Jigsaw9

yay, thank youu~ ;3

wow such macho, many man!
 
sankyuu spooky pepper-san~ 👻🌶️

wow such macho, many man!
 
sankyuu spooky pepper-san~ 👻🌶️

*creaky Yoshiki voice* a-...arigato..

That's some fine detective kei work.

Yeah that's a good way to put it I guess.  Usually it's electronic/sample-based music with a slower tempo that evokes a dreary/occult atmosphere, but I've heard some stuff that could pass for trap music or goth-infused hip-hop.
 
There was a short-lived project by an underground Hungarian producer who dabbled in the latter btw, saw him a couple of times at local witch house parties, pretty cool stuff:
 
 
 
edit: Another Hungarian guy from the same scene, I don't dig his stuff that much but the "evil" atmosphere is pretty cool (he fronted a harsh EBM/aggrotech band before and it shows, heh)
 
 

Softkei is the best kei! Check out CHILD. My all time favs!
 
Softkei developed in the mid 90s as kind of like an antithesis to VK. Guys like SOPHIA and CASCADE kicked down the door to make it acceptable in the mainstream, while underground guys like 16,Piano, OZWORLD and Dias Ray were pioneering it in the underground. It was such a juggernaut by 1997 that already established bands like Glay, L’arc and Luna Sea started flirting with it.
 
Softkei reached its peak around 1999/2000 when guys like Janne Da Arc and e.mu started breaking the Oricon top 20 charts, while it took over the underground VK scene quite rapidly at around the same time with countless acts blossoming around then, some of the more noteworthy being JURASSIC, ~Akira~, Wyse and Waive, among dozens of others.
 
Unfortunately, softkei took a strong downward dip in popularity around 2003 when more traditional VK started to become more dominant, after rivaling softkei for several years. The mainstream appeal for softkei practically vanished around this time following the split of former leading major bands like e.mu and CASCADE. The only flagship bands that were still active at this point where Janne Da Arc and SOPHIA, whose popularity was eons past the visual kei lump-in. Tie in the fact that oshare kei became a major player in the visual underground at this time as well, and softkei was all but extinct by 2005.
 
Softkei will always be my favorite subgenre of VK. I guess I’m just a sucker for a nice hook, blonde bands and a sky blue aesthetic lol.

They're on a roll for sure!

Isn't that just 新宿ゲバルト tho 🤔

Isn't that just 新宿ゲバルト tho 🤔

@Jigsaw9 thanks!! I was confused by the fact that this genre(?) is nothing about its sound if it has no limits, but everything about its atmosphere... 

forbidden genré ~MH Edition~: cat piano japanoise

Witch house is kind of a "can be anything" genre, but these are some cool artists that have been labeled as such: CRIM3S, White Ring, Salem, IC3PEAK, Mater Suspiria Vision
 
this is an earworm:
 
 
Mater Suspiria Vision / Cosmotropia de Xam have the best visuals and "original" witch house ambience imo.

Plasticzooms and Dalle of course ;^)

There must be something in the air cuz in the past few months I've been listening to more '90s / early '00s soft vk too.  I don't know enough on the subject, but I would be happy to read something informative if someone decides to write it!

Thanks folks! My friend just lent me the 1994-1998 BEST OR WORST album and I've been enjoying it as a launch point for the rest of their stuff.

The consensus is that anything between 1992-1994 is top tier.
1995-1996 is similarly good but more of an acquired taste (I like these albums very much tho).
The rest is kind of a mixed bag.

FACTS

I just wish they were more well known and popular. They are basically veterans at this point, but I feel not many people actually know they exist.

the future of visual key....

sooo basically AUTO-MOD on valium

we stan a true Phrenologist VK Queen

we stan a true Phrenologist VK Queen

we stan a true Phrenologist VK Queen

Oh, okay. That Gilles de Rais is the one that barely came out with anything and had the coupling single with Phaidia.