The London-based DIY duo of Cafe OTO co-founder Keiko Yamamoto and musician and sound artist Rie Nakajima have carved out a unique space in the UK’s contemporary experimental music scene since first forming in 2014.
Their transformative music synthesises sculpture, sound, and improvisation, combining Japanese mythology and folklore with Nakajima’s homemade orchestra of everyday objects and the full-bodied delivery of Yamamoto’s expressive vocals. The duo’s debut self-titled album was released in 2018—for which they collaborated with violinist Billy Steiger, percussionist Marie Roux, and producer David Cunningham—and they have performed all over the world from Bergen’s Borealis Music Festival and les les ateliers claus in Brussels to Novas Frequencias in Brazil. Nakajima’s instruments have also formed the basis of several exhibitions in Europe and Japan.
