Gasper Nali (Malawi)

Gasper Nali is a self-taught musician from Nkhata Bay on the shores of Lake Malawi in Southwestern Africa who plays the babatoni, a homemade one-string bass guitar built from an oil barrel, cowskin, and wire, stretched to three meters. After his two brothers, former bandmates in a family group, passed away in 2002, Nali began performing solo, developing his own style within the Kwela tradition, a genre born in South Africa and carried back to Malawi by migrant workers. A video of him playing by the lake went viral in 2015, drawing over 20 million views and attention from CNN, Joss Stone, and BBC Radio 6 Music, and leading to a partnership with producer Mattias Stålnacke and multiple tours across the UK and Europe.

Featured Song:

“Kulibwino Muzipanga Zanu” (It’s Better You Should Mind Your Own Business) takes gossip as its target, warning against poking into other people’s affairs.The track is built around Nali’s babatoni and percussion, joined by guitar and keys from producer Mattias Stålnacke. “It’s better you should mind your own business / Don’t waste your time gossiping about others / Sit and mind your own business / Maybe you might prevail.”

Artist Website

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