Looking to Start Old-School VK Online Band [official Licht:noir'e thread]

[StriderSubzero 53]

Hi guys and gals, I really want to start an online project that sounds like an oldschool VK band. I'm thinking something like an old Matina band or similar—bands like Madeth Gray'll, Shiver, L'yse:nore, La:Sadie's, early Kuroyume, early Dir en grey, La Feérie, Aliene Ma'riage, Noir Fleurir, etc.

 

I can play guitar, bass, drums, and/or keyboard, and I can sing, although I'd really like to find someone else to do vocals—preferably in Japanese if at all possible. 

 

 

Is anyone interested?

Edited November 29, 2016 by StriderSubzero

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

So you're looking to do that genre that's a mashup of gothic rock, post-punk, frilly melodic rock, thrash metal, and  a hint of black metal? I don't believe whatever "typical" turn of the century kote-kei's genre was was given a name.

[StriderSubzero 53]

Good description! Yes, that's pretty much what I'm wanting to do. Do you play any instruments, or, better yet, sing? 

[RpgRiser 70]

I can scream ( ._.)/

[lichtlune 915]

this is my bread and butter dude and i sing and i have other old school influenced musicians and artists together already but i cant truly sing in Japanese but my voice is heavily influenced on this type of music.

 

we should really keep in contact!

 

Random cover: https://soundcloud.com/user9042561/dispell-bound-cover

 

I also have a bunch of promotions and contacts and things lined up if we can get a song finished by November 1st.

 

What's the best way to contact you?

[StriderSubzero 53]

I can scream ( ._.)/

 

We may have a job for you yet!

 

Do you have any samples?

 

this is my bread and butter dude and i sing and i have other old school influenced musicians and artists together already but i cant truly sing in Japanese but my voice is heavily influenced on this type of music.

 

we should really keep in contact!

 

Random cover: https://soundcloud.com/user9042561/dispell-bound-cover

 

I also have a bunch of promotions and contacts and things lined up if we can get a song finished by November 1st.

 

What's the best way to contact you?

 

I like your voice, you can go much deeper than I can and it doesn't sound forced at all. I'm definitely interested! Not being able to sing in Japanese is certainly not a deal-breaker for me. I'll PM you some better ways to contact me.

[RpgRiser 70]

Do you have any samples?

Here:

 

Here's an old one

[Velvet_Alchemy 6]

Um. I can speak Japanese. Sort of. More like I can pronounce it properly. The most sentance forming I can do is ask about food, banks, and train stations. So I can't write lyric in Japanese, buuuut I can pronounce it. And sing of course.

[Ikna 1225]

Just a well meant advice: don't force yourselves too much on writing japanese lyrics. Being able to sing it is fine when you cover original songs from that time that are japanese, but I think that anything else (such as self composed somgs) will fail for a few reasons. First, most people who are in vk bands can't properly speak japanese. Second: it will make you look like weaboos who are trying too hard.
And a personal reason: I would like to see a foreign visual kei band who can add something of their own culture to the whole thing, both visually and musically. I feel that there's a lot of potential here and it isn't as appropriative and potentially embarrassing as people trying to appear asian. Show us that also non japanese people can rock it!
I am pretty sure you can translate the old school style and vibe into English for example.

Well... I wish you good luck though on finding band members. I'd would join a kote kei  band anytime, but I can't play a guitar and even I'd do I would be terribad.

[lichtlune 915]

Just a well meant advice: don't force yourselves too much on writing japanese lyrics. Being able to sing it is fine when you cover original songs from that time that are japanese, but I think that anything else (such as self composed somgs) will fail for a few reasons. First, most people who are in vk bands can't properly speak japanese. Second: it will make you look like weaboos who are trying too hard.

And a personal reason: I would like to see a foreign visual kei band who can add something of their own culture to the whole thing, both visually and musically. I feel that there's a lot of potential here and it isn't as appropriative and potentially embarrassing as people trying to appear asian. Show us that also non japanese people can rock it!

I am pretty sure you can translate the old school style and vibe into English for example.

Well... I wish you good luck though on finding band members. I'd would join a kote kei  band anytime, but I can't play a guitar and even I'd do I would be terribad.

 

I agree with you wholeheartedly, actually we have a project already and are working on our first single. It's going very well and i think you'd be impressed! Also we've discussed this and agreed if we do decide to add Japanese of any kind it will be limited to small phrases and words but i don't see us singing in Japanese at all or being weeboo's honestly.

 

Anyway I'll update this thread with any news and a free download link when we're ready to reveal.

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

I think when it comes to throwing in random bits of another language, it goes over best when it isn't really audible to most people, or at least not blatantly saying "this isn't in English." For example, the ending theme of "Wreck-It Ralph" was in Japanese, but because of the vocal mixing and overall business of the song, none of my family members who saw it with me believed that it wasn't in English because of the few lines that actually were in English.

 

The same goes for vkei in a sense. Take "Myaku" by Dir en Grey, for example: parts of that song are in English but because of Kyo's Tourette's it doesn't really sound like it is in any language, so I just -assumed- it was Japanese until I actually saw the lyrics: "SKY. BOX. SAND. GOD. DREAM." etc. Had I been able to actually understand what he was saying, it wouldn't have had the same affect on me.

 

Sticking with small phrases should do the same as that example. Other Western bands do that, but with (cringing as I type this) 'normal' foreign languages. Like U2 using Spanish, and 30 Seconds to Mars using French. Unfortunately, Japanese is like the epitome of 'foreign' to most occidental people, even though you can't really concretely measure the degree in which a language is not English. It either is, or isn't. Just because you are more likely to learn French in high school doesn't mean it is any less not English than Swahili.

 

Personally adding a request for "mawaru mawaru."

[Ikna 1225]

^ You have good points.

I don't have so much "problems" (the word isn't the right to describe it, but I don't know what else to choose) with bands putting some Italian, Spanish or French into their songs as with foreign bands putting japanese words into the lyrics, maybe because of what you say about japanese being obscure to the western crowd. Most of us are familiar with european (or latin) languages so it doesn't really appear to be too odd when a band adds some french to spice up the lyrics. I am not able to speak or understand any japanese so I can only reckon how well non japanese bands can write japanese texts.
Though, ultimately, I say: if you lack the basics of a language, no matter which one, you shouldn't use it, especially if the parts need to be clearly audible. Don't know how to feel about the "it's okay, when you can't properly understand it anyway. I might to disagree with you on that because in my opinion adding words to a song with the intent of making meaningful lyrics (instead of, say, avantgarde stuff or "laguage isn't necassary as long as the music speaks for itself") also should offer the listener the possibility to understand what he can hear or at least can look it up or translate it into his/her language. That's just my opinion, because I am always very curious about songtexts. And I know the majority of people don't care about that at all, because for them lyrics don't matter as much as the music and the emotions it can transport.

And it also adds that foreign bands singing in japanese will always appear much more like "trying too hard" then a pop rock group putting spanish into their songs. That has to do with the bad experience with weaboo fans in general who are just plain annoying with their forced usage of (mostly bad) Japanese. People are just sick and tired of those "I wish I were asian and could speak, act and live like a japanese person" types.

I find Engrish in Vk rather hilarious... and I find it hard to have a clear position on that. In some way I wish Vk bands who fail terribly an English would realize that they should maybe not include whole sentences into their songtextes, when the grammar is so headache inducing and the spelling unbearable to hear. There are some Dir en grey songs I actually like but don't listen too often, because the engrish parts are so disharmonic for me. But I can live with those where they only use short phrases and single words.
And then, on the other hand, you can't really blame them as much as you could with foreign groups getting it terribly wrong. Because Visual kei, after all, isn't marketed for us and the bands don't really have to care about western people shaking their heads at their song lyrics.

In the end it's the band which will decide what they are doing. If they wish they can add japanese to their texts. It's just an advice not sing full parts in japanese, especially when there isn't anyone who really has enough knowledge about it. And with that I don't mean "university degree language skills", but knowing enough not to create google translator-like sentences.

(and now I think that the need of understandable lyrics would be a good topic for a thread of itself... or did we already have one about it?)

[lichtlune 915]

Honestly i love when Japanese bands sing in English some because it makes me not seem as bad when covering songs for fun haha.

Also i agree with mostly everything being said here. One thing to note however is that i listen almost exclusively to Japanese music and i can't help that.

 

I always try to add my own unique flare to things and add in other influences but fact still remains that I'm HEAVILY influenced by japanese artist's and i can't change that its who i am! i may appear as a weeaboo to some for that i don't know but this is my soul, my heart, everything! So truth is i don't care about all of that too much because I'll always just do what i feel as right anyway.    

[RpgRiser 70]

Is the project still on?

[StriderSubzero 53]

Is the project still on?

 

One project has sprung from this thread so far, between me and AltermaliceNero. Hypothetically we could stand to bring in new members, but we probably don't need someone to do only screaming at this point. 

[RpgRiser 70]

Hmmm,'kay then ;_;

I'll keep watching this thread.

[lichtlune 915]

So far we've got a name "Licht:noir'e" and we're still looking for capable composers or talented guitarist's/bassists who are interested in this sort of sound and aesthetic so be sure to message one of us if you're interested. (Demo recordings or other details about your talents or influences would be appreciated) 

 

Its starting to shape nicely i think, at the moment we're working on our first single and its sounding great! 

 

I'll be updating this thread with more information once we're closer to debut. 

[digi 192]

Nice to hear that everything is shaping up the way it should~!

If I wasn't such a youngin' and uncomfortable with my skills, then I wouldn't mind joining as bassist.

Anyways, I hope everything continues to go well, and I'll be looking forward to hearing some songs as you guys move along

[RpgRiser 70]

Same here!

And the name REALLY sounds Visual Kei, it sounds like and Old school/Melodic rock/VK band.

[lichtlune 915]

Same here!

And the name REALLY sounds Visual Kei, it sounds like and Old school/Melodic rock/VK band.

And that's exactly what we're going for

[lichtlune 915]

https://www.facebook.com/events/221631231348030/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular We'll debut our first demo song here

 

Also our facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/Lichtnoire

[lichtlune 915]

http://www.mediafire.com/download/0ik2dkx6akb5e2b/%5B11.12.2013%5D+V.A.+-+Decadent+Society+Vol.1+%28Omnibus%29.rar

 

Here's a link to the omnibus, our project is there. 

[seikun 317]

Interesting project. I hope it turns out well.

 

The use of apostrophe is a must for old school Visual Kei band names xD

 

May I suggest a a few bands for inspiration? I just would like to suggest Verfe~gorl (specially their song called Kindan shoujou) Gill'e Cadith and Lar~Mia. Although I am sure you already had them in mind, but I just thought it would be good to recommend them as good examples of the sound of old school Visual Kei.

 

I am craving for catchy hypnotic sinister guitars and bass like those in Doukei Hajou Sekai by La:sadie's or Vacillate by Lar~Mia.

 

Good luck!

[Pandabear 414]

I’m just going to throw this out there. Does Lichtnoire need anyone to handle mixing/production duties? I wouldn’t mind it giving it a shot. I think I could get good results and not only maintain the old school vibe but add to it too. 

[lichtlune 915]

Interesting project. I hope it turns out well.

 

The use of apostrophe is a must for old school Visual Kei band names xD

 

May I suggest a a few bands for inspiration? I just would like to suggest Verfe~gorl (specially their song called Kindan shoujou) Gill'e Cadith and Lar~Mia. Although I am sure you already had them in mind, but I just thought it would be good to recommend them as good examples of the sound of old school Visual Kei.

 

I am craving for catchy hypnotic sinister guitars and bass like those in Doukei Hajou Sekai by La:sadie's or Vacillate by Lar~Mia.

 

Good luck!

I know of a few of these but i forgot how some of them sound like, I'll definitely give them a listen.

 

I’m just going to throw this out there. Does Lichtnoire need anyone to handle mixing/production duties? I wouldn’t mind it giving it a shot. I think I could get good results and not only maintain the old school vibe but add to it too. 

 

Well I'd definitely like to see what you could do to help! You can contact me on my facebook account if You'd like  https://www.facebook.com/AltermaliceNero

 

I think this song turned out okay but i do feel we have more work to do we're working on another song now and I'd like to start a mini album soon. 

 

 

(Oh and we're still looking for other members)