Best of Kodō

Powerful, meditative rhythms by dedicated Taiko masters Kodō.

Using highly disciplined drumming as their weapon (and yet at times sounding so free and improvisational as the next experimental band), they explore outer limits in atypical avant-garde style, combining their urges with their love for Japan's traditional percussive arsenal. Constructing complex, heartbeat-deep beats and constantly shifting rhythmic interplays, they usually refrain from playing the minimalist card much - they focus instead on dynamic shifts, sometimes in the extreme; with the silent, still parts weighing as much as the more energetic ones. Despite being spiced with various non-percussive instruments now and then, it's still a massive drum feast.

A great source of unique sampling material, by the way. Mandatory for fans of PWOG and tribal fiends in general.

鼓童 - 1993 Best Of Kodō
Info here and here.

I remember watching them in a performance at an ancient theatre (you always get great sound in there). Despite the occasional showing-off, I was struck by the sheer amount of energy their bodies channeled, as they kept the taxing pace of the beat flawlessly; by their otherworldly body stamina, especially compared to the obvious results my 'hedonistic' lifestyle had on me and everyone I knew; and most of all, by the wordless communication between them, this magic-like understanding of subtle changes in someone's playing or of a mood shift in the spectators' rows.

P.S. I just found that concert on YouTube here, sounding awfully though: 1, 2, 3, 4