Discover Japanese Taiko

Taiko is a term that covers an array of Japanese drums (known as wadaiko). Since the mid-20th century, taiko has become integrated into popular culture worldwide. Most recently it has been utilised in the scores for the popular remake of television series Battlestar Galactica, and in Silence, the new film by Academy award-winning director Martin Scorsese. This new compilation covers both traditional styles of taiko known as kumi-daiko, and more contemporary styles by composers such as Joji Hirota, Masaya Takashino, Pete Lockett and Yoshinori Itagaki.

The contemporary blends with the traditional in tracks like ‘Pageant II’ and ‘Chappa Chappa Ki-da-ta-ka’ with the use of standard kumi-daiko fused with the unique sounds of the tabla, frame drum, bongos and djembé. The music of ‘Taiko-Bayashi’ and ‘Festival Music of Dairakuji Town’ offer a far more traditional affair, showcasing music for festival celebration, war and the depiction of mythological battles in Japanese folklore. It delivers grandiose, edge-of-your-seat, relentless energy, best heard on ‘Horyo’; but it also offers a delicate, zen-like serenity as on ‘Kin no Mai’. It’s only a small glimpse of the vast array of taiko music, but it does give us powerhouse performances by some of the best taiko groups around.