The Malawi Police Orchestra was formed in the 1970s, to perform at national celebrations and official ceremonies. They were housed at the Police College in Zomba, a town 4 hours south of the capital Lilongwe and an hour north of Blantyre. The Police Orchestra was one of several musical ensembles maintained by the police. The Police Brass Band performed for parades and official ceremonies, the Police String Band presumably performed for more genteel events, and the Police Orchestra performed to entertain the police force and the larger public. The Malawi Police Force performed their own style of guitar-band rumba, Malawian reggae, and other popular dance styles.
The group was most popular in the 1980s, largely thanks to the recordings they made in the studios of the Malawian Broadcasting Corporation. Some of their repertoire--I don't know how much--was released on cassette. The group stopped performing regularly in the early 2000s. Ten years later, in 2013, they returned to the stage, performing their old hits for nostalgic fans in Blantyre. The Malawi Police Orchestra was one of Malawi's more socially engaged groups. In 1988, their hit 'Kunja Kuno Kwaopsya' was one of the first Malawian songs to raise awareness about HIV/Aids. Their earlier song 'Supporter', purportedly about the joys of being a soccer fan, was interpreted as a call for multi-party democracy.
This selection features some of my favorite Malawi Police Orchestra recordings. I love their shuffling guitar rumba, the tasteful, and spacey, synth melodies, and the languid vocals. This is laid-back guitar band music, it doesn't have the drive of Congolese Rumba, or the sweetness of Tanzanian Musiki wa Dansi, but has it's own unique cadence.
Download Malawi Police Orchestra
Enjoy!
The very little I know about Malawian music has come from reading the work of John Lwanda. If you are interested in discovering more Malawian music visit his website.
The Malawian Broadcasting Corporation
This selection features some of my favorite Malawi Police Orchestra recordings. I love their shuffling guitar rumba, the tasteful, and spacey, synth melodies, and the languid vocals. This is laid-back guitar band music, it doesn't have the drive of Congolese Rumba, or the sweetness of Tanzanian Musiki wa Dansi, but has it's own unique cadence.
Download Malawi Police Orchestra
Enjoy!
The very little I know about Malawian music has come from reading the work of John Lwanda. If you are interested in discovering more Malawian music visit his website.
Very nice sounds, thanks. There's a strong Zambian influence in many of the tunes, and to a lesser extent Zimbabwe and Congo. Popular music from Malawi is very much under-represented because of the dominance of its larger neighbours.
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