TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kazuhisa Iida — better known as E-Da — slipped through the crowd at Vinyl Decision to take his place at the drum kit for another set with his new band, Jantokoi.
Their music blends ritual folk and meditative pulses with surprise sounds pulled from a suitcase of obscure instruments — a long, if not unexpected, journey from where he began.
As drummer for Japan’s legendary chaos collective Boredoms, E-Da spent the late 1990s hammering 160 beats per minute across marathon two-hour sets. Alongside frontman Yamantaka Eye (EYヨ), the band forged something brutally beautiful — the sound of a culture exploding.
“One day, Eye’s drummer had a health problem and had to stop. He told me I have to find a drummer, and he didn't know I was a drummer because I had just been a dancer before. So I did an audition, and I didn't expect it to work, but it did.”
What they created laid waste to radio-friendly rock music through a supernatural stage presence and blunt-force violence on stage, helping to clear the way for a new generation of artists such as Pavement, Sonic Youth, and Nirvana. And yes, they befriended and toured with each of these bands, who became pillars of the US alternative rock scene.
“People said it was improvised, but I had it arranged. I recorded our rehearsals on tape, and he would listen and pick sections that he liked. He controlled everything, and he wanted the same beat."
E-Da said the music could be hard to remember and coordinate for two drummers. “It was very loud, but we kept our drum monitors lower to listen for changes.”
For Fuji Rock, they rehearsed for two months straight, beginning each session with an hour of drum setup.
More than three decades on, Jantokoi couldn’t sound more different. E-Da trades military precision for subtle tempos that mimic nature — like leaves rustling in the wind — and layers in electronic soundscapes like fog rolling over a mountain.
Jantokoi is on a two-week tour of Taiwan, with club dates in Taipei including a midweek show at Rev-Now and a tour finale at Revolver on Oct. 14.
The rooms may be smaller than the festival stages of E-Da’s past, but he says the energy remains — and is no less sacred.
