Interview with KISAKI

KISAKI, thank you very much for taking your time to answer some questions for JRNR.

KISAKI shares some wonderful words, which is an absolute must read for every visual kei fan! Please enjoy it!

Before you continue to read this interview, I’ll love to mention that I’ve also translated the Vijuttoke interview which was published on March 18th! Please read it after you finished reading this one since it reveals some extra need to know info!

◦◦◦◦ Introduction and Label matters ◦◦◦◦

Which artist did you respect the most when you were younger/a child?

I was a big fan of  X JAPAN, Hideaki Tokunaga, REBECCA, and other J-Pop bands that were popular at the time.

Who are some of the artists that have influenced you in making music?

It’s always been YOSHIKI (X JAPAN) and/or Ryuichi Sakamoto.

You started your music career as STAFF for SCARE CROW right? How did you meet them?

When I was in Junior high school I saw them at a live event, and I was totally overwhelmed and fascinated by their artistic, progressive, dark and beautiful worldview. I noticed their flyer, which said that they were looking for staff, so I applied right away for the position and worked hard all through my 3 years of junior high school.

Are you still in touch with the members of SCARE CROW?

Back in the days Vocalist Izumi came to see Phantasmagoria. But currently I am not in touch with him.

What’s your lowest bottle point in your career? Did you ever want to give up everything?

I’ve had members quit on me many times (bitter smile), and I’ve thought about quitting many times because of the loneliness and the difficulty in maintaining my spirit each time. Well, I guess it’s my own fault.

What’s your biggest high point in your career?

After all, I met Kyo (DIR EN GREY) and we formed La:Sadie’s.

What’s the most difficult thing about being a bandman?

It’s not really that difficult. But I guess you should listen to the advice of various people and keep on trying to give your best to touch the hearts of people and to make your band accessible to as many people as possible.

Is there anything you regret or anything you would do differently?

My past is a mess, but I’m not going to write about it because there’s nothing I can do about the past.

For readers who aren’t as familiar with your music, what would you recommend them to listen to first?

The easiest way to understand my personal music roots you gotta check out “LIN“.

You have been in popular bands; La:Sadie’s, Mirage, Syndrome, and Phantasmagoria. Can you tell us a memory or a reflection you have had on each one of these bands?

I regret the fact that all the bands I formed ended up breaking up because of my ego. I have countless memories, but I guess I had the luxury of working with various people who appreciated my work. I was able to release about 100 titles of CDs, videos and DVDs.

凛 -THE END OF CORRUPTION WORLD- is also very popular overseas. What’s your best memory of this band?

With LIN, I was able to participate in several big festivals overseas. Since we were aiming to be known around the world at that time,  I wanted a name who felt Japanese that’s why I changed the band name into a Japanese name. Another thing was that the band members accepted the kind of music I wanted to do so we could make a good effort.

The song 『Glitter』of Phantasmagoria  was used as a GUN道 MUSASHI opening song! How was this song selected for the opening? Please tell us the story.

I was introduced to an anime production via an  acquaintance of mine at a movie. The original author is the same person who created “Lupin the Third,” so I thought it was going to be a big hit. However after all the series was one big flop, so I felt like I was being scammed (smile).

You’ve recently released a Mirage demo-tape titled, “Kounin Kaizokuban 公認海賊版”, it was released in three different versions and was given to those who bought certain goods from your LORELEI webstore. This tape contained a secret track which was a remastered version of Death Mania. Will you continue to release remastered content from your Matina days? Are you planning on releasing demo-tapes?

For now I don’t feel like to keep releasing more, but if I feel like putting something out again, I may announce it.

The “Kounin Kaizokuban” tape had its jacket designed by vocalist Akira (Ex. Mirage, Masked Rider System, RENAME), what was the process for creating this cover?

I ask AKIRA to design for me, because his designs are always genius. Also he always knows and understands what I desire to receive.

KAIRI’s (Siva) birthday event is coming up. What’s the reason why this live will not be streamed?

It’s a premium event that we want to hold only for those who come to enjoy it. But it looks like there are a lot of people who can’t come due corona, so we’re thinking about streaming it too…

You also appear on KAIRI’s (Siva) birthday event. Your session line-up is wonderful, could you please tell us something more about it?

This session band is only special for the BIRTHDAY EVENT of KAIRI (Siva) who also belonged to UNDER CODE PRODUCTION back in the days.  My session bandmates are all old friends and amazing musicians. I thought it would be fun to play together with them, so I gathered everyone together. I’m looking forward to standing next to them on stage!

Would you even consider streaming lives? They are really popular overseas and also Japanese fans can also watch the performance.

I am considering it.

Is there a reason why most of your (label) music isn’t available for digital download/streaming?

Well mostly I want people to listen to my music on a CD.
In the past I also did distribution for a while, but after I got into trouble with a digital distributor, I lost my interest to continue. I used to distribute music when I was still running my UNDER CODE PRODUCTION label. 

In the past you owned your own music label UNDER CODE PRODUCTION. Many bands joined that label. How did you screen bands to join your label? Did you accept any band who wished to join?

It’s like everyone joined naturally. I didn’t do any scouting, bands joined via a connection of an old friend or were recommended.

Will you start to manage any new band in the future under your new label LORELEI ENTERTAINMENT GROUP?

No.

What’s the most difficult point of running a label?

It’s a matter of balancing all the bands equally without losing the buzz. And you have to know when to play the game.

◦◦◦◦ Please teach us more about the love for venues. ◦◦◦◦

I’ve heard that the Japanese venue ticket system is different than from outside of Japan. I’ve heard that bands had/have a contract with a venue. Could you please explain a little bit more about this?

Contract?…there was none, but I usually performed at live houses where the sound, lighting, and staff were in a good relationship with each other. I don’t know much about how it works overseas…

You recently produced and coordinated the omnibus release, “ROCKMAYKAN”, which contains 50 rare songs from various bands. This release was sold to help support live house Meguro ROCKMAYKAN during the coronavirus, why did you decide to support Meguro ROCKMAYKAN  with this release? Do you have any special bond with this livehouse?

Meguro ROCKMAYKAN is a traditional venue that represents Japan. We definitely should not lose the place. I decided to help out in this emergency situation as much as possible. Many legendary bands such as X (X JAPAN), COLOR, DEAD END, LADIES ROOM, D’ERLANGER, LUNA SEA, etc., which had a great influence on the scene, grew up in this venue. Also those legendary bands that played there before me also took care of me. In all those years it turned into a very special venue for various bandman who grew up there. Also I guess my bond with PEPE, the manager, has grown even deeper now.

◦◦◦◦ Please teach us more about Visual Kei ◦◦◦◦

When you started your musical activities, the word Visual Kei was not widely used, but what kind of music genre did you think of yourself?

Rather than visual kei, I thought it was the ideal form of a bandman with a strong spirit. It was beautiful, but also intense, well played, and sometimes sad and fragile. I still think that visual kei is a very dreamy genre.

When Visual Kei was booming, what did you do to stay recognized by people?

To keep playing on various events and to leave some strong impressions behind.

From the start of the Visual Kei scene until today, what changed the most in the Visual Kei scene?

I don’t know how it all started, but I’m sure it will continue to evolve.

Do you think Visual Kei is only about appearance or do you also believe that Visual Kei developed into a style of music too? Even nowadays bands copy often elements out of music from the ‘90s and early ‘00. How do you feel about this?

There is a visual-kei feel into the music as well as the appearance. As I said before, evolution is taking place. Lot’s of bandman who were influenced by the 90’s and 00’s are active today. Currently there are many people who misunderstand this.

What’s the most fun about Visual Kei, that you keep going in this scene?

The visual impact.

◦◦◦◦ Please tell us something more about your overseas memories: ◦◦◦◦

With Phantasmagoria you even performed overseas. What’s your best memory of those tours?

I went not only with Phantasmagoria but also with KISAKI PROJECT and LIN – the end of corruption world- overseas.  I always felt so impressed by the love of the tour staff and the enthusiasm of the audience. I will never forget the people I met overseas. I wish that I could meet everyone again!

Do you ever have plans to go overseas again? Whether it be for your own leisure or for a band performance?

I don’t have any plans for a live concert or anything, but I’d like to go on a trip or something. Someone please call me when Corona is settled (laughs).

◦◦◦◦ Please tell us about your bass collection. ◦◦◦◦

How many basses do you have, what’s your favorite bass to play on. And which bass do you think is most beautiful?

I have three ESP FOREST basses and three different pickups. I don’t know which one the most beautiful type is because each bass has a different play style. Also every bass has its own charm.

◦◦◦◦ Please tell us more about song writing and inspiration.◦◦◦◦

How do you get inspiration for writing a new song?

I’ll be vaguely thinking of a clear image, concept, or image. Then it suddenly comes down to me naturally (laughs).

What is the process of how you create a new song? What equipment do you use? Some people use a piano or keyboard, while others use acoustic guitars or electronic/digital equipment.

I’m using Pro Tools now. When I started my career, I used MTR etc.

What about lyrics? Did you also write lyrics yourself?

Yes I do write lyrics. I love to write lyrics which include my own strong feelings.

What’s written first? The melody or lyrics?

I write the melody first.

Which song was most easy to compose? And why was this so?

I didn’t write any song which was easy to compose.

Which song was most difficult to compose? And why was this so?

All the songs I’ve composed are difficult in their own way. Also there’s no need for half-baked songs! However there is a difference in how long it takes to write a song, though.

Of all the songs you wrote, which song are you most proud of and why?

Personally, I would say; LIN -the end of corruption world-「Dedicate to Graveyard」 and KISAKI PROJECT 「勿忘草」. The reason is that they were finished according to the ideal I had in my mind.

◦◦◦◦ Various questions ◦◦◦◦

Seeing that you have managed and worked with bands for so long, one would assume you have a sizable collection of music? What are some of your prized pieces of your collection?

I do own some indie era records of X’s such as 「I’LL KILL YOU」 and「オルガスム」. Of course I have a lot of records and demo tapes around, but from who they’re is top secret (laughs). But recently I bought the new LP of ROSENFELD.

Do you also like Anime/Manga? Or do you not like anything of that subculture?

I’m not into anime or manga. But I’ve seen the movie version of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, though.

Are there any new bands you recommend to listen to?

I personally like 「キズ」「RAZOR」「DIAURA」「lynch.」「NUL.」that are all bands who are currently active in the visual kei scene. 

◦◦◦◦ Let’s talk about the corona situation. ◦◦◦◦

How has corona affected you in your personal life?

As for my personal life it hasn’t been that hard, also because I’m not officially in a band at the moment it doesn’t really affect me, but I was disappointed that some of the gigs I had planned were postponed or cancelled. I also became more conscious about hygiene.

How has corona affected you in your bandlife? What are/were the biggest struggles until today?

It’s something which can’t be helped, so currently I’m composing and recording various stuff. So I guess it’s not that bad.

On the other hand, does Corona have a positive impact on KISAKI activities?

Not at all.

We came to an end. Please give a message to your fans and readers.

Thank you very much for this interview. I appreciate that JROCK’N’ROLL cares about me. If you’ve heard about me through this interview, please let me know. And I’m looking forward to meeting you all!

日本語版はこちら。

TEXT : TOMONORI NAGASAWA
TRANSLATION: JROCK’N’ROLL
PHOTOGRAPHER : AKIO YOKOYAMA（Better-things）
HAIR MAKE : A・DO
HAIR MAINTENANCE : hiko（UNDIVIDE）

A few weeks before JRNR interview was published Vijuttoke published also an interview with KISAKI which is also a MUST read. also has translate the interview specially for KISAKI’s global fans! Please enjoy this amazing interview too.

This interview has been published with the permission by Vijuttoke and KISAKI.
If you wish to repost this interview, please contact me beforehand!

 Which future path will KISAKI draw?

Last year, as part of Meguro ROCKMAYKAN’s 40th anniversary and relief project, KISAKI produced a special compilation album, “ROCKMAYKAN Densetsu“, which contains tracks of 50 bands who created the「visual kei scene」back in the 90s. On March 10, 2021 (On KISAKI’s birthday), LIN – Chapter 2 – ANOTHER BEST ALBUM「Chasing Shadow」 was released. On May 15, KISAKI will perform at “KAIRI’s (Siva) BIRTHDAY EVENT 「Kizokutachi no Dai SESSION Matsuri ~Tokubetsu Yoru~」 (貴族達の大セッション祭り~特別夜~) at Shibuya REX. Beside this amazing recent activity, what is actually the reason why KISAKI appears on the cover of Vijuttoke? Also, KISAKI’s current activities are all an action towards shaping his future. Anyway, what kind of path will Kisaki take, what are his next plans? Let’s figure it out! 

— KISAKI last year, the event you were going to perform at was cancelled. Would you say you were greatly affected by the Corona disaster?

There have been times when I’ve had to postpone or cancel a gig that had been scheduled, but I’m not in a permanent band, and I wasn’t the organizer, so to be honest, I didn’t have to deal with as much, while it gave huge pressure on other bands. 

Earlier that year I was more busy battling my “colon disease”. Also, I was planning to start preparing for my activities for March, which I would start after my hospital departure, but then I fell into the situation we all fell down into. 

Last year and also this year, I’ve had fewer opportunities to meet people. Since I don’t do a lot of public activities myself, the time when the state of emergency was declared It didn’t have that much of a negative impact on me. 

However, I have felt that the people around me who are involved in music are getting more and more mentally overwhelmed by the onslaught of Corona. So I asked myself what I could do, and I cooperated with the “Meguro ROCKMAYKAN 40th Anniversary & Relief Project“, and I also supported and cooperated with the crowdfunding program of Arm Enterprise, which produces live houses affiliated with “Shibuya REX, HOLIDAY NEXT NAGOYA, OSAKA MUSE and Osaka BIG CAT”. I have mainly focused on those activities through the form of support.

— As part of the Meguro ROCKMAYKAN 40th Anniversary & Relief Project, you produced the special compilation album “ROCKMAYKAN Densetsu“, which contains sound recordings from 50 bands that were a big hit in the 90s visual kei scene.

The CD was an instant sell-out, I guess? For a long time I’ve thought that an omnibus CD of all the bands that were active in the 1990s is necessary to tell the history of Visual-kei. However, until now, no one has done it. So I thought “Then I’ll do it!”. 

That opportunity coincided with the 40th anniversary of Meguro ROCKMAYKAN and the Relief Project. I produced the omnibus with a clear concept in my mind:「only bands that had performed on the Meguro ROCKMAYKAN stage in the 90s」.　

I guess we could say that it’s a fact that this feeling was conveyed and also led to this successful result. Also by creating this omnibus my bond with the owner PEPE became more strong! Although it wasn’t easy to produce all of the bands on it, I managed to do it!

— What about new band activities? Do you have any particular intention to form a new band again?

Not unless I meet someone very fateful, and I don’t feel the need to find such person(s) right now or even to start a band at this point. 

Rather than that, I think it’s better to work with various artists who match the vibe of the songs I create, while they sing and/or perform them. Also I guess it’s possible to release a CD or perform lives in that way. It’s the same for the gigs I am invited to. I enjoy playing and creating music that fits the style of the members and purpose of the event. That’s the main reason why I’m not thinking about starting a band with fixed members at the moment. 

— LIN, KISAKI’s (currently) last band, will release a best-of album “LIN (Chapter 2) ANOTHER BEST ALBUM “Chasing Shadow”” on March 10, KISAKI’s birthday, five years after their breakup. What caught my attention was the title, “Chasing Shadow”. Is it alright to think of it as “a chasing shadow“?

The title implies that I don’t want people to forget about LIN’s existence. I know some of you may be asking, “Why LIN, after all this time?!” and “Why LIN now?!”. It has been five years since the break up, so that’s actually already a milestone for us. Also when I’m listening to the songs right now, they still do touch my heart. Also in addition, we still had a bunch of songs which were not recorded yet. I thought it would be important to keep those songs in shape, so I selected songs that do not overlap with the LIN MEMORIAL BEST BOX “the end of corruption world” which was released before our break up, that one also included four valuable live tracks.

This time I included the demo version of “for lapis…”  as a bonus track. 
“for lapis…“, just as the title suggests, it’s a demo track. It’s a song which I wrote after the decision was made to “break up,” so inside this song there are lots of strong feelings, also I really wanted to keep it as it is in this (demo) shape, just like the lyrics are, which describe how I felt at the time and my own message to our fans.   

— LIN was a very important part of your life right?

Of course, also all the other bands I’ve played in the past always were serious band work for me and I’ve always risked my life for them. 

LIN was a band that concentrated the musicality that I had cultivated through my band activities and continued to express it as if it were a culmination. That’s why it was a band that I was particularly attached to.

— The kind of music that LIN was expressing was “this is the real Visual Kei style“. As I listened to the best of the best albums, I kept thinking that I wanted people today to know this kind of music.

LIN is one of the bands where you can notice my full musical roots. Also in the current scene there aren’t any bands who are doing this type of music, like LIN’s, and even until today I guess that’s why people still find it refreshing. That’s also a reason why I want to continue to preserve the music of LIN in this way. 

— On May 15th, “KAIRI’s (Siva) BIRTHDAY EVENT 「Kizokutachi no Dai SESSION Matsuri ~Tokubetsu Yoru~」 (貴族達の大セッション祭り~特別夜~) at Shibuya REX will be held.And on this event KISAKI will make a guest appearance with limited session band. On this day,  band members who belonged to UNDER CODE PRODUCTION, (the label that KISAKI has been working for 10 years), will not only get together to play in several session bands, but also play various covers of the songs of the bands belonging to UNDER CODE PRODUCTION. This project was born from the desire of the members of the bands that graduated from UNDER CODE PRODUCTION and the people who still love the bands and songs that were active in UNDER CODE PRODUCTION.  “We wish to enjoy the UNDER CODE PRODUCTION songs live“. It’s an event born from the desire to “enjoy UNDER CODE PRODUCTION songs live“. I think it’s also a great achievement that KISAKI’s progress continues to be recognized in this way.

That’s also how I also feel about it, the ten years that I walked around with UNDER CODE PRODUCTION and the existence of my other label “Matina”, were very impactful. I really felt happy that my band friends who always did their best for me said “We want to hold a session event with UNDER CODE PRODUCTION as the core, also we wish that you also will participate.”  So I gladly answered with “I will”. Everyone who enjoyed bands belonging to UNDER CODE PRODUCTION will definitely enjoy this event.

— Would you say that you have always been conscious of being active in the music scene throughout your career?

I haven’t thought of it like that really (laughs). I’ve been told that I’m a retirement fraud/scam…but I simply just want to have goals that I’m able to reach as a musician. It’s been 28 years since I first started playing in a band, and in two years we’ll be celebrating my 30th anniversary, so I’m determined to do everything I can to make it to that year. After that, we should continue with the energy that we found when we finished my 30th anniversary. There are many people in the world who say “KISAKI is over”, but I’m sure I’ll make some decisions with a huge surprising bang not far from now.

— KISAKI, you wouldn’t consider yourself a “person of the past”, right?

That’s right. Of course, I don’t intend to do activities that match the current scene, but I will continue to pursue the music that I really want to put out, and this attitude has never changed, not in the past, not now, and not in the future. However, I have seen many people who left the music scene in the middle of their ambitions due to the corona epidemic that prevailed from last year to this year. I don’t know when I will be deprived of all my current activities. That’s why I want to live my life with no regrets at all times.

— Rather, because you are on the cover of Vijuttoke, many people are wondering, “What will KISAKI’s future steps be? I’m sure many people have some expectations for your future activities.

I hope that everyone will have high expectations for me. One of the reasons why Vijuttoke chose me for the cover this time was because of the release of LIN’s best album. More than that, I think it also includes the editor-in-chief’s feeling that he expects KISAKI’s activities in the future and I really do appreciate that. It can take a long time before I make any concrete announcements, but I will be making various moves toward the 30th anniversary of my band’s activities, and I will try to stir up or revitalize the current visual scene as much as I can.

— Will we be able to see that announcement around the time of your appearance at the May 15th event?

As for this year, I don’t think there will be many public activities yet. Right now, I’m steadily working under the hood for the activities of the anniversary year from 2022 to 2023.  Even before that, since I’ve come out to make a declaration like this, I’ll be putting forth various announcements. It’s still difficult to enjoy live performances with everyone in the same way as before. By the time we get over the current situation, we should be able to interact with each other in the same way as before. Please look forward to that time.

NOTE: 2023 is KISAKI’s 30th anniversary.

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KISAKI’s twitter: @KISAKI_OFFICIAL
KISAKI’s blog: ameblo.jp/kisaki-official
KISAKI’s official: YouTube
KISAKI’s official: Webshop

Credits:
Photos: All send by KISAKI
Japanese help: 珠城 悠 (Kenshin)
Translated by: Ryu
English grammar/spell check: Katt
Questions 09, 10, 13, 14, 23, 31, 34, 40, 42 by Katt
Special support: vk.gy