He has instincts for reggae dancehall music but local flavours are something musician cum producer Stich Frey cannot manage to overlook in his work.
The Blantyre based artist is on a mission to market Malawi’s culture as evidenced by his latest releases. This is despite an argument that there is nothing like Malawian culture.
The country’s ethnic diversity gives rise to a debate on whether there is something common shared among Malawians.
When all arguments on the matter are exhausted, one come to understand there is a lot local ethnic groups share in common, hence Malawian culture.
Stich Fray is among musicians mixing cultural aspects from different ethnic groups in an effort to give Malawi music an identity.
His latest single entitled Zoti Ndimakukonda is a point of reference on the issue. Having released both the audio and video simultaneously, there is high appreciation for the art on the receiving end.
The 2015 UMP Award nominee for best producer justified his art yesterday in an interview with Malawi24. He said he saw it wiser to embed Malawi’s values because that’s what is helping other countries’ art sell out.
“This is the same way artists from other countries do music, making songs which are in their tradition. So I sat down and saw it wise that as Malawian artists, we should be doing the same.”
He emphasized on the need for Malawi music to have an identity just like Nigerian and South African music which sell like hot cake on the continental market.
“It’s very important for Malawian Music to have its own identity. We all have seen how Nigerians and South Africans have succeeded through that.”
The ex-Trap Squad member is among the trending musicians in urban circles.
Since going solo last year, he has not lost the vibe. He first made noise with Kunyumba, a song that is absolutely Malawian. The theme of love dominates in the song just like in the latest Zoti Ndimakukonda.
