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Malawian Roots Music Debuts on New Massachusetts Museum Label
24 Oct
Summary
- Kasambwe Brothers' self-titled album is inaugural release of Mass MoCA Records
- Collaboration between Massachusetts museum and California's Hen House Studios
- Album features Malawian roots music from Ndirande township near Blantyre
On October 24, 2025, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA) announced the launch of its own record label, Mass MoCA Records. The inaugural release is a self-titled album by the Kasambwe Brothers, a Malawian roots music band based in the Ndirande township near Blantyre.
The Kasambwe Brothers' album is the result of a collaboration between Mass MoCA and California's Hen House Studios. The band found their way to a Mass MoCA residency with help from Luc Deschamps, the director of the Jacaranda Foundation and France's honorary consul to Malawi. The album features contributions from the Massachusetts music scene and cover art by Clement Kammwamba.
Mass MoCA Records is operating as a three-year pilot project, aligned with the museum's curatorial ethos. Museum director Kristy Edmunds noted that the local music studios and venues in the area provided the "ingredients for a hand-made record label." Hen House producer Harlan Steinberger emphasized the label's focus on the "humanistic approach" of bands recording together in one room. An album from Compton jazz artists Black Nile is slated to follow in 2026.
