KAITO WINSE
Kaito Winse is a musician, storyteller and performer from Burkina Faso, currently based in Brussels. His work draws on traditional West African musical practices, rhythm and oral history, while moving freely between contemporary composition, performance and ritual. Through percussion, voice and self built instruments, he creates sonic landscapes that are both earthy and spiritual.
The versatile Brussels based artist is not only a singer, dancer and multi instrumentalist, but above all a guardian of the rich oral traditions of his homeland. He was born in the desert, into a family of griots in the far north of West Africa, where, as he says himself, he only had to bend down to pick up the inherited stories around him. Carrying the weight of a thousand lives and a thousand deaths, he now passes on these ancestral narratives through song, rhythm and performance.
Experiencing Kaito Winse live is an intense and physical encounter. He plays instruments such as the calabash, the mouth bow, the Peul and toutlé flutes, and above all the tama, a talking drum that imitates speech. His powerful and captivating voice evokes the intensity of operatic performance. His collaboration with French writer, actor and theatre maker Tartar(e) further sharpened his ability to hold an audience through a compelling interplay of rhythm, language and presence.
At the same time, Kaito Winse is a musical chameleon who moves effortlessly between diverse artistic worlds. He is active in the experimental noise punk band Avalanche Kaito, forms the duo Kaito Kai with DJ Palmbomen II, and collaborates in various jazz projects led by, among others, Fabrizio Cassol and Robbe Latré. This eclectic artistic universe unfolds live into an even more expansive, often ritual like experience.
Since his acclaimed debut album Kaladounia in 2020 and the more recent release Reele Bumbou, Kaito Winse has appeared on stages across Europe, including ESNS, Womex, Supersonic, Les Vieilles Charrues, Ment, Down The Rabbit Hole, Dour, Nuits Sonores, Huy Art Festival and BRDCST.
With B Classic, Kaito Winse appeared in the Elfurenmis and shone in LASWERK in 2025, where his practice resonated within a context of collective listening, ritual and encounter.
