About
Working with music is a joy and a privilege – and teaching it is a true passion.
“Hans is a national treasure!” (Chris Sylla, Hands on Skin)
I’m a percussionist with a specialism in West African percussion, in particular the traditional music of the djembe and dunun from Guinea and Mali – a music that combines deep cultural roots with a rich, layered complexity and a powerful ability to move both body and soul. Over 25+ years, I’ve developed my own teaching methods to help students of all levels connect with this music in meaningful and insightful ways.
Photograph: Jed Hoile
Performer & Collaborator
As a performer, I move between genres – from folk, jazz, blues, ska, and rumba to traditional and contemporary West African music – playing a wide range of percussion instruments, including my trademark calabash drumkit, djembe, dunun, cajon, congas, and more. I also sing.
Playing with many groups over the years (including Nick Mulvey, Sidiki Demebélé, Cocos Lovers, Anna Mudeka), I’ve appeared on stages from Glastonbury and WOMAD to the Queen Elizabeth Hall and spirit possession ceremonies in Bamako’s mountain suburbs. Before Covid, I was lead singer – from behind my calabash drum kit – of the band Bamako Overground, weaving together folk songwriting, palm-wine guitar and psychedelic desert blues.
Collaborating with other artists is one of my great joys, and I’m always open to new creative partnerships.
My Djembe Journey
I was introduced to the djembe at age 10 by my mother’s partner, a djembe-maker. By 16 I was discovering my love of teaching music. I’ve been on many study trips to West Africa since my teens, seeking out both village masters and international stars – often for intensive, one-to-one tuition. The many masters I’ve learned from include Famoudou Konaté, Mamady Keita, Ibro Konaté, Drissa Koné, Séga Sidibé, Ibrahima Sarr and Matché Traoré.
I’ve had the honour of playing alongside many of my teachers at weddings and other traditional celebrations, deepening my understanding of the music’s role in community life. Over time, I’ve found that my favourite style to play and teach is the old-school, grooving, swing-heavy djembe music of Mali. I also love the interweaving sangban and dununba melodies in the music of Upper Guinea and the virtuosic jeli-dunun of the Khassonké.
Rooted in this almost lifelong research, my teaching spans a variety of formats, from one-to-one sessions and small groups – often in my studio in North London – to workshops and festivals, schools and universities. Twice yearly I run my highly popular intensive residential course HansCamp. (Read more about my teaching practice and approach here.)
Alongside my study and teaching, I’ve performed with many of the UK’s leading djembefolas and dununfolas – including in my newest project with Seydou Kienou, Ansumana Suso and Aboubakar Konaté.