Popular Music of Zambia

After the country’s independence in the year 1964, the most important detail of the renowned music was the Zambia Broadcasting Service and joined ensembles like Lusaka Radio Ensemble who later evolved their name to the Big Bold Six. Record films later established, with most of the recording created at the Peter Msungilo’s DB Studio in Lusaka, and records compelled in Ndola by the Teal Record Company.

source of picture: www.postzambia.com

The northern, copper-producing region of Zambian was recognized for singers such as William Mapulanga, John Lushi and Stephen Tsotsi Kasumali. Their guitar-based increased rapidly into zamrock which used extremely the English words in their rock songs. Ensembles include the following such as Musi-o-tunya and Machine-Gunners. The very renowned ensemble in Zambian record later appeared as Jaggari Chanda’s Great Witch.

During in the late 70s, President Kenneth Kaunda commanded that 95% of the music on the radio station had to be Zambian. He plans to inspire the creation of a Zambian national uniqueness. Rather than using traditional origins, though, Zambians attempted to become pop artists. In the mid-80s, the result was kalindula music. Ensembles include the Junior Mulemena Boys, Serenje Kalindula and Masasu Band. Amayenge is seen as one of the best kalindula ensembles of the previous twenty years. An annual show of the folk ensembles (not just kalindula) was presently begun by the Chikuni Radio Station in Chikuni in the Southern region. Mashombe Blue Jeans and Greem Mamba were the two of the most renowned ensembles from that festival. And also, musicians such as Alfred Chisala Kalusha Jr, based their works on Imfukutu Bemba traditional music.

In the 90s, the economic crisis caused the decline of the Zambian music industry. Unfettered by the rules popularizing the Zambian music, the airwaves were covered with foreign reggae and reggae from Jamaica and hip hop and R&B from the United States.

The most popular record label presently operating in Zambia is known as Mondo Music Corporation in Lusaka. Their stable of musicians includes the following such as Shatel, Black Muntu and J.D, Danny. The sound clips of each of these orchestras can be heard at their website. The Zambian entertainment film knows renowned artists like these at its yearly Ngoma Awards. The Ngoma Awards extended to a Zambian type of the all-African Kora Awards. In the time K’Milian is a very renowned musician.

A distinctive hybrid type of Zambian music is created in the so-called banjo custom. The Zambian banjo is essentially a homemade guitar. A varied type of such instruments can be seen in different sizes and with differing numbers of cords. Most of them are played by using a two or three finger picking pattern and the modification of each instrument is special to that instrument. The body is created in different shapes from wood or sometime tin cans, and cords or wires frequently come from discarded radial tires. Zambian banjos are used in kalindula ensembles across Zambia.