Madalisto Band, the Malawian street band that has become a sensation in world music festivals, has a new single titled ‘Ndalakwanji‘ on Bongo Joe Records.
The duo uses a homemade one-string slide bass called babatone; a cowskin foot drum thumped with the heel; a 4 string guitar; and two voices. The guitar, played by Yosefe Kalekeni, holds close to the rhythm while Yobu Maligwa’s long-necked, babatone serves as both the bottom end and lead.
After spending years playing on the streets of the nation’s capital, the duo was first discovered by a local producer while busking outside a shopping Center in Lilongwe in 2009. They eventually burst onto the international scene after their very first performance outside Malawi, in 2017, at Sauti Za Busara in Zanzibar. Six months later and they were on an airplane for the first time in their lives, to do a 2 week European tour (including a stop at the prestigious Roskilde Festival) wowing audiences with raw on-stage energy and leaving a trail of new fans in their wake.
Buy Ndalakwanji
Author: World Music Central News Room
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