MALAWI’S LAKE OF STARS FESTIVAL RETURNS TO ITS ELECTRONIC ROOTS

One of world’s most scenic music festivals, Lake of Stars, makes further lineup announcements marking a return to its dance/electronic roots with a showcase of international DJs from the UK, Germany and South Africa.AFRIMMA Best Southern African Artist nominated Zambian headliner, Roberto, joins South African heavyweights Freshlyground to headline this year’s festival.

Set on the pristine white sands of Chintheche Inn on the northern shores of Lake Malawi in the warm heart of Africa, this year’s festival revellers will be dancing until sunrise to musicians from Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Norway, Germany, the UK, South Africa, Spain and more. Artists from the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa, Malawi will also have the opportunity to perform at this year’s festival including the spectacular Burundi Drummers. More than 2,500 Malawian school children will have a special sneak preview with a dedicated concert supported by the United Nations the day before the festival opens.

Afro-R&B artist Roberto has gained over 1.6 million views on YouTube for a single track and now the 'Ama-Rulah' star will be headlining Lake of Stars in two months' time. He recently collaborated with Zimbabwe's DJ Ray Dizz and Simba Tagz and will be releasing a video for the track he did with General Ozzy and Mavin Records’ artist Reekado Banks titled "Dreams" from his Amarulah album. For years Freshlyground have been at the forefront of the music scene in the southern African region with chart-topping tracks like 'Waka Waka', 'Doo Be Doo', and 'Pot Belly' followed up by recent hits 'Don't Leave Me' and 'Army of One' with Jack Parow. An accomplished musical outfit known for their energetic live performances, Freshlyground's music has reached billions of people around the globe.

Afro-soul Malawian artist Faith Mussa and Blantyre hip-hop MC Flo Dee, known for her hit track ‘Veke Mphete’ with Bucci will play alongside local talent in the form of Patience Namadingo, Piksy, and Lusubilo Band.

With three releases already under their belts for Black Butter and MTA Records, My Nu Leng (UK) unify garage, dubstep, grime and drum’n’bass. Their most recent EP ‘Horizons’ is getting heavy radio support on BBC 1Xtra and BBC Radio 1 and they have been touring all over the world from the United States to Asia.  Kidnap Kid (UK) has been producing and putting out tracks with Black Butter Records for over five years, his most notable achievement being his track 'Vehl' named US iTunes "Best Electronic Song of 2012". He has issued some official big name remixes and toured alongside TEED, Disclosure, Aluna George and Rudimental.

Fellow UK acts include Throwing Shade, aka Nabihah Iqbal, a rising producer and NTS Radio host whose House of Silk EP was released by Ninja Tune this year, plus Omah (Sounddhism), Ste Chesters (Audio Farm) and Gabriel Szatan (Boiler Room). There will be a showcase of international and local musicians who are part of the Beating Heart project connecting the Hugh Tracey (1903-1977) archive at the International Library of African Music with contemporary producers and artists.

From a residency at the groundbreaking Circoloco at DC10 in Ibiza, where he has been entrenched for over 15 years, to tours around Europe and the rest of the world, Germany’s Timo Maas maintains a high level of performance. In tandem with his global tours, he dedicates his time to conjuring up fresh new productions in his studio, picking up a Grammy nomination in 2004. This year, Maas and James Teej teamed up to release a remix of 'Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five,' a B-side by Paul McCartney and Wings from 1974.

The lineup includes: Freshlyground (South Africa), Roberto (Zambia), Timo Maas (Germany) Faith Mussa (Malawi), Kidnap Kid (England), My Nu Leng (England), Native Young (South Africa), Patience Namadingo (Malawi), Piksy (Malawi), Theo Thomson (Malawi}, Throwing Shade (England), Anita Zengeza (Spain), Annemarie Quinn (England), Flo Dee (Malawi), Fyah DJ (Zimbabwe) | Gabriel Szatan Boiler Room (England) | Lieutenant Fizzer (South Africa), Lusubilo Band | MOOYH (Norway), Nikolas Goza (Mozambique), Omah Sounddhism (England) and Ste Chesters Audio Farm (England).

Since its inception in 2004, the annual Lake of Stars event has brought its unique blend of local and international talent to all three regions of Malawi, helping to boost tourism across the country and generating over $4 million for the economy during that time. 

The 2016 Lake of Stars Festival is supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the German Embassy Lilongwe, A4AY, Quench, Airtel, DSTV, Zodiak, Timveni TV, MAPP Africa, Malawi-Music.com (Nyimbo Za Chi Malawi), Root to Fruit and Game.