This project started during my travels in Malawi, between 2019-2021.
It stemmed from my environmental field recordings; while carrying a mobile recorder with me, I met with little and unknown local musicians. After getting to know each musician, I had a short jam session with each, bonding over the universal language of music. This led to extended conversations on music, culture, and Malawian folklore.
The first album in the series, Unu House Charity, is a recording of music written and composed by the children of Unu House charity, in N’khata Bay. The children wrote the lyrics and music, together with local musicians Lumbani ‘Jahyouth’ Mkandawiri and Martha ‘Mama Malawi’ Nyanjah. The songs were performed as part of a theater show they had put up for the people of Chikale village.
The second album is made up of songs by the local musicians I met through Lumbani, and is a continuation of my travels through meeting new musicians, recording jam sessions of their songs, as they played them to me.
The third album was recorded near the Malawi-Wawi project‘s headquarters, in the Kapeska community, Northern region. While visiting the amazing project that they have there, I stumbled onto the local church choir rehearsal, singing Christian hymns in Chitonga, the local language in that region. The album uses environmental field recordings as well, to better emphasize the connection to the area.
The fourth (and last) album in the series was recorded one year later, between February – March 2020. During our exhibition of Our Malawi interactive photography exhibition, we made some time to return to Unu House Charity, and meet again with the new friends we made there. The album also includes new musicians I have met there, namely Andrew ‘Bobo Andy’ Makana.
check out all the albums here on my Bandcamp page.