LA, San Francisco, Pheonix, Philly, Tampa, Seattle, and Washington D.C amongst other places, and Montreal, Vancouver ,Whistler and Victoria in canada.
Over the course of the 90’s, Andy had been dj’ing with Smokescreen soundsystem and by 1998 had started writing tracks with fellow Smokescreen dj Laurence Ritchie, who had just moved over to Nottingham from Sheffield. As Inland Knights Laurence and Andy undertook a hectic production schedule to write tracks for Dropmusic, Laurence’s fledgling house label. This proved to be very successful with Dropmusic becoming one of the most highly regarded house labels in the world and Inland Knights becoming one of the most prolific production outfits in the house community. However Toka Project releases have continued on a parallel to Inland Knights and over the last few years have put out music on labels such as Transport, Naked Music, Sosound, Silver Network and Viva amongst others. Jay has also recorded solo as Lo-Motion for Tilted records, and Steve has undertook numerous solo projects including tracks for DiY’s ‘Nott’s Landing’ series and an ep for Filter Flow as Suburban Traveller.
The last couple of years has seen the Toka project brand as busy as ever with a multitude of releases including exclusive digital downloads on stompy.com, ep's for fellow smokescreen buddy steve Lee of the Littlemen, ep's for san fran's Tango imprint and Phil Weeks Robsoul recordings, all released to critical acclaim globally.
New projects in the pipeline include remixes for up and coming label Phobic, remixes for san francisco's Amenti records, and remixes for Agave .
Two Stones Ahead
Toka Project Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Të ka lali zemer, o sa shumë te du
Të ka lali shpirt, të ka lali xhan
Të ka lali zemer, o sa shumë te du
(Silva)
"Hej, rri normale" thua
Zemër jo nuk dua
S'je veç bota për mua
Shumë më shumë të dua
S'të gënjej kur them:
"Se lali xhan-xhan,
Lali xhan-xhan
Lali xhan-xhan të ka.
Hej lali xhan-xhan,
Lali xhan-xhan
Lali xhan-xhan të ka"
(Mandi)
Të ka lali shpirt, të ka lali xhan (Ole! Ole!)
Të ka lali zemer, o sa shumë te du (La-la-la...)
Të ka lali shpirt, të ka lali xhan (Ole! Ole!)
Të ka lali zemer, o sa shumë te du (La-la-la...)
(Silva)
"Hej, rri normale" thua
Zemër jo nuk dua
Marrëzisht të ndjej.
S'je veç bota për mua
Shumë më shumë të dua
S'të gënjej kur them:
"Se lali xhan-xhan,
Lali xhan-xhan
Lali xhan-xhan të ka.
Hej lali xhan-xhan,
Lali xhan-xhan
Lali xhan-xhan të ka"
(Dafi)
Komercial kohët e fundit
O bo Prishtina-Tirona
Po evulon muzika po luhet sot
Siç po ta don
Rrepi po m'bon sllogan
Fast slow jetën ta zgjat
Yeah girl, unë ty po t'pushtoj
Me fjalët më t'mira
Për vete po t'boj. Se:
(Mandi)
Të ka lali shpirt, të ka lali xhan (Clap Your Hands)
Të ka lali zemer, o sa shumë te du (Ole! Ole!)
Të ka lali shpirt, të ka lali xhan (La-la-la...)
Të ka lali zemer, o sa shumë te du (La-la-la...)
The song "Two Stones Ahead" by the Toka Project is a love song that highlights the intensity of love between two people. The song is written in Albanian and references the concept of "lali xhan" which is a metaphor suggesting that someone has been struck by Cupid's arrow. The repeated refrain "Të ka lali shpirt, të ka lali xhan, Të ka lali zemer, o sa shumë te du" translates to "You have been struck by lali xhan in your soul, in your spirit, and in your heart, how much I love you". The lyrics portray the singer's deep love for the person they are addressing and how they will always love them even when they are gone.
Overall, the song is a tribute to true love and the power it holds in bringing two people together. It is a celebration of the intensity of love and how it can transform individuals, making them willing to go to any lengths to stay together.
Line by Line Meaning
Të ka lali shpirt, të ka lali xhan
Your soul, your spirit, your essence, is possessed by another, consumed, and controlled by it.
Të ka lali zemer, o sa shumë te du
Your heart beats profoundly for someone, and whatever they do, you will always love them.
"Hej, rri normale" thua
You ask me to calm down, to take it easy, but my mind and heart are not in my control.
Zemër jo nuk dua
I don't want your heart, your love because it's not mine to have.
Marrëzisht të ndjej.
I feel crazy, insane, and uncontrollable when I think about you.
S'je veç bota për mua
You are not just the world to me, but you make my world complete.
Shumë më shumë të dua
I love you more and more with each passing day, and it's something I can't control.
S'të gënjej kur them:
I'm not lying when I say:
"Se lali xhan-xhan, Lali xhan-xhan Lali xhan-xhan të ka.
"You are possessed, controlled, and consumed by another. You are not fully yours but theirs.
Hej lali xhan-xhan, Lali xhan-xhan Lali xhan-xhan të ka"
You are their possession, their essence, and their spirit, and it's hard to break away from them.
Komercial kohët e fundit O bo Prishtina-Tirona
The music industry is changing, and commercialization is becoming more prevalent. Nowadays, it's all about Pristina and Tirana.
Po evulon muzika po luhet sot Siç po ta don Rrepi po m'bon sllogan
Music is always evolving, and it's played the way people want it. However, it's always going to be about the beat and the rhythm.
Fast slow jetën ta zgjat Yeah girl, unë ty po t'pushtoj
Whether it's fast or slow, love takes time. And even though we're not moving at the same pace, I'm still pursuing you, girl.
Me fjalët më t'mira Për vete po t'boj.
I'll speak to you with sincerity and the kindest words, only for myself, not to deceive you.
Të ka lali shpirt, të ka lali xhan
Your soul, your spirit, your essence, is possessed by another, consumed, and controlled by it.
Të ka lali zemer, o sa shumë te du
Your heart beats profoundly for someone, and whatever they do, you will always love them.
Contributed by Parker D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@srico7313
One of the best house jazz fusions ever made . If only this kind of music was propagated there would be less ignorance and hate and more love and peace. Toka project I salute you.
@jazzyltb
💜
@crygil
Top of the top. Thank you for remembering Cafe del Mar. Awesomeness indeed.
@1BoxFighter
Heavenly!! Remember dancing to this beauty track in Propaganda club Moscow!! Do ya rememer house?) It was different. Everything was different - people, music, atmosphere and etc. No wonder at all, when you listen to masterpiece - there are no comments and people at all! Let it be!
@sidneydasilva2274
AMO ESSA MÚSICA!!!!! SAUDAÇÕES DO BRASIL 👍❤
@mrheat777
lovely tune !
@blokbergen
Put this in a morning after hours session and watch the magic unfold
@miguelvillalpando7418
Favorite, thanks for sharing
@vladimirorocha1183
awsome tune, good memories.
@MsMemento555
Amazing track!💖