With DANDANA's 'Free The System', Rebel Up Records already took us to The Gambia and Senegal, and for 'Kaladounia' (More/Mossi for "this is the world") we travel to Burkina Faso via the Brussels Matonge district.
Labalou Kaito Winse is a Brussels-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist and a descendant from a traditional griot family in Lankoué, in the north of Burkina Faso.
In March of this year, Kaito was selected to join Matongé Sounds, a program set up by Muziekpublique with the aim of promoting and assisting local talent.
If you're looking for a truly African album, stripped of all frills, then 'Kaladounia' is definitely for you. 'Kaladounia' only features Winse's voice (alternating between French, More/Mossi and Samo), accompanied by instruments like the gourd ('J'aime T'adorer', 'Wasa', a rhythm originally reserved for the nobles at court), mouth harp ('Bono', an instrumental ode to nature), tama or talking drum (opener 'Wa Sigui', an ode to the ancestors, 'Banga'), tambin or Fula flute ('Appel Des Esprits', 'Banga') and toutlé (a traditional Burkinese flute, often used for local ceremonies, and featured in title track 'Kaladounyan').
In closure, we'd like to point out that the striking bird on the cover of 'Kaladounia' represents a swallow carrying a message in its beak, symbolizing the griots widely spreading their musical "messages". In all its simplicity, with 'Kaladounia' Kaito Winse created a true acoustic gem.