The CEO of Drifter, Taro Ishida, released the album TOKOYO on August 23, 2025.
This project was initiated with the intention of crystallizing the sensibilities Ishida has cultivated through film, exhibition, and spatial sound projects into a purely musical form.
The origin of TOKOYO can be traced back to an earlier concept film titled Silence.
Gagaku (ancient Japanese court music) and Western classical music are often said to be incompatible — but that assumption itself became the question.
Rather than aiming for a theoretical answer, the process began with experimentation.
Like a child discovering outcomes through play, Ishida chose to try first, observe carefully, and allow the work to evolve over time.
That open-ended exploration eventually grew into TOKOYO.
The album is grounded in the unique sense of time and sound construction found in Gagaku, layered with strings and electronic sound.
The goal was not an easily recognizable “fusion,” but to shape the tension that arises when sounds from different cultural origins are placed within the same space — a quiet groove, a sense of physical resonance that lingers in the body.
Ishida defines this approach as “Animistic Music”:
a method of sound design that gives form to the relationship between nature and humans, treating sound as a living presence rather than a decorative element.
While TOKOYO stands as a complete album, it also functions as a core concept capable of expanding into other formats — stage works, exhibitions, film, and spatial installations.
Rather than starting from a predetermined final form, the project was shaped by continuously testing ideas and physical sensations.
The process itself — confirming thought through touch and sound — is presented as part of the work.
TOKOYO is available on major streaming services, including Spotify and Apple Music.
