Two vastly different musical styles and cultural worlds collide in Avalanche Kaito, a trio led by West African griot and multi-instrumentalist Kaito Winse.
Hailing from Lankoué — a village in the northern region of West African country Burkina Faso — Winse is a modern-day griot, carrying forward his country's tradition of oral storytelling through music. Winse is now based in Brussels, Belgium, and Avalanche Kaito was formed after he met two Brussels-based musicians: guitarist Nico Gritto and drummer/electronic musician Benjamin Chavel.
In this episode of Global Spin, the three artists deliver a colorful performance of their song "Toulele," embodying their cross-cultural and far-reaching musical stylings. At the heart of the music is the juxtaposition between an ancestral musical storytelling style and futuristic sonic instrumentation.
The group assembles inside a large, warehouse-style building for their performance, using an elaborately-constructed wooden playground as their stage. Each of the three performers gets a turn in the spotlight, with Winse's vocals giving way to scuzzy, electronic instrumental solos.
In other moments of the trio's 12-minute performance, Gritto and Chavel take a break from their instruments, allowing Winse a brief a capella moment. Here, it's easy to imagine the traditions that inspired his musical style, and to contemplate the griot sounds that span backwards through generations and continue to hold a prominent place in West African culture today.
"Toulele" is one of eight tracks on Avalanche Kaito's self-titled album, which arrived in June 2022. Listen to the album here, watch the group's full performance above, and keep checking back to GRAMMY.com for more episodes of Global Spin.