Written by Ambre Montespan - Updated on Jan 28, 2026
Table of contents:
Have you recently discovered a talented handpan player named Daniel Waples? Want to learn more about him? How did this musician rise to become one of the standout percussionists of his era? What are his most-listened-to songs?
Like many of his listeners, I first came across Daniel Waples—also known as Hang in Balance—more than 10 years ago, when he released a video of himself playing a melody in an underground tunnel in central London. Since then, I’ve kept up with his latest projects, so I can walk you through his musical journey in detail.
By reading this short article, you will learn:
- The creative evolution of Daniel Waples
- The most popular songs he has produced during his career as a musician.
You’ll get a clear picture of the key stages in the career of this multifaceted artist and true globetrotter. And yes—your curiosity about this larger-than-life character will definitely be satisfied.
Let’s start by taking a look at Daniel Waples’ career.
What is the biography of Daniel Waples, the handpan player?
Born on January 1, 1984, in Greater London—more specifically in Romford, England—Daniel James Waples has shared relatively little about his childhood. One detail stands out, though: a photo on his Facebook page shows him around age five holding an electric guitar, a sign that music was part of his world from the very beginning. With musician parents, it’s no surprise that at 11 he joined a military marching band, which went on to place second in a UK competition. It was a turning point: his passion for music took root, and he chose to pursue it professionally.
Between 2000 and 2002, he studied at the Sam Newsom Centre, a school specializing in arts and music in the city of Boston, England. He then attended the Leeds Music Centre until 2004, where he earned a national higher diploma in musical instrument making and repair with honors. There, he specialized in string instruments, learning how to build and repair both electric and acoustic guitars. In 2005, at a small music festival, Daniel Waples was introduced to African percussion—especially the djembe—as well as a curious Swiss sound sculpture shaped like a flying saucer: the Hang.
That same year, he decided to travel to West Africa to learn the intricacies of playing the djembe. Then, in 2006, he contacted PANArt—virtually the only company making handpans at the time—hoping to get his hands on one. In 2007, the company invited him to Switzerland so he could choose his instrument in person. That’s how he acquired his first Hang drum. From then on, he devoted himself to the instrument, learning mostly as a self-taught player. At a festival in England in 2006, Daniel Waples also met another future handpan heavyweight: Danny Cudd, one of the two members of the duo Hang Massive. Together, Daniel Waples and Danny Cudd founded Hang Playing Hedge Monkeys and released an album called Vesica Piscis in 2008. The group split up in 2010 due to the challenges of living far apart.
After the group dissolved, Daniel Waples launched his solo handpan project under the pseudonym Hang in Balance that same year. He started out busking, but it didn’t take long for him to build a strong reputation, performing at festivals, bars, and intimate venues all over the world. On May 28, 2012, he uploaded a YouTube video simply titled “Solo Hang Drum in a Tunnel,” where he plays a melody on handpan with a pair of cas-cas shakers in one of London’s underground tunnels. The video quickly went viral and has racked up more than 10 million views—massively boosting his visibility and cementing his reputation as one of the top handpan players of his time. You can watch it below:
From that point on, Daniel Waples worked with many major brands, including Kia Motors, Vivo, Nokia, and Coca-Cola, and appeared at countless festivals and concerts worldwide. He has traveled to more than 85 countries to share his music. Between 2011 and 2015, he took part in six TEDx conferences, helping bring “ideas worth spreading” to audiences around the globe. In 2015, he also trained in gong playing with master Don Conreaux at the Integral Yoga Center, with the goal of leading music therapy sessions.
Between 2017 and 2019, he joined Indian singer Arijit Singh’s band and took part in several tours in India and South Africa. While he continues to perform, he’s been fairly quiet on YouTube in recent years and is now more active on his Facebook page and Instagram. Today, he keeps spreading the handpan’s sound around the world—for the sheer joy of listeners everywhere.
What are Hang in Balance's most famous songs?
Beyond the London tunnel performance, Daniel Waples—aka Hang in Balance—is best known for tracks such as:
- Djansa
- Midnite
- Yankade
- Gozo
-
Memories and Bello, recorded as a duet with Flavio Lopez on violin
- Sunset in India, as a duet with Lars La Ville
-
Sams Dance, as a duet with James Winstanley
He has also released nine albums and digital projects, including MMX1 in 2010 and Lisn in 2014. Most of his music can be downloaded directly on Bandcamp. Daniel Waples uses a pay-what-you-want approach: it’s not so much “everything must be free,” but rather “give what you can,” much like dropping a tip after a street performance.
As for the instruments he plays, they’re mainly PANArt models, along with a few collaborations with makers such as Panstream and Shellopan. Most of the time, the handpan maker is mentioned in the video description. An interesting detail: the scale Daniel Waples plays—D minor—was once nicknamed the Daniel Waples scale, a great example of his influence on the handpan community. Today, the D Kurd scale is the closest match to his signature sound.
Play melodies with a superb percussion instrument
Having devoted most of his life to the handpan, Daniel Waples—performing under the name Hang in Balance—has spent more than 20 years traveling the world to find inspiration and share his musical creations as widely as possible. Now that you’ve discovered the key moments of his story in this article, you have a much clearer view of this percussionist’s professional path.
That said, if you’d like to get closer to—or even recreate—the kind of sound Daniel Waples is known for, you’ll want a quality handpan tuned to D minor. That’s exactly what the Instruments du Monde online store offers with this 10-note handpan in D Kurd. You’ll have the chance to create and compose on an exceptional instrument with beautifully resonant acoustics.
Discover this handpan now by clicking on the link below:
Another talented musician with this instrument in hand is Mumi, an Italian artist who also makes Hang drums alongside the songs she composes. She’s also one of the best handpan players you can discover online.
