Launched in October 2025, MASS MoCA Records is a new record label created and operated in collaboration with Hen House Studios that establishes a unique framework for record making by centering, artistic creativity, museum residencies, and live music making. The label will provide an alternative to the current commercial model for how independent music is heard, developed, and shared. A limited number of albums will be released each year and produced at various recording studios in the Berkshires.

Artists selected for the new label will be an extension of the museum’s curatorial ethos and the label will not have a scheduled application process. Unsolicited submissions will not be accepted.

A multi-generational band that has been making music together for almost 40 years and is now led by a younger generation, The Kasambwe Brothers are grounded in the rich, musical heritage of Malawi in Southeastern Africa. “To us, music is a passion, it’s in our blood,” they say. Through an initial collaboration between MASS MoCA and Los Angeles’ Hen House Studios in 2024, The Kasambwe Brothers left their country for the first time to fly to the United States to be in-residence at MASS MoCA which included extended rehearsal opportunities, performances with live audiences, and time at Studio 9 in North Adams, MA to record their first full-length album with Harlan Steinberger of Hen House Studios (Willie Nelson, Sunny War, Particle Kid, Cinder Well).

The Kasambwe Brothers
The full album can be found on most streaming platforms.

Black symbolizes the inclusion of every color, while Nile references the longest river in Africa, a life-giving force that sustained civilizations. Black Nile represents more than just an idea to Lawrence and Aaron Shaw — it’s a sonic movement, a river of frequencies that flow timelessly, bending through Jazz, R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop, Alt, Rock, and Folk. As longtime collaborators, Lawrence and Aaron channel a near-telepathic musical chemistry that shapes both their sound and their live performances. Blending tradition with innovation, and rooted in a commitment to push the sonic boundaries dissecting and blending genres and instrumentation. They stand at the forefront of the new wave of artists emerging from the L.A. Jazz Renaissance. Black Nile completed a residency in June 2025 at MASS MoCA, including both recording locally at Studio 9 and performing at the museum.