GOCOO
Encyclopedia
Gocoo, or GOCOO are seven female and four male Taiko
drummers from Tokyo
(Japan
). Gocoo performed at major Blues & Roots, Rock & Pop and alternative Rock festivals, in live clubs, classic theatres and concert halls or at techno events. Lead drummer, Kaoly Asano , attracts much attention as a female Taiko artist. Whenever not performing with Gocoo on stage, she teaches the art of playing the Taiko at her Tawoo Taiko Dojo
in Tokyo.
, Asagiri Jam, or the Hotaka Mountain Festival.
Yet, Gocoo are respected among the circles of traditional Taiko. For instance Gocoo performed at the 35th Nihon no Taiko: Taiko ha Koeru (Japanese Taiko Drums Transcend) at the Japanese National Theatre in 2001 and they appeared together with the traditional Taiko ensemble Kodo at Tokyo's Earthbeat Festival in June 2005. Gocoo performed with several highly achieved artists such as Korea's Kim Duk-soo of SamulNori, West-Africa's djembe player Mamady Keita, and Seiichi Tanaka of the San Francisco Taiko Ensemble.
In 2000 Gocoo's first solo album Healing Asia Vol.2 was released.
At the beginning of 2002, Gocoo joined Juno Reactor
(UK) for a recording session which resulted that same fall in the release of the maxi single Hotaka. In June 2002, Universal Music published Gocoo's first live album Live 01.
In January 2003 Gocoo performed for the first time in Europe at the opening party "The Cutting Edge of Japanese Underground" of Graz as the Culture Capital of Europe 2003. They followed-up with a tour throughout Germany. Later the same year Gocoo recorded together with Juno Reactor the tunes "Tea House" and "Tetsujin" for the soundtrack of the Hollywood blockbusters Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. Successively, Gocoo released their first DVD Live. In December two new CDs with tracks performed by Gocoo were released: Juno Reactor's CD "Zwara EP" and the CD Best of Healing Asia: Amatsuchi No Aida.
2004 Gocoo returned to Europe. While being on tour, Gocoo went to a recording studio in Hamburg (Germany) to contribute to the soundtrack of the third sequel of the role-play computer game Gothic 3
.
In autumn 2005 Gocoo performed 34 concerts during a two months long tour through Europe and Mexico. During Gocoo's world tour in 2008 the band performed on all 5 continents.
In its edition of July 8, 2009, Newsweek
Japan included Gocoo in its top 100 list of Japanese people who “overcame cultural barriers and shine in the world” as "their borderless sound, a mix of rock and ethnic music from around the world, is cherished by international audiences”.
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
drummers from Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
(Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
). Gocoo performed at major Blues & Roots, Rock & Pop and alternative Rock festivals, in live clubs, classic theatres and concert halls or at techno events. Lead drummer, Kaoly Asano , attracts much attention as a female Taiko artist. Whenever not performing with Gocoo on stage, she teaches the art of playing the Taiko at her Tawoo Taiko Dojo
Dojo
A is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way". Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to...
in Tokyo.
Style
While many Taiko groups stoically pursue a traditional style, and while others seek new interpretations of traditional Japanese music, Gocoo's beat exhibits free-spirited Taiko music, rising freely between the East and the West, tradition and pop, rite and party. Although Gocoo's music is often referred to as crossover or world music, or even new terms such as Techno- and Trance-Taiko are created, Gocoo overcame any stereotyped concepts not only of Japanese drum music and reached their own, independent cult status. Free of ritual obligations, women, for example, have the majority among Gocoo's members.History
Gocoo was founded 1997 in Tokyo. They debuted the same year, completely atypical for a Taiko group, at the Techno Festival Rainbow 2000. Since then, Gocoo's frequent live performances at Tokyo's cult locations, such as Aoyama CAY and Shibuya On Air, are packed with a young audience who usually tend to shy away from traditional music. Gocoo also appear side by side with other bands and DJs at rave parties or open air festivals such as the Fuji Rock FestivalFuji Rock Festival
Fuji Rock Festival is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The 3 day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan...
, Asagiri Jam, or the Hotaka Mountain Festival.
Yet, Gocoo are respected among the circles of traditional Taiko. For instance Gocoo performed at the 35th Nihon no Taiko: Taiko ha Koeru (Japanese Taiko Drums Transcend) at the Japanese National Theatre in 2001 and they appeared together with the traditional Taiko ensemble Kodo at Tokyo's Earthbeat Festival in June 2005. Gocoo performed with several highly achieved artists such as Korea's Kim Duk-soo of SamulNori, West-Africa's djembe player Mamady Keita, and Seiichi Tanaka of the San Francisco Taiko Ensemble.
In 2000 Gocoo's first solo album Healing Asia Vol.2 was released.
At the beginning of 2002, Gocoo joined Juno Reactor
Juno Reactor
Juno Reactor is a musical and performing act known for the cinematic fusion of electronic, orchestral, and global music. Central to the project is Ben Watkins and his collaborations with a constantly changing ensemble of musicians from across the world, including percussionist Mabi Thobejane from...
(UK) for a recording session which resulted that same fall in the release of the maxi single Hotaka. In June 2002, Universal Music published Gocoo's first live album Live 01.
In January 2003 Gocoo performed for the first time in Europe at the opening party "The Cutting Edge of Japanese Underground" of Graz as the Culture Capital of Europe 2003. They followed-up with a tour throughout Germany. Later the same year Gocoo recorded together with Juno Reactor the tunes "Tea House" and "Tetsujin" for the soundtrack of the Hollywood blockbusters Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. Successively, Gocoo released their first DVD Live. In December two new CDs with tracks performed by Gocoo were released: Juno Reactor's CD "Zwara EP" and the CD Best of Healing Asia: Amatsuchi No Aida.
2004 Gocoo returned to Europe. While being on tour, Gocoo went to a recording studio in Hamburg (Germany) to contribute to the soundtrack of the third sequel of the role-play computer game Gothic 3
Gothic 3
Gothic 3 is a fantasy-themed role-playing game for Windows from the German game developer Piranha Bytes. It is the sequel to Gothic II. Although widely available in English, the native release of the game is German. The game was released throughout the European Union on October 13, 2006 and became...
.
In autumn 2005 Gocoo performed 34 concerts during a two months long tour through Europe and Mexico. During Gocoo's world tour in 2008 the band performed on all 5 continents.
In its edition of July 8, 2009, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
Japan included Gocoo in its top 100 list of Japanese people who “overcame cultural barriers and shine in the world” as "their borderless sound, a mix of rock and ethnic music from around the world, is cherished by international audiences”.
Albums
- 2000: Healing Asia Vol.2 featuring Gocoo
- 2001: Migwitch Gitchi-Manidoo (compilation of recordings from the 2000 America tour in limited edition)
- 2002: Live 01
- 2004: LoveBeat!
- 2005: Joy -healing asia- (studio album, Gocoo + GoRo)
- 2007: "MatsuRhythm" vol.1. EarthBeat (Gocoo + GoRo)
- 2011: Roots of Joy
Albums
- 2000: Healing Asia Vol.3 featuring Li Bo
- 2000: Wish Compilation. Hybrid Acoustic Ground
- 2002: Odyssey 1992-2002 (Juno ReactorJuno ReactorJuno Reactor is a musical and performing act known for the cinematic fusion of electronic, orchestral, and global music. Central to the project is Ben Watkins and his collaborations with a constantly changing ensemble of musicians from across the world, including percussionist Mabi Thobejane from...
Best-Of-albumGreatest HitsA Greatest hits album is a compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular music artist or band.Albums entitled Greatest Hits, or similar titles, listed alphabetically by band name or artist's last name, include:-0-9:...
) - 2002: 武尊祭 '01 '02: Ｈotakasai. Hotaka Mountain Festival '01 '02
- 2003: Matrix Reloaded. Music from and inspired by the motion picture (movie soundtrack)
- 2003: Matrix Revolutions. Music from the motion picture (movie soundtrack)
- 2003: 天土の間. Amatsuchi No Aida: Best of Healing Asia (compilation of pieces from the 'Healing Asia'-series)
- 2006: Gothic 3 Original Soundtrack (computer game soundtrack)
- 2009: Spectacle. (Daishi DanceDaishi Dance-Summary:Daishi Dance performs in the heart of Sapporo, creating melodious house mixes that feature vocals conveying grief and discontent, and using three turn tables in a hybrid DJ style....
album)
Other
- 1996: 太鼓を打つ! (Taiko introduction in Japanese, written by Kaoly Asano. A5, 232 pages, ISBN 4938170280, ISBN 978-4938170288)
- 2011 : Gocoo participated in Mawazine Festival, which took place at Rabat, Morocco