Gocoo - Percussion Group from Japan

Gocoo

Gocoo are seven female and four male drummers, who capture theiraudience with original grooves woven with Japanese drums,'taikos'. Over 30 'taikos' bring life to the one-and-only 'Gocoo World'. The 11 musicians from Tokyo excite their audiences not only with an incredible drum show full of primal beats, but also with uniquely complex and refined poly-rhythms.
While many 'taiko' groups 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, rite and party and hence appealing directly to the heart of a broad range of audiences.
Even new terms, such as techno and trance 'taiko' are created to pay tribute to their unique rhythms. Gocoo also appear side by side with other bands and DJs at rave parties or open air festivals, such as the Fuji Rock Festival, Equinox and Earth Dance.Yet, Gocoo are highly recognised among the circles of traditional ‘taiko’: for instance Gocoo performed at the 35th ‘Nihon no Taiko:Taiko ha Koeru’ (Japanese Taiko’ Drums Transcend).

In January 2003, Gocoo performed for the first time in Europe, at the Opening Party of Graz as the European Capital of Culture 2003 and entertained a 5.000 audience.Wherever Gocoo appeared, people were enthralled by their enticing rhythms repeatedly asking the band for several encores.They have released a lot of cds, but their participation in the OST of Matrix Reloaded made them overnight world known.

Along with Kaoly Asano, who is the lead drummerin and plays with Taiko-Set: Shime Taiko, 2 Nagajime Taiko, Oke Daiko and Indian Drum, perform the other drummers, who are Taro Matsuzaki,Yumi Ishii, Haruna Kizaki, Noriko Kawai, Hideyuki Sato, Naoyuki Noguchi,Takema Yamauchi, Chiyoko Kittaka, Kanae Fujime,Yuko Nakata.
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 famous Taiko school in Tokyo.