Uwe Hermann | A slightly paranoid Debian developer

On Ensemble is a group of four young taiko artists from North America. They combine traditional sounds with modern influences like jazz or electronic music. "Gengakki Ver 1.1" is a fine shamisen piece featuring great percussions (it starts very slow, don't be confused by that). They also have some videos on their site which are worth watching!

(thanks to hawa from they did it who sent me a bunch of links to shamisen/taiko music)

Song: On Ensemble - Gengakki Ver 1.1 (5:41 min, 6.6 MB)
License: CC-by-nc-nd 2.0 Music Sharing License
Source: onensemble.org

And, finally, a nice dance / house track from Doubleheader from 2004.

Song: Doubleheader - Autoarp (3:23 min, 5.0 MB)
License: CC-by-nc-nd 2.5
Source: archive.org

We continue with a catchy electro / disco / house track from The Adjuster: "Over His Heart". Enjoy!

(found via DE:BUG)

Song: The Adjuster - Over His Heart (5:23 min, 7.0 MB)
License: CC-by-nc-nd 2.5
Source: archive.org

Next up are 2 or 3 irish / celtic songs, starting with Josh Woodward who sings "Up Kilkenny". This is a song which will make you want to jump up and enjoy a fine Guinness in the nearest Irish pub ;-)

Song: Josh Woodward - Up Kilkenny (2:54 min, 3.1 MB)
License: CC-by-nc-nd Music Sharing License 2.0
Source: joshwoodward.com

Very, very mellow chillout song with beautiful vocals! This is from Luminous's debut album "Essence".

(found via Starfrosch)

Song: Luminous - Make It Happen (4:23 min, 4.1 MB)
License: CC-by-nc-nd 2.0
Source: archive.org