Meeting Avalanche Kaito: “There is rhythm, there is noise, the sound of the texture is crazy”

Brussels-based Avalanche Kaito represent fusion at its most extreme, without resorting to dilution. Acoustic, folkloric traditions of Burkina Faso collide with the most extreme manifestations of avant-rock and brutal electronics. So often, historically, Afro-rock fusions have chosen bland pop as a base, but Avalanche Kaito have plunged into an alarmingly kinetic crossover of styles.

The name Avalanche Kaito unites Kaito Winse (vocals, tama talking drum, peul flute), Nico Gitto (guitar) and Benjamin Chaval (drums, digital manipulations). Winse hails from Burkina Faso, Chaval is French but lived in Brussels for a decade before recently shifting to Montpellier, while Gitto is from Brussels itself. Their central concept unites the very traditionally styled one-man-band songs of Kaito with radically spiky, collaged, heavy electro-rock. Their latest (and most striking) album Talitakum sometimes offers stretches of quieter minimalism, but mostly propels and careens in a near-uncontrollable sonic rampage. Despite the onslaught, Kaito’s acoustic qualities are preserved in the mix. Chaval is skilled at studio-sculpting this complex range of audio input.

Kaito released his solo debut album, Kaladounia, in 2020 on the Rebel Up! label. This is run by DJ Seb Bassleer, who is extremely active on the Brussels scene, promoting gigs and appearing on shows broadcast by [online community radio and streaming platform] Kiosk. Bassleer recalls how Kaito arrived in Brussels: “That’s quite a sweet story,” he says. “It was actually through a French friend of mine who lives here… In 2018 she went to an African spoken word festival in Benin (Rencontres Internationales des Arts de l’Oralité), where she met Kaito as a performer when he was still living in Burkina Faso. She told me about his amazing griot music performance, and soon after she brought him to Brussels for a first-time solo tour, and as part of the short-lived band Le Jour du Seigneur.”

Chaval was a member of this band, so the foundation of Avalanche Kaito was built. “It was here in a small venue where I saw Kaito play for the first time,” Bassleer continues. “His solo performance radiated so much sincere energy, griot spirituality and musical uniqueness, that it took me completely by surprise. I clicked with Kaito from the start and cited my big interest in recording his debut album.”

Bassleer organised a recording session with Aymeric de Tapol at the NGHE Médiathèque, a DIY art space and free music library in an old workshop building in the heart of the Molenbeek borough. Chaval continues the tale: “He arrived in Brussels and we did a five-day rehearsal. It went very fast and very easy, mixing up some noisy free jazz and some traditional music from Burkina Faso. Then we had maybe 15 gigs in France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium.” Following a few zig-zags between Belgium and Burkina Faso, they recorded the first Avalanche Kaito album in 2020. Gigs resumed, post-lockdown, and they hooked up with guitarist Gitto, with whom they had an instant rapport. “Brussels is a big nexus,” says Chaval. “There’s a crazy underground scene. There were three concerts a week organised, and a lot of space to rehearse. We play loud with Kaito – I mean, they play loud like crazy in his [home] village – so there was no question, that was the connection. There is rhythm, there is noise, for sure, the sound of the texture is crazy. For example, the flute he plays, the peul, it’s full of noise, full of breath, with this white noise inside. We play the same kind of shit, even though it’s not from the same place.”

It sounds like improvisational get-togethers might form the heart of their songs, but this is not necessarily the case. “There is not only one method,” Chaval explains. “But most of the time, 70%, Kaito brings the songs, and then he suggests the rhythm. Then we jam, that’s the basic process. But there is also the production process. Sometimes we record, then I take it and add stuff, cut stuff, make something, and then we have to play it back.” Upcoming gigs will feature five new songs, which the trio will reconstruct from these recorded versions.

“It was all new experience,” Kaito recalls. “New energy, new musical inspiration and new sounds. It was very interesting. Before, I was very much in my world of traditional music. It’s thanks to Belgium and the team I work with, that I’ve discovered so many different kinds of music. It’s a great experience for me. At first, I am surprised by everything. It’s a nice surprise to hear the sound in Ben’s machines and Nico’s pedal sounds, as well as in the recording studio. For instance, everything in a piece like ‘Machine (The Mill)’ is new to me.”

Gitto is also positive: “I felt very excited and honoured to be able to work with musicians like Kaito and Benjamin. I had just met Kaito a short time before, at an alternative venue in Brussels where musicians from the underground scene could practise, play gigs and meet. We immediately hit it off and started working together, making music with our different backgrounds and telling each other our stories. I also knew Benjamin from the powerful and atypical Brussels music scene. I was certain that I wanted to immerse myself in the rhythmic and experimental challenge that was about to unfold before us. They needed a musician to interpret Avalanche Kaito’s first album on stage and, of course, I immediately agreed to cross swords with these two beautiful people from incredible worlds.”

He has a very instinctive approach to the guitar: “I’m absolutely not a music theorist. In fact, I know absolutely nothing about that side of music. For some time now, I’ve been learning about the different rhythms possible on this planet, and the use of effects to create a maximum of timbres and textures. Nevertheless, I’ve always been passionate about sound, its power and the effect it has on our souls. It seems to me that I first envision a guitar part through the gesture, and the emotion and power follow through the body. Then it seems to touch the heart of the audience. There’s something spiritual, something alive in the instrument that allows us to go beyond ourselves…”

Talitakum represents a significant advancement of the Avalanche Kaito sound, as the members refine their communication, and hone themselves on the live stage, with 2024 looking set to increase their club and festival appearances and expose their full power to a rapidly increasing audience.

This article originally appeared in the June 2024 issue of Songlines. Never miss an issue – subscribe today