Listen to Rufus Wainwright's collaboration with Japanese drumming collective Kodo

Japanese drumming collective Kodo are releasing a new album, Kodo Together, this week. Inspired by this year’s Olympic Games, the album features collaborations with a disparate group of international artists, including Elkka, Rufus Wainwright, Kevin Saunderson & Justin Cholewski, The Colorist Orchestra & Emiliana Torrini, Andrea Belfi, Equiknoxx, Skream, and more. “Pushing the musical capabilities of taiko is not just a mission for Kodo, but also something I live by,” says Kodo’s Yuta Sumiyoshi. “Through these collaborations with talented artists from around the world, we hope to showcase the musical potential and possibilities of the taiko.”

We’ve got the premiere of “You Came to Me,” the soaring collaboration with Rufus Wainwright. “I knew Kodo’s music and am a huge admirer of Brando Tamasaburo who used to work with Kodo for years,” says Rufus. “I had never dreamt of collaborating with them and when the opportunity appeared it came much more natural and easy than I would have thought. There is something very ecstatic and human in their drumming that I hoped to amplify with music and the choice of words based on some Sappho poems about coming together after fiery times. It was also a welcome opportunity to work with Marius de Vries again who produced three albums of mine and always surprises me. This time with his ability to translate from Ancient Greek into English.”

Listen to “You Came to Me” and a couple other tracks from the album below.

Kodo Together tracklist:
Skream – Shinogi
Elkka – Pawā
Andrea Belfi – In The Horse Stable Of The Sphinx
Equiknoxx – Miami Vice Chancellor and A Dam In His Sandler
Tokio Myers – Victory
Tlale Makhene – Ye Gamo
Frank Zummo – Zeus & Poseidon
Rufus Wainwright – You Came To Me
The Colorist Orchestra & Emiliana Torrini – Right Here
Kevin Saunderson & Justin Cholewski – Before The Storm