Music

Kodo

11 think pieces
The Independent·feature·Michael Church
No smoking, alcohol, or sex allowed: The difficult task of training as a taiko drummer | The Independent | The Independent

Kodo drummers endure monk-like lives—6am mountain runs, no phones, sex, or alcohol—to master Japan's gut-punching taiko tradition on a remote island.

Score: 72Read at the-independent.com
Reading in Bed·essay
“Goodreads for movies”? How about a Letterboxd for books? | Reading in Bed

Goodreads is stagnant, Amazon-neglected, and long overdue for a rival. The author breaks down why it's failing and imagines a Letterboxd-style alternative.

Score: 72Read at reading-in-bed.com
Los Angeles Times·profile
When It Comes to Exercise, Practice, Japan's Kodo Drummers Don't Miss a Beat - Los Angeles Times

Japan's Kodo drummers train like athletes — 5:30 a.m. runs, 12-hour days — blending traditional and global influences while rejecting nationalist labels.

Score: 72Read at latimes.com
The Independent·review
Kodo Drummers,Royal Festival Hall, London | The Independent | The Independent

Japan's Kodo drummers still electrify at Royal Festival Hall — ascetic, physically brutal, acoustically magnificent. If primal percussion at its most ritualistic appeals, don't miss them.

Score: 72Read at the-independent.com
Songlines·feature·Michael Church
Kodo: Inside the Taiko drumming powerhouse | Songlines

Kodo drummers endure monk-like isolation on a remote Japanese island to master taiko. Their gruelling training regime is fuelling a worldwide drumming revolution.

Score: 72Read at songlines.co.uk
The Real Japan·essay·Rob Dyer
What The $*@# Happened To Kodo?! - The Real Japan

Legendary taiko drum group Kodo has diluted its raw power with dance and kabuki theatrics. A disappointed longtime fan mourns what they've lost.

Score: 72Read at therealjapan.com
Medium·essay·Ben Davies
Why Are We Scared to Forget Our Consumption? From Letterboxd to Goodreads. | by Ben Davies | Medium

Logging every film, book, and album you consume is less about memory and more about identity performance and validation-driven overconsumption.

Score: 68Read at medium.com
The Morning Call·profile·Morning Call
FOR MEMBERS OF JAPANESE KODO, DRUMMING IS THE BEAT OF A LIFESTYLE – The Morning Call

Japan's Kodo drummers live, train, and perform together on a remote island — marathon runners who treat percussion as spiritual discipline and communal identity.

Score: 68Read at mcall.com
The Argus (via USA Today)·profile
Japan's Kodo Drummers on their music: "It's a monastic kind of ...

Japan's elite Kodo drummers live monk-like lives on a remote island to master taiko. Their new show *Evolution* hits Brighton this month.

Score: 68Read at theargus.co.uk
University of Michigan School of Music (UMS)·interview
Ask an Artist: Jun Akimoto, Kodo member

Kodo drummer Jun Akimoto answers fan questions ahead of their 2011 Ann Arbor return — covering the group's origins, island life, and that giant drum.

Score: 65Read at ums.org
Financial Times·feature
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The article is paywalled — content is inaccessible. Based on the title: an FT look inside Japan's elite, grueling Kodo taiko drumming discipline.

— shared by Dave

Score: 45Read at ft.com