Gasper Nali - Malawi

Gasper Nali has conquered the internet with his 3 meter long one-string Babatoni bass guitar. More than 18 million people have seen the videos of him playing his bouncy and catchy Afro beats on the shores of Lake Malawi. Gasper is a one-man band from the Kwela tradition, who play the Babatoni with a stick and an empty beer bottle.

With his left foot on a kick pedal, he stamps the driving rhythm on a cowhide bass drum. His songs are sung in the national language of Chichewa, but while his sound and melodies are upbeat and positive, they often depict dark subjects and social issues.

Gasper's music is on the one hand characteristically Malawian with haunting melodies and hypnotic rhythms, but on the other hand it is also compared to New Order and Arcade Fire. His music has also attracted interest from the techno scene and from DJs.

Gasper lives a fairly modest life in the small town of Nkhata Bay on the shores of northern Lake Malawi. In his younger days, he and his brothers traveled with the family band to earn money, but today he mainly supports himself by playing regular shows at a nearby tourist lodge.

Gasper Nali will be playing across the festival site on both days.