Malawian duo Madalitso Band are back with a new single Ndalakwanji and an accompanying video touring the streets that made them famous. The duo make upbeat traditional Malawian folk music, from a homemade one-string slide bass (babatone), a cowskin foot drum thumped with the heel, a four 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.

Spending years playing on the streets of the nation’s capital, the pair were first discovered by a local producer, while busking outside a shopping centre, 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. And six months later they were on an aeroplane for the first time in their lives, to do a two 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.

Swiss label Bongo Joe were soon to come on board, releasing the Wasalala album in 2019 and here join forces with the Malawian duo once more for a special one off release of Ndalakwanji, one of the earliest songs the duo wrote, capturing the Madalitso sound in its rawest, most infectious form.

Check out the socials: Madalitso Band – Facebook Instagram and Bongo Joe Records – Instagram, Facebook