Raphaël Vanoli is primarily known as the guitarist for the Amsterdam duo Knalpot. With his new band Stolpernova, derived from the German verb ‘stolpern’, which means stumbling, he creates contagious soundscapes, furious grooves and stumbling rhythms. Together with Knalpot drummer Gerri Jäger, trail-blazing trombonist Hilary Jeffery and the unconventional trumpet player Franz Hautzinger he moves between soundscapes and brassband, between acoustic stillness and danceable electronica. In this landscape, which can be either serene or rugged, the intense voice of Senegalese singer Omar Ka appears. In unique arrangements of traditional West-African songs his vocals range from whispers to bursts of heartbreak.
“This is outstandingly well improvised. The drummer plays loose in highly uneven rhythmical patterns, an executioner of a trombonist, a trumpet player serving the music with evocative timbre, spherical but not slick, contemplative in an exciting way. Vanoli holds this surreal, otherworldly sound together well and the Senegalese singer has a beautiful, deep and colorful voice.” Frits Lagerwerff
Omar Ka: vocals, guitar
Franz Hautzinger: trumpet, electronics
Hilary Jeffery: trombone, electronics
Raphaël Vanoli: guitar, bass, electronics
Gerri Jäger: drums, percussion, electronics
contact: raphaelvanoli [at] gmx [dot] net