avaritonista

For as much as I love visual kei, there are plenty of practices I detest. I could go on forever. It wouldn't be fair to celebrate all of the good in the scene without admitting the bad as well. There are so many things that make me sad, make me irate, or make me want to rip my hair out that it was hard to settle on just five. Here's five commonplace practices in visual kei that's a total ball ache for any international fan invested into the scene.
 

 
 


 

 

 
Like I said above, I have way more than five things that annoy me about the scene. Does anyone else want to fill in the gaps with practices that they hate that they've come to accept within the scene? Come share your frustrations and horror stories with me. We have plenty of tea and live-distributed crackers for you.

But...the internet. You don't have to sell CDs to sell music anymore. It's a false equivalence in the age of gigabit internet.
 
In my opinion, blaming overseas fans for poor sales is a straw man argument. Plenty of non-visual indie acts from all over the world produce music on a dime and manage to sell it to anyone interested. In fact, most of these bands do the legwork with constant online promotion in order to get the word out, and promotion via word of mouth is free. We do it all the time on their behalf. We have YouTube, we have iTunes, we have SoundCloud, we have OTOTOY, we have Bandcamp, we have official home pages, and we have countless other services which provide instant international exposure for a minimal price. At what point does it transition from "music is expensive to make" to "fuck you foreigners, you don't get to hear these particular songs"? Because honestly, that's what this whole live-distributed music has transformed into from the perspective of someone who is never going to take a trip to Japan.
 
Also, there's a big, BIG difference between a live distributed release that functions as a preview and a live distributed release that functions as a present. One of them might end up on a future release available for international purchase. The other disappears into the sands of time. Limited live-distributed releases in particular are a form of ass cancer that needs to go terminal and die. That's intentionally spending money and limiting your exposure for no appreciable gain.
 
If you have money for wigs and photo shoots but not enough money to record music, you're doing the whole visual kei band thing wrong.

瞬介(shunsuke)(ex-EllDorado) memorial event "維新回天(ishinkaiten)～beginning of the end～" will be held at Sapporo sound lab mole at 2016/03/26
 
[live participating artists]
Dead Children
buccal cone
ViV
G.A.I.A
CANDY STORE
ブラッズ(blads)
アメノサギリ(amenosagiri) (one-day revival)

Kei (ex-Eliphas Levi, Vinett) recently made an Instagram, and along with that, he started showing his face again!! ✨
 

 

ena(ex-xTRiPx) will hold his session event "公開!!0721セッション祭" at Higashikouenji 20000V at 2015/07/21
 
[live participating artists]
ena (ex-xTRiPx)
K (ex-xTRiPx)
ウルトラZ(ultra Z) (R指定(R-shitei))
幸樹(kouki) (ダウト(D=OUT))
七星(nanahoshi) (R指定(R-shitei))
正人(masato) (ベル(belle))
夢人(yumehito) (ベル(belle))
Yo-shiT (ex-xTRiPx)
陽佑(yousuke) (ALSDEAD)
玲夏(reika) (ダウト(D=OUT))

SET-LIST at 2015/07/21:
 
Vo.幸樹(kouki) / Gt.夢人(yumehito) / Ba.七星(nanahoshi) / Dr.ena:
01.誘惑(yuuwaku) (GLAY)
02.予感(yokan) (DIR EN GREY)
03.Adolf (PIERROT)
04.au revoir (MALICE MIZER)
05.Melty Love (SHAZNA)
 
 
Vo.Yo-shiT / Gt.ウルトラZ(ultra Z) / Ba.玲夏(reika) / Dr.ena:
01.In the Air (L'Arc～en～Ciel)
02.Blame (L'Arc～en～Ciel)
03.花葬(kasou) (L'Arc～en～Ciel)
04.Blurry Eyes (L'Arc～en～Ciel)
05.HONEY (L'Arc～en～Ciel)
 
 
Vo.ena / Gt.K / Ba.陽佑(yousuke) / Dr.正人(masato):
01.KiLLiNG ME (SiM)
02.Why I'm Me (RIZE)
03.Happy Birthday song
04.Choo Choo TRAIN (ZOO / EXILE)
05.桜坂(sakurazaka) (福山雅治(fukuyama masaharu))
 
 
Vo.幸樹(kouki) / Gt.夢人(yumehito) / Ba.七星(nanahoshi) / Dr.ena:

フィリア(Phylia) will hold their 15th anniversary event "LINK" at Yokohama NEW SIDE BEACH at 2014/03/26, at which しゃるろっと(charlotte)
Dr.隆祢(takane) session "水曜～Wednesday～", session "TMKTM..." & AUBE Gt.yu-ichi & Gt.sae session will also perform
 
"TMKTM..." members:
Vo.トビ(tobi)
Gt.大志(taishi) (ex-ポロリ(porori))
Gt.密乗(mitsujo) (★NOハウス(hoshi no house), しゃるろっと(charlotte))
Ba.Kouichi (ex-Crescendo, now in しゃるろっと(charlotte))
Dr.MINAMI (ex-MASK-->RHYOLITE)
 
 
their new maxi single "ブラックアウト(black out)" will be released at 2014/03/26 (1,000yen)
 
[track list]
01.ブラックアウト(black out)
02.THINK OF YOU

"水曜～Wednesday～" members at 2014/03/26:
Vo.怜斗(reito) (ex-ポロリ(porori))
Gt.ルリ(ruri) (ex-EllDorado-->ポロリ(porori)-->Cube Line-->キャンゼル(canzel))
Ba.りく(riku) (ex-カルト☆フィクション倶楽部(cult fiction club)-->JILLS BLUE ROSES-->LiLiCAL(Ken))
Dr.隆祢(takane) (ex-Noah die welt-->Clair de Lune, now in しゃるろっと(charlotte))

Are there sites out there where you can trade with japanese people for rarez? I'm really confused and have been for about 7 years on how certain people get rare releases, and the voodoo vault guy had some rare releases but mostly just old jazz or blues japanese stuff.(Which btw anyone can get by going to any various japanese music site so not that rare just old like 60's old.) So anyway how do people get these rarez and more importantly why are only a few people able to? Friends, connections, moving to japan? Is that the only option to get rarez and why is it from time to time no information can even be found about bands (ex. Sugahara kouta since1889) like his band before usagi appearently that band had at least one release but only one person has it. Now for my last question; if you have these releases and no one else can get them and you can buy them yourself because you don't know where to get them then why not just share, I always do even though I've only got my hands on a handful of rarez.

"new groove". I wish they would just stick to their old formula, which worked really well. Seriously, more synths and less growls please.

SET-LIST at 2014/05/05:
 
01.W-CROSS
02.貴女の罪
03.黒い華
04.Maliciously voice
05.首切
06.腐廃人
 

 

Azumi posted this video
 

Gotta give a shoutout to the pre-oshare guys. Some of the most memorable IMO.


THE BIG BOYS:
Shazna (1993~2000/2006~2009, core guys of the pre-oshare movement. From what I saw, as soon as these guys became poppy and super colorful and whatnot, tons of bands followed, from L'luvia to super underground guys like the guys in Die 'As Ray.)
 
^^^ The song that changed EVERYTHING.


L'luvia (1994~2000, one of the main guys who followed Shazna's lead. In a lot of ways, especially from the outside, L'luvia seem identical to Shazna. Albeit a bit more alternative driven, their more well known stuff is sugary enough to be considered Shazna's little bros.)
 

Cascade (1993~2002/2009~Present, these guys started with a thuper-spooky goth look, before doing a dorky Devo-like look, and then turning into pre-oshare sweethearts by 1996. Not as significant in terms of bright colorfulness as L'luvia and DEFINITELY not the ground-shatterers that Shazna were, their bright sound and overall bubbly cutesy image deserves a spot on the pre-oshare big boys list.)
 


Sophia (1994~2013, okay, this may be a stretch, but hear me out. Now they weren't at ALL similar to oshare stuff post-1997, BUT before that year, their bright poppy sound was somewhat revolutionary in visual kei. Keep in mind that these guys all came from brooding and gothy visual backgrounds, so doing something like Sophia paid off, since not only were there very few genuinely poppy visual bands in the mid 90's, but VERY few got major attention. Hell, even Glay weren't totally poppy till 1996 with the releases of "BEAT OUT!" and "BELOVED". So essentially, one could make the argument that Sophia's ridiculously upbeat and energetic initial sound laid the perfect foundation for oshare kei to blossom several years later.)
 



THE UNDERGROUND GUYS:
16,Piano (1996~2003, these fellas were, like Sophia, one of the first all-pop bands to really pop out of the visual underground during the mid 90's. Seriously. They came out of the gate with an obnoxiously in-your-face happy and colorful sound that you either loved or hated. So for that alone, 16,Piano deserves a high-up spot on pioneers of pre-oshare IMHO.)
 


Neo Sonic Arts (1995~2000, now I really dig these guys, but they really did play follow-the-leader. Originally a goth post-punk-like band, they made a huge change in sound when Shazna were breaking through and Sophia were entering the top 20. Coincidence? Nah, I don't think so. But their nauseatingly sweet sound and earworm-like choruses were pretty strong, and they did hop on the bandwagon pretty early on, so they're definitely significant enough during the time of pre-oshare's development.
 
 
 
Die 'As Ray/Dias Ray (1995~1997, as mentioned earlier, these guys were doing the glitzy color thing before it was cool. And as a result, they had some decent popularity, appearing in some of the iconic visual magazines of the decade. Like many bands of the period, however, their recognition entirely disappeared over time, but with their knack of combining flashy colors and remarkably catchy pop ditties, Die 'As Ray/Dias Ray are more than worthy of being considered pioneers in the development stage of early oshare kei. 
 
 
 
 
Jun Bride (1991~1997, one of the more mysterious bands in the early oshare part of things, Jun Bride's early history is pretty much unknown for the most part. Although, they are notable for, like Sophia, being one of the first oshare prototypes to go major when they signed to Warner Music in the summer of 1996. Not too shabby... even if their sales were pretty poopy over all.
 
 
Little Mermaid (1997~2000, one of the latter bands in the pre-oshare timeline, Little Mermaid were definitely a go-lucky group of guys. One that totally faded with time, these guys don't really get the credit they deserve, and are probably one of the more underground pre-oshare acts. But I believe they had brief ties to some major label in 1998 for a few months, so that's pretty cool. Another point for the pre-oshare team!)
 



(Melody, 1996~2002/2006~Present, becoming quasi-popular at around the same time Little Mermaid did, Melody had something they didn't: a longer term major label deal. It's not all that brag-worthy though since finding major label stuff from Melody can be a major pain-in-the-ass, ESPECIALLY their only album. But because they are one of the more noteworthy bands in the small pre-oshare scene, especially on MH, I figured they deserved a shoutout too.)
 

 
 
....Yeah, pre-oshare is pretty awesome XDD.

Pretty much what the thread title implies: songs that have melodies taken from classical music ('classical' being used loosely here. Quite a few examples aren't classical and are either baroque or romantic). I'm making this because I want to see a compiled list, plus I'm tired of people saying 'this sounds like the melody of this song by __band name here__!!!' when said melody is actually not written by the aforementioned band at all. Most recent example that sparked me to actually do this: X's "Rose of Pain."
 
Any sort of Japanese music is welcome as a contribution. 
 
ANYWAY, the list. I'll start it, and if people would like to add more to it just post and I'll get around to updating this post as like a master thread or something. I'll probably also make a Last.fm journal with tags so more people can add to it as well and so it will be easier to find. This original list are just a few examples that I can think of off the top of my head. When I come across more I'll definitely add to it. Cannot wait to type out the 203040524524542 examples of "In the Hall of the Mountain King!"
 
 
Johann Sebastian Bach - ''Little'' Fugue in G minor, BMV 578
 
-ライチ☆光クラブ (Litchi Hikari Club) : "Dark Knight"
-Vidoll : "マユラ↓↑ピサロト"
-Werkmare : "Psychopath"
-X Japan : "Rose of Pain"
-Mucc: "Hana"
 
Bach - Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor
 
-Art Cube : "夢描写"
-Most of of Moi Dix Mois' discog
 
Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, KV 550: I. Allegro Molto
 
-Hizaki : "Mizerable"
 
Dvořák - Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 (From the New World): IV. Allegro Con Fuoco
 
-凛 -the end of corruption world- (Rin / Lin -the end of corruption world-) : "Over the Rainbow"
 
Edvard Grieg - Op.46, In The Hall Of Mountain King
 
Like every vkei band ever.
 
CELL-セル- : "背徳と決断の意思"
Kaya : "Madam Rosa"
己龍 (The kiryu) : "桜絡ミ"
Rentrer en Soi : "精神死13度目"
Sleep my Dear : "Death"
 ウォッカ (The Vodka) : "before vendetta[?]"
アヴァンチック (Avanchick): "アイドル"
 
Johannes Brahms - Hungarian Dance No. 5
 
Dir en Grey : "Deity"
Raphael : "花咲く命ある限り"
Vallquar-ワルキューレ: "惨愴プレリュード"
Vidoll : "Love Affair"
 
Johann Pachelbel - Canon in D
 
Arc : "落書き教科書"
hide : "Rocket Dive"
L'arc en ciel : "Blurry Eyes"
Lmc : "Boys and Girls"
Moran : "Fender"
The Cherry Cokes : "Forward Again"
DEZERT: "チョコレートクリームチェーンソー"
 
 
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D Major Op.35 (3rd Mov.)
 
Galneryus : "Angel of Salvation"
 
 
Mozart - Rondo Alla Turca
 
Malice Mizer : "Madrigal"
 
Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Ode To Joy"
 
アヴァンチック (Avanchick): "人生ゲーム"

Dear Loving best album "I♡DL2" will be released in 2016/02 (5,000yen), which will include 2CDs
 
[tentative track list]
[1st キミニハネ]
01.No regret life
02.感情コントロール
03.春の花、夏の花火、僕の君
[2nd イマココニアイ]
04.イマココニアイ
05.好きなのに…好きだから…
06.君という名の花
[3rd その手に未来を]
07.FLASH BACK
08.CLIMBER
09.希望のうた
[4th 365のメッセージ]
10.No real
11.Don't stop!!
12.世界が終わるその日まで
[Positive Toy Box]
13.エール
14.サムライソウル
[indies]
15.Because
16.LOVE SICK
17.Neo Gang
18.Don't say
19.Happy Happy Day
20.はじめの一歩
21.ジャスミンティー
22.おやすみ
[New Song]
23.for dear life

ok

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Izumi of Madeth gray'll has been posting two covers on his youtube channel, one which is a Madeth gray'll cover with Hatsune Miku vocals. He has also been tweeting about starting a new band with a female vocalist which (presumably) will start activities in 2016. 
 

 
https://twitter.com/0620St

chocked by Irokui's vocalist...