ABOUT HK AND LOOPS

Between heritage and technology

HK and Loops is the artistic project of Hippolyte Koutouan, a musician, songwriter, composer and performer originally from Côte d'Ivoire and based in Québec.

Coming from a background as a drummer and live musician, Hippolyte develops an approach where African rhythms, electronic music, improvisation and music technology meet.

His work is particularly interested in what happens when music stops being simply reproduced and becomes an act of construction in real time.

On stage, he uses sampling, looping, keyboards, electronic percussion, drums and voice to create and transform musical material in front of the audience.

VOYAGE 5.0

This exploration led to Voyage 5.0, his first solo EP, supported by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ).

The project explores movement, identity, exile, African roots and transformation through a meeting between electronic music and different rhythmic traditions.

HYBRID LIVE 5.0

With Hybrid Live 5.0, this exploration moves from the recording studio to the stage.

The compositions from Voyage 5.0 are reinterpreted through a performance where music, technology, movement and light interact in real time.

Joined by two dancers, HK and Loops develops a stage form that seeks less to reproduce a recorded work than to reveal the process behind its creation.

AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNEY

Before and alongside the development of HK and Loops, Hippolyte Koutouan has performed on numerous stages and festivals across Canada, Europe, Africa and Asia.

His journey includes appearances at Oslo World, Dour Festival, Shibuya Fest, Zandari Festa, Visa for Music, Mundial Montréal, Nuits d'Afrique, Jazzablanca, Mawazine Rythmes du Monde and many other international events and projects.

Today, HK and Loops continues to explore one simple question:

How can technology become not a substitute for the musician, but an instrument for creation and presence?