Gasper Nali
Saturday 20th August 2022
Gasper Nali is a roots one-man-band from the small town of Nkhata Bay on the shores of Lake Malawi. He plays a one-string home-made 3 metre long Babatoni bass guitar with a stick and an empty beer bottle, and together with a cow skin kick drum and catchy melodies, he creates the most amazing and danceable origional Afro Beats possible!
Gasper’s unique style of Kwela music has recieved an extrordinary amount of online attention after a video of him playing by the lake shore went viral with over 20 million views. He has been featured by CNN and in the documentary ‘Deep Roots Malawi’, jammed with Joss Stone, appeared on Wired for Sound – Malawi, remixed by Aroop Roy for Sol Power Sounds and been played by Iggy Pop on BBC 6!
His debut album, Abale Ndikuwuzeni, roughly translates to ‘People, I want to tell you’. It is a fitting title as Gasper’s songs, all sung in the Malawi national language of Chichewa, talk about life and strife in the country, often including social issues as the rich and the poor, child marriages etc.
After the successful Euro/UK tours in 2018 and 2019 Gasper has been biding his time in Malawi, writing new music and playing locally around Nkhata Bay the way he always has – bus now he is very ready to re-conquer the world in 2022!
“His music is simple but joyous, and totally infectious.” – Songlines Magazine
“Gasper is a one man party! It’s completely impossible to stop moving – and just as impossible to stopsmiling!” – Bandcamp Fan
“His songs are moving to hear and a spectacle to watch” – Simon Broughton, Evening Standard
“Gaspar Nali was on early at the Oye Africa festival in Liverpool, England on Saturday and he absolutely blew the place away. Everyone was smiling and dancing. Gaspar got groove.” – Youtube Fan
