Stéphane Galland & The Rhythm Hunters

Stéphane Galland & The Rhythm Hunters integrate rhythmic principles from different parts of the world into a highly personal language, with polyphonic, groovy and trance-like aspects (Africa), mathematically complex ones (India) and irregular pulsations (Balkans). The project is a sequel to Stéphane’s previous project ’(the mystery of) Kem’. The objective: to explore different approaches to rhythm and to integrate them into a fluid musical discourse. This process requires extensive collective work, so that the whole group becomes familiar with these new rhythmic concepts and challenges. The group consists of young musicians Shoko Igarashi (Japan), alto saxophonist Sylvain Debaisieux (Belgium), trumpet player Pierre-Antoine Savoyat (France), pianist Wajdi Riahi (Tunisia) and Louise van den Heuvel (Netherlands) on electric bass. Drummer Stéphane Galland, a founder of AKA Moon, composed the pieces as divergent musical territories inviting ‘rhythm hunting’. The band’s debut album appeared on Challenge Records in April of 2024. Bring your adventurous ears!