MystressVampyra's Vampire Journal

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An Cafe AKA Antic Cafe
05:11 Oct 21 2007
Times Read: 991

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An Cafe (or Antic Cafe) is a Japanese pop/rock band formed in 2003 and signed to the independent label Loop Ash. They are described as a Visual Kei band.[1] As of 2007, the group has released two full-length albums, an EP and several singles. An Cafe recently received two new members, original guitarist Bou being replaced by Takuya and Yuuki joining on keyboard.

The style of the band lies deeply within the Visual Kei movement with guitar solos and gruff shouting, which is typical of most contemporary Visual Kei bands on independent labels.

However, their upbeat and happy sound means that they can easily be placed within the Oshare Kei movement (a sub-genre of Visual Kei which emerged in recent years and has seen a rapid growth). As with most other Oshare Kei bands, the members of AN CAFE incorporate street fashion and bright colors into their image.

Miku – vocals

Takuya – guitar (since 2007)

Kanon – bass

Teruki – drums

Yuuki – keyboard (since 2007)

Former members

Bou – guitar (2003–2007)

Ryuusei Rocket....Newest Video

Escapism

Wagamama Koushinkyoku

Hero Without a Name

COMMENTS

What is Visual kei?
23:52 Oct 20 2007
Times Read: 1,001

Visual kei

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Malice Mizer, an example of visual kei during the 1990s.Visual kei

Stylistic origins: J-rock • Glam-rock • Punk

Cultural origins: Japan • Goth

Typical instruments: Guitar, bass, drums, keyboards

Mainstream popularity: Mostly within Japanese independent scene; some followings across the globe

Subgenres

Angura kei, ero guro, nagoya kei, oshare kei

Other topics

List of visual kei artists

Japanese popular culture • Gothic Lolita

Visual kei vijuaru kei?, lit. "visual system, lineage, group")refers to a movement among Japanese musicians, that is characterized by the use of eccentric, sometimes flamboyant looks. This usually involves striking make-up, unusual hair styles and elaborate costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics. Some sources state that Visual Kei refers to a music genre, or to a sub-genre of J-rock (a term referring to Japanese rock in general ), with its own particular sound, related to glam-rock, punk and metal, and with strong emphasis on its unique style of dress; and some sources state that Visual Kei's unique clothing and make-up fashions, and participation in the related sub-culture, is equally as important as the sound of the music itself in the use of the term.

Popularity

Visual kei has enjoyed popularity among independent underground projects, as well as artists achieving mainstream success, with influences from Western phenomena, such as glam, goth and cyberpunk. The music performed encompasses a large variety of genres, i.e. pop, heavy metal and electronica. Magazines published regularly in Japan with visual kei coverage are Arena 37°C, Fool's Mate and Shoxx. Noted bands who at least at some point sported a visual kei theme include Dir en grey, Luna Sea and Malice Mizer.

Popularity and awareness of such groups outside of Japan is sparse, but has seen an increase in recent years. While the successful X Japan launched an attempt to enter the international market as early as 1992, it would still take another decade until live concerts and regular domestic releases by visual kei themed bands in Europe and North America came to pass.

History

Visual Kei emerged in the late 1980s, pioneered by the band X Japan. along with others such as D'erlanger and Color, who are regarded as influencing the fashion and music associated with Visual Kei bands. X Japan's drummer Yoshiki Hayashi used the term to describe the band's slogan "Psychedelic Violence Crime of Visual Shock".

Color vocalist "Dynamite Tommy" formed his record company Free-Will in 1986, which has been a major contributor in spreading modern Visual Kei outside Japan.

In 1992, X Japan launched an attempt to enter the European and American markets, but it would take another 8 years until popularity and awareness of Visual Kei bands would extend worldwide.

In the mid 1990s, Visual Kei received an increase in popularity throughout Japan, when album sales from Visual Kei bands started to reach record numbers. The most notable bands to achieve success during this period included, X Japan, Glay, Luna Sea, and L'Arc-en-Ciel, however a drastic change in their appearance accompanied their success.

During the same period, bands such as Kuroyume, Malice Mizer, and Penicillin, gained mainstream awareness, although they were not as commercially successful.

By 1999, mainstream popularity in Visual Kei was declining, X Japan had disbanded, and the death of lead guitarist Hideto Matsumoto in 1998 had denied fans a possible reunion. It wasn't long before Luna Sea decided to disband in the year 2000, and L'Arc-en-Ciel went on a hiatus the same year.

In 2007 the genre has been revitalized, as Luna sea announced they would perform a one-off performance, and X Japan announced they would reunite. With these developments, Visual kei bands enjoyed a boost in public awareness, described by the media as "Neo-Visual Kei".

Harajuku, cosplay and gothic lolita subcultures

Visual kei is associated with Harajuku, especially those who gather on "Jingu Bashi" (“Jingu Bridge”), a pedestrian bridge connecting the bustling Harajuku district with Meiji Shrine." In attendance one will find Visual kei cosplayers (those dressed as their favorite bands) and those in the subculture known as Gothic Lolita based on Lolita fashion.

Often fans of such bands also will dress up for concerts, meet ups, and other events where they'll see other people who enjoy Visual Kei.

Visual kei

Stylistic origins: J-rock • Glam-rock • Punk

Cultural origins: Japan • Goth

Typical instruments: Guitar, bass, drums, keyboards

Mainstream popularity: Mostly within Japanese independent scene; some followings across the globe

Subgenres

Angura kei, ero guro, nagoya kei, oshare kei

COMMENTS

Malice Mizer
23:48 Oct 20 2007
Times Read: 1,003

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Malice Mizer (Marisu Mizeru) was a Japanese rock band and part of the country's visual kei movement. They were active from August 1992 to December 2001. Formed by Mana and Közi, the band's name stands for "malice and misery", extracted from their reply, "nothing but a being of malice and misery" — their answer to the question "what is human?". Their earlier music and themes were characterized by their strong French and classical influences, later moving away from deliberate French romanticism and incorporating Gothic-Victorian aspects after several tragedies befell the band. Despite the stated archetypes, Malice Mizer is best recognized as a thoroughly original entity.

Malice Mizer were as famous for their music as for their live shows, featuring lavish historical costumes and stage sets, short silent theatre pieces preluding various songs, whimsical dance routines, and even a particularly notable instance of the vocalist descending to Earth (the stage) as a fallen angel, only to ascend again at the end of the concert. Throughout their history, the band went through several different lineups and three drastic image changes.

On December 11, 2001, it was announced that Malice Mizer would go on an indefinite hiatus.

Tetsu era (1992–1994)

Malice Mizer during the Tetsu era (from left to right: Közi, Yu~ki, Tetsu, Kami and Mana).Malice Mizer was formed in 1992 by Mana and Közi with Tetsu on vocals, both Mana and Közi on guitars/synthesizers, Yu~ki on bass and Gaz on drums. From the outset, the band established their trademark "twin guitar"' sound, whereby two guitars play different melodies creating polyphony. Malice Mizer's sound during the Tetsu era was a mixture of rock, early 1980s goth, and strong classical influences. Their first official release was the song "Speed of Desperate" on the 1993 compilation Brain Trash. Before this, they had released a demo tape called Sans Logique which contained no vocals. Shortly after the release of Brain Trash, Gaz left the band to join Kneuklid Romance, while Kneuklid Romance's drummer Kami in turn joined Malice Mizer. In 1994, the band released their first album, Memoire, on Mana's newly founded independent record label Midi:Nette, and shortly after re-released it with an additional bonus track, "Baroque" under the title Memoire DX. Only days later, singer Tetsu left the band. While the exact reasons are unknown, Tetsu went on to take a different direction in his work. The band's continued use of his lyrics in songs they continued to perform with later vocalists suggest an amicable split. [1]

[edit] Gackt era (1995–1999)

Malice Mizer during the Gackt era (from left to right: Mana, Gackt, Kami, Közi and Yu~ki).In 1995, after a year of inactivity, Malice Mizer recruited Gackt as their new vocalist. With a new concept created by Mana, the band's music became more progressive and complex incorporating even stronger classical, electronical and using instruments like accordion remembering French popular music of the 19th century. Visually, the band abandoned their 1980s goth look for colourful historical costumes always with a gothic feel. In 1996, Malice Mizer released their second album, Voyage ~Sans Retour~. The band became increasingly popular and in 1997 signed with Columbia Records, where they released a number of successful singles, a short film (Bel Air ~Kuuhaku no Shunkan no Naka De~ de L'Image), and, in 1998, their third album, Merveilles. The band even had their own radio show around this time. In January 1999, at the height of Malice Mizer's success, Gackt was requested to leave the band and after a year started a solo career. Malice Mizer left Columbia and returned to Midi:Nette.

A few months after Gackt's departure, drummer Kami died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage on June 21, 1999, leaving behind a handful of songs, which the band eventually released as part of the EP/video boxset Shinwa. Kami was never replaced; from that point on, Malice Mizer would only use support drummers (namely Shue, who is not shown in the band's later and final music videos, nor credited) and Kami would be credited as "eternal blood relative" on all their future releases. [2]

[edit] Klaha era (2000–2001)

Malice Mizer during the Klaha era (from left to right: Yu~ki, Mana, Klaha and Közi).In the second half of 1999 and the beginning of 2000, Malice Mizer — still without an official vocalist — released a number of singles and began to work on a new album. Eventually, they recruited Klaha (real name Masaki Haruna), vocalist of darkwave band Pride of Mind. By then the band had abandoned the lighter pop music sound of the Gackt era for a dramatic mixture of classical music, gothic/goth and heavy metal music, and adopted an elaborate funeral Goth look. In the summer of 2000, they released what would be their last album, Bara no Seidou, followed by a very spectacular and theatrical live show, featuring pyrotechnics, a choir of veiled nuns and a scaled-down cathedral as stage prop. In 2001, Malice Mizer starred in a feature length vampire movie (Bara no Konrei ~Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku~), and released three more singles: "Gardenia", "Beast of Blood", and "Garnet ~Kindan no Sono E~", "Gardenia" and "Garnet" being of a considerably lighter tone than their previous album, signifying the start of a new era for the band. Unfortunately, those few singles were all the world would see of the yet again reborn Malice Mizer, as the band members decided to go their own separate ways in 2001, leaving disband messages on their official website, Miroir, which can still be viewed today. The split was spoken of as a "hiatus", however, so as not to exclude the possibility of a future reformation. [3]

Post projects

After his departure in 1994, Tetsu has subsequently taken part in a series of bands such as Zigzo and Mega 8 Ball and has released one solo album; his most recent being the independently released band Nil.

After his departure in the beginning of 1999, Gackt started a solo career almost after a year which has been enormously successful; he is now one of Japan's top entertainers and TV personalities.

Klaha started a solo career as well in December 2002; as of 2005 the status of his project is uncertain.

Mana has formed his own solo project, Moi dix Mois, performing live concerts across Europe. A U.S. tour for 2007 is in the works, according to Mana's personal blog. In addition to the successful solo project, Mana simultaneously pursues a career as fashion designer for his fashion label, Moi-même-Moitié, which focuses on the styles Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (EGA) and Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL). He continues to also run his Indie record label, Midi:Nette, and is looking for bands to sign and produce.

Közi has joined Haruhiko Ash's Industrial band Eve of Destiny and also has a solo project.

The whereabouts of Yu~ki were unknown until he briefly resurfaced in 2004 as lyricist for Közi's single "Memento." He is quoted as being eager to return to the music scene in an informal conversation with Klaha.

Regret

(Live) Transylvania

COMMENTS

Dir En Grey
00:23 Oct 20 2007
Times Read: 1,009

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Dir en grey are one of the newer generation of “visual-kei” bands, and a leading contender to be the first to break internationally in a major way. The band formed in February 1997 from the ashes of a band called La:Sadies. The group has a five piece, all male cast (in case you are not sure from the photos), who all go by single word stage names. Their real names are kept secret, but fans have dug them up, although some are disputed. The members are Kyo (Toru Nishimura), vocalist, lyricist and poet; Kaoru (Kaoru Niikura), guitarist, oldest member, the leader of the group and main composer; Die (Daisuke Ando) guitar; Toshiya (Toshimasa Hara) bassist, his playing one of the most distinctive parts of Dir en grey’s sound, and Shinya (Shinya Terauchi) drummer, the most girlish of the bunch, who is said to be shy and love dearly his dog Miyu. All of the members come from different cities, but how they came together is not part of their official history. The band’s name, another mystery, is thought by some to be derived from Latin for “grey or silver coin”, but seems more likely a pun on Oscar Wilde’s character Dorian Grey. The group made their recorded debut in July 1997, with a mini-album titled MISSA, released on their own Free Will Records. The release that put them on the pop music map however was December 1998’s single “I’ll” which went to #7 in the Oricon singles chart - a rare level of accomplishment for an indie label band.

Ain't Afraid To Die

Myaku

Obscure

COMMENTS

Phantasmagoria
23:38 Oct 19 2007
Times Read: 1,013

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Phantasmagoria was a Japanese visual kei band formed in November of 2004 in Osaka by Kisaki, the Executive of Under Code Production, a Visual Kei indies label located in Osaka, Japan. Previously, he was the Executive of the indies label Matina

They formed in November of 2004 and their first single "Material Pain" was released in Shoxx Magazine on December 21 of the same year. The following day they also released their first Maxi-single, "Moonlight Revival".

Phantasmagoria claimed the cover of a well-known visual kei magazine, Cure, only one month after officially forming, becoming one of the fastest indies bands to appear on the cover of a magazine.

Rame (bassist of Vidoll) teasingly began referring to the band as "Mago-Mago". (Mago means "grandchildren" and was taken from Phantas-mago-ria.) The name "Mago" is now used by fans as well.

Phantasmagoria played their first concerts in the United States on October 21 and 22nd, 2005 at Oni-con in Houston, Texas. On March 26th, the band played their first Japanese one-man.

On February 23rd, 2007, guitarist Iori and drummer Matoi left the band. On April 5th, KISAKI announced that he will be retiring, and that Iori and Matoi have returned to the band, but the band will be "sealing." He followed up on the announcement on a live radio show on April 8th, where the band's first and last fan trip was revealed, as well as the final event tour and final oneman tour. KISAKI will officially retire from the active visual kei scene on August 27, 2007 but will continue to run his label and produce.

COMMENTS

Nightmare..... Naitomea
23:36 Oct 19 2007
Times Read: 1,014

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Nightmare..... Naitomea is a Japanese Visual Kei band.

Yomi (vocals)

Sakito (guitar)

Hitsugi (guitar)

Ni~ya (bass guitar)

Ruka (drums)

Former members

Zannin (drums

Nightmare began in January 2000 by Sakito and Hitsugi while most of the members were still in high school. Soon, Yomi was invited by Sakito, Ni~ya by Hitsugi, and Zannin joined after they heard their classmates were forming a band. They were all influenced by either X/X Japan or LUNA SEA in some form.

Just as the band began getting much recognition at live houses and small concerts in the Sendai region, Zannin left the band for unknown reasons. Eventually, Ruka (formerly Luinspear) joined the band as a support member at first, but became the permanent drummer after a short time. Their line-up hasn't changed since.

They debuted in 2003 with their single "Believe." Three months after their debut, they released a three A-side single, Akane/HATE/OVER, a first time for any band to release any single with three A-side tracks. In December 2003, they had their first tour along with their first album release "Ultimate Circus." Following their release was a tour named after the album, performing songs from "Ultimate Circus" as well as songs from their indies era.

The World

Raison D'etre

Criminal Baby

COMMENTS

Kagrra
04:04 Oct 19 2007
Times Read: 1,017

Another Good band From Japan....Meet Kagrra

Kagrra was formed October 1998 under the name Crow. For a while they worked with the record company, Key Party. In 1999 though, they left Key Party and got a contract with PS Company. They changed their name to Kagrra, but it was not official until their release January 1, 2004. One interesting fact to note is that Kagrra is a twisted way of spelling kagura which can be alluded in kanji as god of music (even though it really means the place of god). What is even more interesting is that Kagrra is a visual kei rock group whose costumes reflect different periods of Japanese history

Vocals: Ishii

Guitar: Akiya

Guitar: Shin

Bass: Nao

Drums: Izumi

Sakebi

Satsuki

Urei

COMMENTS

D'espairs Ray
23:19 Oct 16 2007
Times Read: 1,032

Genre: Industrial/Industrial Metal

D'espairsRay is an industrial metal band hailing from Japan. But they have gained very notable success in Europe and in North America. They boast a fairly electric sound though seem to gravitate often to a syncopated drum-and-guitar assault.

D'espairsRay's sound is dark, sinister and schizophrenic. The vocalist, HIZUMI, usually goes from sounding like a totally deranged demon creature to letting loose with a smooth, soulful cry on most songs.

COMMENTS

Gazette
02:23 Oct 16 2007
Times Read: 1,048

Another Band that is part of Japan's visual Kei movement is Gazette.....Another young striving JRock band.....They have a good sound and the distinct Kei look.....check them out

Reila

Gazette Lyrics

COMMENTS

Jay Chou
00:10 Oct 14 2007
Times Read: 1,068

Jay Chou is a 28 year old actor/musician from Tiawan. His voice is absolutely beautiful and his acting is just as good. He is in Curse of the Golden Flower and his latest is called Secret.

Very young very handsome and very talented....this man will go far in life.

Jay Chou (traditional Chinese: 周杰倫; simplified Chinese: 周杰伦; Hanyu Pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún; Wade-Giles: Chou Chieh-lun; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chiu Kia̍t-lûn), born 18 January 1979, is a World Music Award-winning Taiwanese musician, singer, producer, actor and director. In 1998, he was discovered in a talent contest where he showcased his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for popular Chinese singers. Trained in classical music, he combines Chinese and Western music styles to produce songs that fuse R&B, rock, and pop genres, covering issues such as domestic violence, war, and urbanization.

In 2000, he released his first album titled Jay under the record company Alfa Music. Since then, he has released one album per year, selling several million copies each. His music has gained recognition throughout Asia, most notably in countries such as China, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and in overseas Chinese communities, winning more than 20 awards each year. In 2007, he was named one of the 50-most influential people in China by the British think tank Chatham House. He starred in Initial D (2005) for which he won Best Newcomer Actor in Golden Horse Awards, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor by Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). His career now extends into directing and running his own record company JVR Music.

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COMMENTS

MIYAVI
23:44 Oct 13 2007
Times Read: 1,072

This is Miyavi another artist from Japan's visual Kie movement......Japan is coming a long way.....got some great things going on out there......Great music.....punk, goth and vampire lifestyles too. Notice the Tattoos they stand for his coming of age.

Check him out........

kekkonshiki no uta (English Subtitles)

COMMENTS

ALICE NINE
17:10 Oct 12 2007
Times Read: 1,086

Alice Nine an Incredible Japanese Rock band

This is a band Called Alice Nine Formed In Kyoto Japan in April 2004 By drummer Nao and still has the original members.....They are part of Japans Thriving Rock era and are part of the Visual Kei movement.......Very Young Very Sexy and Totally Incredible Musicians......These guys are really good and I believe they will go far..........

alice nine is a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in 2004. Originally signed to the PS Company label, a sub-division of Free-Will, now the band is signed to both PS Company and King Records. As of 2007, they have released one full-length record (Zekkeishoku), along with several EPs, singles and DVDs.

In August 2004 alice nine. formed with the five members; Shou, Hiroto, Tora, Saga and Nao. Their first concert was held at the Ikebukuro Cyber on May 11, 2004 and they soon toured with label mates BIS. In November, they did a nation-wide tour with the band Karen from Under Code Productions.

After a series of releases on PS Company, alice nine. released their major label debut Kasou Mushou Shi on King Records in 2005, and is currently signed to both labels.

In 2006, alice nine. had two songs, Akatsuki and Ikuoku no Chandelier, used for the opening and closing of the anime series Meine Liebe Wieder. Zekkeishoku debuted on the Oricon daily charts at #4, and they completed a fan only tour called "Kacho Fugetsu Vol. 1" in support of the album.

In 2007, they performed at J-Rock Revolution in Los Angeles, California, on May 25 along with several other Japanese bands. It was their first performance outside of Japan.

Lineup

Shou – vocals

Hiroto – guitar

Tora – guitar

Saga – bass guitar

Nao – drums

The guys range in age from 21-26

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SAGA.....BASS

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NAO........DRUMS (my favorite)

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HIROTO......Guitar Right Stage(my other cutie he's the baby)

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TORA......Guitar Left Stage

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SHOU......Vocals(my next favorite)

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From bottom to top...Tora,Nao,Hiroto,Shou and Saga

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Here is The Guys newest Video

TSUBASA

Here is White Prayer

WHITE PRAYER LYRICS (Japanese)

so many lies, so much pain. miminari wa tomaranai

hitori no yoru no oto ga shizuka de

searching for Raison d’etre. hakushi no hitonami ni

gokusai no penki wo mochi aruku

itsukaraka nani mo kanjinaku natta

And cry, with love wasureteru hazu sa

guree ni somatta sekai ga riaru janai to

nemutte mo nemutte mo asa wa konai kara

ima kono te de kagi wo akeyou

black or white, jewel or stone.

muryokusa ga itoshikute

muryoku nara dareka wo motomeru kara

Please save me, with a white rose. itami wo wakeaeru,

sou dekiru tsuyosa ga hoshii

"kitaisuru koto wo wasureta kimi e"

And cry, with love dakara tsutaetai

kanashii uta mo kesshite mudajanai to

nemutte mo nemutte mo asa wa konai kara

ima kono te de kagi wo akeyou

doredake iro wo kasanete mo

somaru koto no nai ore de iyou

And cry, with love wasureteru hazu sa

guree ni somatta sekai ga riaru janai to

nemutte mo nemutte mo asa wa konai kara

ima kono te de kagi wo akeyou

White Prayer (English Transtation)

so many lies, so much pain. The ringing in my ears doesn't stop

The sounds of a lonely night reside in silence

searching for Raison d'etre. In the blank sheet of humanity

Carrying the most richly-coloured paint, I walk

Since when did I stop feeling anything?

And cry, with love We're sure to forget

That the world which was dyed grey isn't real

Even if we keep sleeping and sleeping, morning doesn't come, so

Now, with this hand, let's turn the key

black or white, jewel or stone.

Helplessness is endearing

Because if you're helpless, you can wish for someone

Please save me, with a white rose. The pain can be shared,

I want the strength to be able to do that

"To you, who has forgotten what you were anticipating"

And cry, with love So I want to tell you

Even the sad songs are never useless

Even if we keep sleeping and sleeping, morning doesn't come, so

Now, with this hand, let's turn the key

No matter how much the colours pile up

I'll stay the way I am, undyed

And cry, with love We're sure to forget

That the world which was dyed grey isn't real

Even if we keep sleeping and sleeping, morning doesn't come, so

Now, with this hand, let's turn the key

Velvet