Many would say Yoshiki’s contributions to Japanese music culture are priceless, so in a way, you could say this is a bargain.
X Japan
Lack of rainy conditions sadly prevents Japanese visual kei music legend from saying weather will rock viewers like a hurricane.
The visual-kei, metal, classically-inspired rock band is returning with a single message: “We are X.”
Nyango Star must have apple-cat nerves of steel as he absolutely kills a performance of X Japan songs in front of a discerning audience.
Have you ever seen a mascot play drums? I bet you’d never expect one to be this awesome at it.
The edgy kimonos designed by X Japan rock star Yoshiki may have been a bit too edgy for most — but not for Hello Kitty!
Our Japanese-language writer gets a visual kei makeover as part of her quest to join the all-female follow-up to X Japan.
We get our hands on a box of curry from veteran rockers X Japan and feel the burning deep within our hearts, never to look back…
One of the most talked about collections at Tokyo Fashion Week was the YOSHIKIMONO First Collection, a range of rock star kimonos created by a Japanese rock star so famous he goes merely by his first name, Yoshiki.
As a musician, composer, songwriter, and record producer, Yoshiki has a wide variety of creative interests and now he’s stepping out into the world of fashion with a collection of edgy kimonos featuring unorthodox prints and unusual obi wraps.
During his show at fashion week, the audience was blown away by Yoshiki’s artistic vision as his kimono-clad models walked around him on the runway while he provided the soundtrack to it all with a classical piano recital.
Love them or hate them, there’s no denying that BABYMETAL sprang up out of nowhere from the rock/metal ground and has grown into a flourishing band with a heap of hardcore fans. They’ve performed in both Europe and America and featured the acclaimed guitars of metal band DragonForce on their single “Road of Resistance.” It seems like there’s nothing that can stop these cute girls and their head-banging tunes, especially now that another extremely popular rock star has hinted he’d like to collaborate with BABYMETAL too.
The Japanese music scene doesn’t have quite the lengthy list of young deaths that its Western counterpart does, but that doesn’t mean J-pop hasn’t lost some of its biggest stars while still in their prime. In 1998, 33-year-old hide, who rose to fame as guitarist for the band X Japan and had also established a successful solo career, was found dead in his apartment, hung by a towel attached to a doorknob.
Ruled a suicide, his death came as a shock to his legions of fans, and while he left behind a large body of work, it seemed they would never get to hear the song “Ko Gyaru,” which hide had been putting the finishing touches on before his passing. So it’s come as a surprise that a video for the song was recently released on YouTube, with vocals that sound as if they’re being provided by the deceased musician himself.
Spending your time bashing out wild beats on the drums might sound like heaven for rock music fans, but installing a drum kit in your house is a sure way to make the neighbours hate you, especially in Japan where most landlords prohibit the use of musical instruments.
Thankfully, these days there is of course a digital alternative, and some people have become so good at iPad drumming that in its own way it can be as impressive as the real thing.
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