Takasa
Takasa is a unique band, made up of six individuals who share their passion for music. Their ages range from 21-year-old Sarah Breiter to 95-year-old Emil Ramsauer, who will set a new record for being the oldest ever musician to perform on the Eurovision Song Contest stage.The Swiss public chose the rock ballad You And Me as Switzerland’s entry for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in a televised national final in December. The enigmatic band name Takasa means “to make pure” in Swahili, and epitomises the pure joie de vivre and love of music that the band embodies. It also stands for spirituality.
Takasa is made up of six individuals for whom music is a passion. Sarah is 21 years young, and Emil celebrated his 95th birthday in February. They are brought together by a shared love of music and belief in God. Katharina, Sarah, Emil, Michel, Christoph and Jonas are as happy playing their music on the street as they are in church, as comfortable in a prison as they are in the Federal Parliament Building. Takasa’s journey will now take them on to the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö.
True to their motto of “together we’re one”, this unconventional group - featuring the oldest Eurovision contestant ever - offers a performance of perfect harmony that is completely in tune with the “we are one” theme of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
You And Me was written by Hitmill Records. It describes the tensions in today’s society and how the “you and me” relationship between individuals is the only real way to resolve them. The group believes it is important for people to get along with each other across the generations, and to find unity in shared values. Takasa is a shining example of this timeless and topical message.
Winning the Swiss competition to find the country’s Eurovision entry for 2013 inspired Takasa to make an album of music for Europe. Once again, it takes up the theme of building bridges and finding common ground. In keeping with this philosophy, the new songs were not recorded by Takasa themselves but by singers from all over Europe who came together especially for the project. Of course the CD would be incomplete without You And Me, this time in a unique “European” version.
Takasa consists of:
Sarah Breiter (21, vocals) is a senior citizens’ healthcare professional
Christoph Jakob (31, vocals) is training to be a teacher and works part-time in IT support
Katharina Hauri (46, bass drum) is a Salvation Army officer who leads the Gurzelen corps with her husband
Emil Ramsauer (95, double bass) is retired, offers a transport service for senior citizens, and continues to practice his former bookbinding profession in his own studio
Michel Sterckx (47, trombone) coordinates the Salvation Army’s Projects section
Jonas Gygax (22, guitar) is a freelance music producer and works for a security company