Vieo Abiungo

Vieo Abiungo is the moniker of Fritch’s unique blend of rooted Afro-beat and traditional chamber music. Concentrating deeply on the emotional rawness and pulsing rhythmical drive that traditional African folk music is best known for, his music carves a new path by subtly incorporating elements of classical, hip-hop, world, and indie rock composition. Fritch has previously received accolades for his work as the instrumentalist and arranger of the experimental/post-rock/rap group, Sole and the Skyrider Band. Having produced two albums with them since 2007, both garnering critical acclaim for their ability to bring new sense and musicality to a dusty genre, Fritch’s first solo endeavour as Vieo Abiungo shines brilliantly as a rare gem finally getting some much overdue daylight.

His sense of space and discernment have grown considerably in the last few years having worked with film scorer Greg Tripi and composing legend Cliff Martinez (Traffic, Solaris), and serving as an extensive session musician to legendary producer and sound engineer Paul McKenna (Sting, Oingo Boingo). In December 2009, Fritch released a holiday EP titled Bare Trees, Gaunt Beasts, and Inconceivable Quiet for Sufjan Stevens label Asmatic Kitty. Plus, several films featuring Fritch’s scores were featured in 2010 Sundance, SXSW, LA Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, and the Copenhagen International Film Festival.

A self-taught player of over thirty instruments, Fritch approaches classical composition and traditional music forms not with scholarly intention, but rather with the curiosity and impulsiveness of childlike fascination. Vieo Abiungo reveals new facets of this strong musical fingerprint by pushing his production and improvisational skills to into bold new territories. Fritch constructs a sound that avoids sterility and opens up world beat and classical music to new audiences. This unfiltered and organic pastiche of enumerable musical styles and earthly utterances is Fritch's love song to the deep-seated cadence of African music that
pervades our most diurnal rhythms, and the enfolding swirl of sounds that we both create and occupy.