Japanese Artists Boris and DURAN Collaborate with Gamechanger Audio

Japanese Artists Boris and DURAN Collaborate with Latvia’s Gamechanger Audio in a New Improvisational Performance

Acclaimed Japanese artists Boris and DURAN have unveiled a new improvisational performance created using effects pedals developed by the Latvian company Gamechanger Audio. The collaboration highlights the dialogue between music and technology – where experimental sound, design, and innovation converge to create a shared creative language across cultures.

A Meeting Between Two Generations of Japanese Experimentation

Recognized internationally as pioneers of Japan’s experimental and heavy music scene, Boris have spent over two decades expanding the vocabulary of sound – moving fluidly between noise, drone, metal, and minimalism.

Their collaboration with guitarist and producer DURAN adds a new dimension: a meeting between two generations of artists who approach the instrument not only as a tool, but as a medium for exploration. DURAN, known for his work as both a solo artist and as a live and recording collaborator with leading Japanese musicians — including Koshi Inaba, Suga Shikao, Fujii Kaze, and Vaundy — brings an intricate, melodic sensibility to the project. His presence adds a tone of precision and openness that complements Boris’s raw, elemental sound. The performance unfolds as a real-time conversation in sound which is unscripted, instinctive, and profoundly raw and human.

Gamechanger Audio Innovation in Sound Design

At the center of this performance are Gamechanger Audio’s distinctive inventions — the PLUS Pedal, BIGSBY Pedal and AUTO Series. Designed and manufactured in Riga, Latvia, these devices have become symbols of how European innovation can empower artists worldwide.

“Our mission is to inspire creativity in both musicians and engineers,” emphasises the Gamechanger Audio team. “This project connects artists who use our instruments to explore new sonic frontiers — where technology becomes part of the artistic gesture.”

Founded in Latvia, Gamechanger Audio has gained global recognition for its ability to merge advanced engineering with artistic intuition. Its products are used by leading musicians and producers across genres — from experimental noise collectives to film composers and live performers: “The Rolling Stones,” “Radiohead,” “Rammstein,” “Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds,” “Unknown Mortal Orchestra,” “Swans,” Jean-Michel Jarre, James Blake, Jim Jarmusch, and others.

A Continuing Dialogue Between Artists and Makers

This collaboration continues a growing movement in the creative industries: partnerships between instrument makers and artists.

Gamechanger Audio previously collaborated with Latvian guitarist Edgars Rubenis, which resulted in album “Spēlmanis” and explored the intersection of composition, texture, and improvisation.

In bringing together Boris, DURAN, and Gamechanger Audio, the project reaffirms Latvia’s place in the global conversation on experimental sound and independent creativity — connecting Baltic craftsmanship with Japan’s avant-garde sensibility.

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