Avalanche Kaito interview: “I really like to imagine spaceships arriving over Ouagadougou”

You get a pretty good idea of what to expect from this band just from their name. A thundering, wild and relentless wall of sound. Engulfing and disorienting. Humbling. A force of nature (and data) to be reckoned with. Even still, nothing will quite prepare you for Avalanche Kaito’s sound, which splices together the electronic free-noise of Belgian guitarist Nico Gitto and drummer and producer Benjamin Chaval with the intense, uninhibited vocals and multi-instrumental dexterity of Burkinabé griot, Kaito Winse.

A hereditary tradition occupying a role loosely comparable to that of a bard – encompassing everything from musician to historian – Winse’s ancestral griot roots, along with his tama (talking drum), peul (flute) and mouth bow (all featured on the album) seem worlds away from the futuristic, digital sound that now accompanies his music. But unphased by the opposing musical styles, Winse describes instantly connecting with the energy and power he heard in the “harsh free-noise” of Chaval’s Brussels-based duo Le Jour du Seigneur. From his home in Ouagadougou, he immediately set about organising a visit to Belgium to test out the waters. “I wanted to create something new,” he explains. “So, I chose to play and share my own tradition and experience with this electronic punk music.” 

He sings in both Mooré and Samo, but for Winse, the energy on stage between himself and the audience is more important than the lyrics. “My aim is to do everything I can with my compositions so that people can feel what I’m talking about. Even if you don’t speak Mooré or Samo.”

As an inherited tradition that is passed down from father to son, there is also an important ancestral and spiritual element to his performances. Talking about his recently deceased father and mentor, the griot Tombo Winse, he explains, “he’s the one who made me who I am today. So, I wish him a wonderful journey. And we should understand that he is not gone, but he is with Kaito on stage every day. Every second I breathe.”

For Avalanche Kaito, there is an important distinction between what they play live and what they do in the studio. “It’s a rule we gave ourselves,” explains Chaval. “To completely set aside the album as a separate work of art with no limits. Afterwards we ask ourselves what we’ll play live, how to adapt it, or whether to play it at all. But we don’t hold back on the record thinking about [what’s transferable to] the live show.”

He is referring, of course, to all the synths, music software and production effects that go into each song. “It’s something [Winse] really defends strongly, the mixing of technology and traditions,” he tells me, before revealing that Winse has even taken to calling him R2D2 – thanks no doubt to his penchant for erratic electronic audio and his prowess in post-prod. “I love the studio,” Chaval explains avidly. “It’s all about chopping, tweaking, it’s about stepping back… We put everything through the wringer.”

“I really like to imagine spaceships arriving over Ouagadougou,” Chaval goes on, describing the inspiration behind his arrangements. “I love science-fiction and these universes that mix together. Imagine we are standing somewhere, and we wind the clock forward by 30 years, or 50 years, or 150… That blows my mind.”

If merging universes and blowing minds was the goal with this project, it’s safe to say that Avalanche Kaito have more than delivered… Let’s just hope we won’t be waiting 30 years for the next instalment.

Read the review of Avalanche Kaito’s self-titled debut album

This interview originally appeared in the October 2022 issue of Songlines. Never miss an issue – subscribe today