Mugenkyo
Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers are the UK’s first and only professional touring taiko group, and Europe’s mostestablished performing company in this fast-expanding field. Through performing over 100 concerts a year, thegroup have built a solid reputation for their hard-hitting and energetic performances since their establishment in1994.
Mugenkyo’s main work is touring a full-length concert at theatres and concert halls, including London Queen
Elizabeth Hall, Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, Cambridge Corn Exchange, Gateshead Sage, Reading Hexagon,Bristol Colston Hall, Perth Concert Hall and York Grand Opera House, amongst others. The group has appearedon numerous television and radio programmes worldwide, including the Brit Awards, BBC Last Night of theProms, the Generation Game and has even featured in a Bollywood film.
Mugenkyo present taiko in a modern and theatrical style – with precise choreography, dramatic lighting, and avariety of costumes ranging from the post-apocalyptic industrial to gorgeous earthy silks. The concert isextremely musically varied; powerful rhythms, huge taiko drums, delicate shinobue bamboo flute, expressive
percussion, and dance. Through their 12 years of rigorous touring, Mugenkyo have developed a style that is
uniquely their own. Retaining the traditional spirit of taiko, yet creating a thoroughly contemporary sound,
Mugenkyo are forging a new path with their innovative approach.
Mugenkyo push the boundaries of Taiko with their various artistic collaborations. In 2004 Mugenkyo presented
the show “Rinnetensho” with Tokyo-based contemporary dance group “Company East” on the theme of reincarnation, a multi-media presentation using taiko, dance and projected visuals. In 2005 Mugenkyo collaborated
with bagpiper and Scottish Musician of the Year, Stuart Cassells, which was broadcast live worldwide on BBCLast Night of the Proms. More recently Mugenkyo have toured with Hanayui from Sado Island, from the worldfamous Kodo Drummers, appeared with electronic dance artist Kenji Williams at the Glastonbury Festival, toured
with Japanese bellydance artist Lale Sayoko and co-wrote and performed “Yatra” a collaboration of South Asianand Scottish traditional music for the 2008 & 2009 Mela Festivals. In 2010, the group collaborated on a joint tourwith saxophonist Tommy Smith and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, which receive rave reviews in thepress.
Festival highlights over the years have included appearances at: Glastonbury Festival, the Rhythm Sticks
Festival, Phoenix Rock Festival, and the Marlborough & Cork Jazz Festivals. Mugenkyo have also performed atnumerous large-scale multimedia events including the 2003 Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium, and at the film
premiere of “The Last Samurai”.
Mugenkyo perform in Japan regularly: on invitation by the Japanese government to open the 2005 EU-Japan
Year of Exchange, their 10th Anniversary Concert in 2004, and for the prince and princess at the British Embassyin Tokyo. To continue their ongoing training at the highest level, and further develop their strong foundations intechnique, Mugenkyo return to Japan regularly, where founders of the group Neil Mackie and Miyuki Williams
lived and trained intensively in 1992 – 1994 with Master Drummer Masaaki Kurumaya Sensei.
In 2002 the group established the Mugen Taiko Dojo: Centre for Taiko Drumming in the UK – the first purposebuilt taiko dojo in Britain, based in rural Central Scotland. Under the umbrella of the Mugen Taiko Dojo, membersof the group tour an award-winning educational concert at schools, undertake educational outreach projects withlocal authorities all over the UK, and run in-depth courses for adults and weekend residential workshops at thedojo.
MUGENKYO TAIKO DRUMMERS
tel/fax: 01357 522 008 int’l: +44 1357 522 008
email: MTD@taiko.co.uk

www.taiko.co.uk