GOCOO

GOCOO is a Japanese taiko group formed in Tokyo in 1997 and active since then. The ensemble has 11 members: seven women and four men. It describes itself as a band rather than a traditional taiko ensemble, and its line-up centres on female lead drummer Kaoly Asano, who also runs a taiko school in Tokyo.

Style and instrumentation

The group plays original grooves built around Japanese drums and taikos, using nearly 40 drums on stage. Its music combines complex polyrhythms, trance-like momentum and elements associated with roots, crossover, techno and trance taiko. GOCOO performs as a live spectacle as well as a percussion group, and its sets appear in a wide range of settings, from world and roots festivals to rock and pop events, alternative music and culture festivals, clubs, theatres, concert halls and techno events.

GOCOO’s approach mixes Japanese drumming tradition with freer, contemporary forms, moving between East and West, tradition and pop, and ritual and party. The group’s sound reaches audiences across age, ethnic and social backgrounds and has a reputation for dense, physically intense percussion.

Recordings and collaborations

The group’s first solo album, Healing Asia Vol. 2, appears in 2000 and is recorded without overdubbing, with sound engineering by Shinichi Tanaka. GOCOO’s first live album, Live’01, follows in 2002 through Universal Music. Other releases mentioned include the DVD Live’02, the live album Lovebeat, the live CD and DVD Roots of Joy, and the live album Earthbeat.

GOCOO works with Juno Reactor on recordings including Hotaka, Tea House and Tetsujin. Those collaborations contribute to the soundtracks of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. The group also contributes music to the film series Gothic III, and its sound appears in computer games and television advertising for companies including Hitachi and Nissan.

Performances and international profile

GOCOO debuts at the Techno Festival Rainbow 2000 after its formation and then builds a live career through clubs and major festivals in Japan and abroad. In Japan, it appears at venues such as Aoyama CAY and Shibuya On Air, and performs at events including Fuji Rock Festival, Asagiri Jam and Hotaka Mountain Festival. It also plays at the Japanese National Theatre for the 35th Nihon no Taiko: Taiko ha Koeru in 2001 and appears with Kodo at the Earthbeat Festival in Tokyo in 2005.

The group tours widely across Europe, North America, Mexico, Australia and other regions, with performances at events including Sziget, Italia Wave, Montreux Jazz Festival, Boom Festival, Gurtenfestival, Budapest Summer Festival and Mawazine in Rabat. In 2008 it represents the Asian continent at the opening event of the UN Conference on Biological Diversity in Bonn, performing with Bob Geldof and Daniela Mercury. In 2011 it opens the Mawazine Festival with Quincy Jones and gives the opening concert at the Budapest Summer Festival. In 2012 it opens Sziget’s main stage, with the performance broadcast live online.

Collaborators and membership context

GOCOO performs with a number of other artists, including Kim Duk-soo of SamulNori, djembe player Mamady Keita and Seiichi Tanaka of the San Francisco Taiko Ensemble. Kaoly Asano remains the most prominent individual member in the group’s profile, while the ensemble’s broader identity stays rooted in collective drumming rather than front-led solo performance.

Recognition

GOCOO gains cult status through its distinctive blend of Japanese drumming and international influences, and in 2009 Newsweek Japan includes the group among its list of Japanese people who overcome cultural barriers and shine in the world.