Taikotroniks – Beyond Taiko

Amidst the pulsing rhythms of the drums at Taikotroniks, you might be surprised to also find a generous helping of blips, whirs, and other unearthly electronic sounds. For the May 3rd event, seven prominent Vancouver-based taiko groups—Chibi Taiko, Katari Taiko, LOUD, Sansho Daiko, Sawagi Taiko, Uzume Taiko, and Yuaikai Ryukyu Taiko—will join the newly formed Vancouver Electronics Ensemble (VEE) for an evening of taiko and electronic music that will feature upwards of 35 musicians.

A special project initiated by Vancouver New Music to celebrate the City of Vancouver’s 125th anniversary, Taikotroniks will pay tribute to the city’s historically significant taiko community, as well as a slice of its newer, collaborative electronic community. Featuring special performances by each of the groups, as well as a breakaway taiko and electronic improvisation collaboration, Taikotroniks aims to showcase the rich variety of taiko styles and approaches that have grown up with Vancouver, alongside experiments with new musical directions.

In speaking about this ambitious event, Vancouver New Music’s artistic director Giorgio Magnanensi commented “it’s an unlikely collaboration of two different communities who share the same passion for soundmaking, and represent multifaceted parts of our community—not just musically, but culturally as well…with Taikotroniks we want to showcase the growth and development of taiko in Vancouver, and the launch of the newly formed Vancouver Electronic Ensemble. It will be an important occasion that celebrates the vibrant cultural environments of our city in a way that we hope will energize and invigorate the artists and the audience.”

Vancouver New Music hopes that Taikotroniks will be an event that invites everyone who comes to engage in, and within the dialogue with older and newer traditions, their legacy, and also with contemporary music practices, represented in this concert by VEE’s experimental approach.

Linda Hoffman, who works with Vancouver New Music and also will be performing with Sawagi Taiko for the event, noted that “the most interesting thing for me personally is the collaboration that will happen between the taiko groups and the electronic musicians. As a taiko player I’ve never played with electronic sounds before, and it’s interesting to see how the taiko sounds mix, and blend and clash with the electronic sounds.”

Simultaneity, multicentricity and overlapping points of view will be the characteristic elements of Taikotroniks. The sound textures and compositions will not merely be the sum of a number of isolated performances, but rather will create a complex array of sound events that will work in concert to create an imaginary sonic scenography.

Taikotroniks will take place on Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at 8PM at the Vancouver Playhouse. For tickets go to www.newmusic.org