Taj Mahal Travellers

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The Taj Mahal Travellers (also given variously as Taj Mahal Travelers, Taj-Mahal Travellers, etc.) were a Japanese experimental music ensemble founded in 1969 by former Group Ongaku leader and Fluxus member Takehisa Kosugi. The rest of the group were several years younger than Kosugi, and were all inspired by the spirit of the day. They chose mainly to perform their music out of doors, often on beaches and hilltops, creating spontaneously improvised drones (compare with Dronology), often using standard musical instruments, albeit in unconventional ways (e.g., a bowed double bass placed flat on its back). The group's sound was heavily reliant on electronic processing, particularly delay effects. There is an extensive 12-page biography of Taj Mahal Travellers in Japrocksampler (Bloomsbury 2007), written by Julian Cope.

[edit] Personnel

Takehisa Kosugi: electric violin, harmonica, voice etc.
Ryo Koike: electric double bass, santur), voice, etc.
Yukio Tsuchiya: tuba, percussion, etc.
Seiji Nagai: trumpet, Mini-Korg synthesizer, tympani, etc.
Michihiro Kimura: voice, percussion, mandolin, etc.
Tokio Hasegawa: voice, percussion, etc.
Kinji Hayashi: electronic technique

[edit] Discography

Live Stockholm July 1971
- Double LP, CBS Japan, 1971
- Re-issue: Double CD, Drone Syndicate DS-01/02, 2001
July 15, 1972
- album, CBS Japan SOCM-95, 1972
- Re-issue: CD, Showboat SWAX-501, 2002
Oz Days Live Compilation also featuring Les Rallizes Denudes and Acid Seven Group (Taj Mahal Travellers has one track only)
- Double LP, with Les Rallizes Dénudés, 1973
August 1974
- Double LP, CBS Japan OP-7147-8-N, 1975
- Re-issue: Double CD, P-Vine PCD-1463/4, 1998