Record for Life Studio 1

Music Crossroads – I am not ready to go into any details about Music Crossroads because we have already written so many articles about the big and commendable job the institution is doing, not only in Malawi but this part of Southern Africa.
Now the institution has established what will be known, no, what is known as “Record for Life Studio 1,” in Area 23, in Capital Lilongwe. This Studio was provided and installed by UK NGO ‘In Tune for Life’ (ITFL) and it is a state-of-the-art recording studio, which is also purpose-built.
Strangely though, the studio was silently and officially launched on Friday, 1st April, 2011.
Qabaniso Malewezi is Malawi’s representative and Trustee of the In Tune for Life and says the establishment of the studio will provide an opportunity for under privileged young people to explore their musical talents in a safe and nurturing environment, where they will be the priority.
ITFL says the studio is a result of partnership with Music Crossroads which for years now has been providing music training of these young people both creatively and technically.
Gayighayi Mathews Mfune, Head of Music Crossroads Malawi says this brand new Studio was first used on March 10, 2011.
He challenged that while many Malawian musical studios, the country’s technicians and engineers are honing their skills every day that passes, there has never been a lack of capacity to record them and that this studio comes into the country’s musical life to fill this gap.
The other good aspect about the said studio is that it is not commercial driven. Most talent in the country has failed to blossom due to exorbitant studio fees.
Gayighayi also acknowledged that indeed most of the young people Music Crossroads has worked with tend not to have any money.
He says the coming onto the scene by the new studio now removes this barrier. No musician worth his or her salt should use lack of resources in this aspect as an impediment to make their musical careers grow.
In Tune for Life, is not new in Africa as it has worked all over Malawi since 2009, although they have been recording across Africa since 2007.
The good thing is that they are able to complete albums, music videos and video animations in Sierra Leone, Malawi, Kenya and DR Congo.
But the good thing with Malawi is that the in Tune for life’s partnership with Music Crossroads marks the first time they have created a permanent recording facility and the training of young Malawian producers are now using of the most up-to-date recording software and equipment.
It might look like this is just an arrangement between Mfune and Malewezi but the whole ITFL Chief Executive Officer Mark Nunn was also involved. He says he is incredibly pleased with this new partnership.
He said the collaboration with Music Crossroads has allowed them to put in place something they hope will benefit Malawi’s most deprived musicians for years.
He said UK companies gave them the equipment which they have used to record three albums in Malawi already.
He had his hands on the console and he says he loved every minute says with new studio, the good things for Malawi music has just the begun.
The three albums in that have been recorded are in the range of what are known as Titenge Udindo series.
These are featuring musicians such as Konkalaz, Body Mind and Soul, Masudie Khonje, Aliona Banda, Daughters Band, Conga Vibes and Future Kings Vibrations.
The albums have been mixed and mastered in the UK, and distributed free through Christian Aid in Lilongwe. These albums are part of a project designed to promote a social goal as well as a musical one.
The music in the albums focussed on HIV awareness and addressing some of the social issues that surround it – like domestic violence, rape and stigma.
Both the In Tune for Life and Music crossroads say all of the musicians on these albums gave their time and their talent for free, as part of the effort to achieve good health for all Malawians.
The albums, and similar socially-oriented material coming out of RFL Studio 1 in the future, will be played and distributed widely, with a strong positive effect on health knowledge in Malawi.
Malewezi insists that so far the project has been very popular so far although I am not sure how best it has been popularised.
But he says his claims are based on the response from artists which he says has been inspirational more so because everybody has been working voluntarily which created an atmosphere which was described as very positive.
The studio is a permanent fixture and the institutions behind its establishment urge Malawian youths to ensure that it is used in a positive way, for everyone.
Well I am going to put across what I think about this project in the one of my future write-ups.
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