Avalanche Kaito

Kaito Winse is a griot, a kind of troubadour, from Burkina Faso. Not only he’s got a great voice, but he also plays many instruments, like flutes, mouth bow and percussion. In 2018  he met  Le Jour du Seigneur, a noisepunk-duo from Brussels, and the vibe was there right away. After some adventures in the Belgian underground scene drummer Benjamin Chaval and Kaito Winse decided to continue with Nico Gitto on guitar. Avalanche Kaito was born.

Avalanche Kaito creates an innovative raw and vile musical universe. Kaito handles the proverbs, his pillars of wisdom, sometimes murmuring other times screaming, while his intense flute solos come straight from the free jazz, a style he didn’t know at all. With his uncommon bariton guitar Nico not only manages to produce all kinds of sounds, he also manages to keep a nice groove. Lastly Benjamin plays his destroying drums with two cut off pieces of broom stick. Also he provides an important electronic part, partly controlled by triggers, for the perfect balance.

Live the band knows how to blow away the crowd. Like the Quietus wrote: “Winse’s central role is less about storytelling than conduit, a hype man/shaman pulling everyone into the vortex. If you’ve caught them live you’ll know, the man will not rest until you are drawn in, his wild energy embracing and channelling a universe teeming with possibility. Avalanche Kaito play for participants not spectators.”

The newest record, Talitakum, released 12 April 2024 on Glitterbeat, already got raving reviews, like:

“… [Kaito Winse’s] stream of consciousness method of singing (where he converses with his ancestors) could be compared to that of original Can vocalist Malcolm Mooney, in that he is a single free spirit performing within an otherwise tightly disciplined group of musicians: drummer Benjamin Chaval and guitarist Nico Gitto erect rhythmic, electronically pulsed structures – with enough elasticity for Winse to bounce his extraordinary vocal around, through a selection of spoken recitations, bird calls and lyrical flute exhalations…..” – The Wire

“Mixing up the West African folk traditions of urban griot Kaito Winse with the avant-punk of Belgian guitarist Nico Gitto and French drummer/producer Benjamin Chaval, Talitakum is the second album of joyful noise from transnational trio Avalanche Kaito. It is both more cohesive and wide-ranging than their debut, hardened on the road but still crammed with rough-edged vigour. Their sound is a striking, molten blend that sparks and shakes with life. Driven by an unstoppable uplifting energy, this is a record in touch with music’s ritual power … This is a twenty-first century sound that contains and connects with the past. Afropunk futurism. The eternal ecstatic impulse.’” – The Quietus

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