X Japan will appear at the Japan
Expo! They will give a press conference
one day before their concert in
France. The press conference is
scheduled for Thursday 30 June,
16h45-17h30, Main stage. More infos
at the Japan
Expo site.
X
JAPAN'S FIRST SINGLE, "JADE"
TO BE RELEASED ON JUNE 28
(June
14, 2011) -- "Jade,"
the long-awaited new single from
X Japan, one of the most influential
rock bands in Japanese history,
will be released in North America,
Europe and Latin America on Tuesday,
June 28 in all digital formats.
"Jade"
is the first track from the band's
English debut album,
currently in the final stages of
recording.
A "Jade" full-length ringtone
will be made available exclusively
in Japan on June 28, and the single
will be released there and in Southeast
Asia two weeks later on July 13.
"This is a years-long dream
of X Japan's, to release a record
in the Americas and in Europe,"
said Yoshiki, X Japan's leader/producer/songwriter/drummer/pianist.
"Music is very powerful, and
we believe it can help us bridge
the gap between east and west. We
hope that 'Jade' will be the first
step."
Written and produced
by Yoshiki and mixed by Andy
Wallace, "Jade"
was recorded in both Japan and at
Yoshiki's Los Angeles studio, the
same studio where Metallica recorded
its classic Black album before Yoshiki
bought it and turned it into a private
facility.
The song features the thunderous
drums and bass of Yoshiki and Heath,
respectively, the searing twin guitar
work of Pata and Sugizo, and Toshi's
dynamic vocals. With most lyrics
sung in English, "Jade"
is a hauntingly romantic tale of
embracing the beautiful sadness
of death, and showcases X Japan's
eclectic mix of rock, goth, and
classical music.
The release of "Jade"
coincides with the X Japan's June
28 sold-out show at London's Shepherd's
Bush Empire and the kick-off of
their world tour that includes stops
in Europe and South America. Click
here
for the full itinerary.
X Japan is one of the most successful
rock bands in Japanese history,
having sold more than 30-million
albums, singles and videos, and
filled the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome
a record 18 times with its classic
"Queen meets Guns N Roses meets
ŒThe Matrix'" sound. The
popularity of the band in Japan
has made them a cultural phenomenon
in music, fashion and business.
X Japan made its North American
debut at the 2010 Lollapalooza festival,
and sold out their New York City
debut at the famed Roseland Ballroom
as part of its first American tour
last fall.
Source:
Date:
2011-06-14
Scarlet
Love Song #1 in iTunes Japan
X JAPAN's
SCARLET LOVE SONG explodes and hits
#1 on iTunes Japan!
X JAPAN's latest
release SCARLET LOVE SONG, the opening
theme song for Tezuka Production's
latest anime feature film release
that took over 10 years to produce
... BUDDHA: akai sabaku yo!
Utsukushiku has hit the #1
position for iTunes (Japan).
Source:
Date:
2011-06-09
Yoshiki
to Compose Theme Song for Osamu Tezuka
THE "GOD"
OF J-ROCK, YOSHIKI, COMPOSES THEME
SONG FOR THE "GOD" OF
MANGA'S, OSAMU TEZUKA, UPCOMING
2011 JAPANESE ANIME FEATURE FILM
(May 26, 2011)
Known throughout the world
for his haunting melodies and dynamic
musical prowess, famed J-Rock legend
Yoshiki has been commissioned by
the famed "God" of Manga
writer, Osamu Tezuka's (ASTROBOY)
world famous anime production company,
Tezuka Production Company Ltd.,
to compose the opening song for
their 10 years in the making, highly
anticipated 2011 anime trilogy feature
film, BUDDHA: AKAI SABAKU YO! UTSUKUSHIKU.
The composition will be entitled
"Scarlet Love Song" and
will be the main theme for the film
releasing May 28, 2011.
"Yoshiki, a member of X Japan-the
most successful international "Visual
kei Japanese rock band", was
the obvious choice to be part of
the film," states BUDDHA director
Kouso Morishita, "he (Yoshiki)
and I used to talk about the collaboration
of Anime and J-Rock and I requested
his musical support from the inception
of the film. As a result, "Scarlet
Love Song" was written by Yoshiki
and performed by X Japan and is
a great love song which makes the
world of "Buddha" shine
moreso."
"I am honored and blessed that
I was given the amazing opportunity
to write the theme song for such
an influential Japanese manga writer,"
states Yoshiki, X Japan's leader/drummer/pianist/songwriter,
"I hope my song does the feature
film and Tezuka-san's wonderful
work justice as it will set the
tone for the entire film."
“Yoshiki
Radio” to Debut on SiriusXM
Japanese Superstar to Launch His
First-Ever Radio Show
May 12,
2011 -- Sirius XM Radio
(NASDAQ: SIRI) announced today that
Yoshiki, Japanese icon and leader
of Japan’s multi-million-selling,
superstar rock band X Japan, will
host his first-ever radio show,
“Yoshiki Radio,” on
SiriusXM’s The Boneyard, Channel
38. “Yoshiki Radio,”
the hour-long monthly show, will
launch on Friday, May 27 at 8:00PM
ET. Beginning Sunday, June 5, “Yoshiki
Radio” will air the first
Sunday of every month at 9:00PM
ET.
“Yoshiki
Radio” will offer an eclectic
mix of East meets West, and will
include Yoshiki’s personal
favorite music tracks, and music
from artists that have influenced
him, as well as an introduction
to some of Japan’s most innovative
and successful artists. The monthly
show will also feature elements
of Japanese pop culture that already
have made their mark on American
life, from sushi to Sony to Nintendo/Wii,
to the global megastar Hello Kitty,
to the bourgeoning western popularity
of Anime. Yoshiki’s band X
Japan has been credited with pioneering
“Visual Kei,” a cultural
movement that greatly contributed
to today’s worldwide Anime
craze.
“I’m
very excited to do the show exclusively
on SiriusXM, as I’d like to
help tear down the wall between
East and West,” said
Yoshiki. “I want to show
people that there is no one language,
no real boundaries when it comes
to music and art, and that we are
all more alike than not. I also
hope my exposure of unique music
choices to the West will allow me
to show, with pride, a beautiful
side of our culture in these difficult
times. ”
“We love
introducing listeners to bands they
may not otherwise hear on other
audio platforms and providing them
the chance to discover great new
music,” said Scott Greenstein,
President and Chief Content Officer,
SiriusXM Radio. “Yoshiki’s
music ranges from heavy metal to
ballads to alternative rock to symphonic.
Only on SiriusXM will you hear Yoshiki’s
pioneering choices of songs that
mix musical worlds.”
Earlier this year,
Yoshiki and his band X Japan signed
an exclusive, three-year deal with
EMI Music for distribution in North
America. X Japan’s North American
debut album will be released later
this year. The album’s first
single, “Jade,” will
be available this spring.
X Japan is one
of the most successful rock bands
in Japanese history, and the heart
of X Japan is Yoshiki, songwriter,
drummer, producer, and classically-trained
pianist who also plays guitar, bass
and trumpet. Yoshiki, who has been
referred to by his first name only
throughout his professional career,
is arguably Asia’s most influential
musical artist and, according to
one industry insider, “is
to Japan what Bono is to the UK.”
Hello Kitty, for the first time
in its history, even designed a
product line after a person, creating
a new character, “Yoshikitty,”
based on Yoshiki. X Japan has sold
more than 30-million albums, singles
and videos, and headlined and sold
out Japan’s 55,000-seat Tokyo
Dome a record 18 times. The band,
having always wanted to break in
North America, made its concert
debut at 2010’s Lollapalooza
festival with a critically-acclaimed
North American tour that followed
last fall. The band plans to tour
extensively in 2011, and has already
announced dates in the UK, Europe
and Latin America.
Source:
Date:
2011-05-12
Yoshiki
to appear at Anime Central
X
JAPAN LEADER, YOSHIKI, SCHEDULED
TO APPEAR AT ANIME CENTRAL
(May 4,
2011) Fans rejoice
as they are invited to join international
rock-star Yoshiki (X Japan) at Anime
Central-the Midwest¹s largest
anime convention happening May 20-22,
2011 in Rosemont, IL at the Hyatt
Regency O’Hare and the Rosemont
Convention Center! Despite the busy
schedule of rehearsing and preparing
for the band¹s upcoming European
Tour, Yoshiki will be participating
in a panel and an autograph session
on May 21st from 3:00 pm 5:00
pm.
“This
will be my 2nd time attending Anime
Central,” states Yoshiki,
X Japan’s leader/drummer/pianist/songwriter,
“I have been working on multiple
projects so I can’t wait to
see all my fans and share with them
what I have been up to!”
Fans will be in
for a treat as Yoshiki will be showing
videos including never-before-seen
footage beginning at 3:00 pm, followed
by a 1-hour panel. Yoshiki’s
autograph session is scheduled as
well. The locations of the aforementioned
activities have yet to be determined.
Yoshiki fans will
also have the opportunity to witness
Yoshiki recording his own Sirius
XM radio show at Anime Central!
The recording location has yet to
be determined.
Yoshiki’s
appearance at Anime Central is as
follows:
UPDATE:
AUCTION FOR YOSHIKI'S "CRYSTAL"
PIANO RELAUNCHES MONDAY, 4/25
Bidding to Start at $512,231.70,
The Last Confirmed Sum
LOS
ANGELES, CA Friday, April
22, 2011 -- Yoshiki,
leader of X Japan, the biggest
rock band in Japan, put his "crystal"
piano, a see-through Plexiglas
Kawai grand, up for auction on
April 17 to raise money for the
Japan Relief Fundraising Auction
in conjunction with Yahoo! Japan.
About eight minutes into the auction,
the bid shot from $.01 to $42,000;
within hours, an online bidder
pledged a staggering $73-million.
On Tuesday, 4/19, Yahoo! Auctions
temporarily suspended the auction,
citing an overload of unexpected
high volume of traffic on the
site, high bidding prices, and
the time required for bidder confirmation
procedures. Yahoo! Auction's systems
have now been restructured, new
bidding policies are in place,
and Yahoo! has identified the
last confirmed bid for the piano
as $512,231.70.
The auction is set to resume on
Monday, April 25, and will run
through Thursday, April 28.
The Japanese-born Yoshiki, who
lives in Los Angeles, felt the
earthquake tremors while in a
Tokyo recording studio working
on X Japan's first North American
album, and was shocked by the
large-scale damage across Japan.
Yoshiki and his X Japan band mates
decided to postpone the March
15 release of their first U.S.
single, "Jade," so they
could focus their time and energies
helping with the recovery.
In addition to the auction of
Yoshiki's "crystal"
piano, Yoshiki, through his Yoshiki
Foundation America, is spearheading
a major celebrity auction to benefit
the survivors of the earthquake
and tsunami. The Foundation has
already received items from Marilyn
Manson, Red Hot Chili Peppers'
Anthony Kiedis, comic book legend
Stan Lee, Robert Pattinson, James
Franco, and Reese Witherspoon.
UK and
Berlin Shows Sell Out in 30-minutes
Shows Moved to Bigger Venues
(Thursday,
April 21, 2011)
This year, for the first time
ever, X Japan will bring its long-awaited,
epic rock'n'roll to Europe, with
four special concerts set to take
place in London (June
28), Paris (July
1), Amsterdam
(July 2), and Berlin
(July 4). Go towww.xjapanmusic.com
for ticket info.
The London show was originally
scheduled for the O2 Academy,
and the Berlin venue was Huxleys,
but with both of those shows selling
out in about 30-minutes, the shows'
promoters have moved the concerts
to larger venues (see below for
specifics).
More X Japan concerts are currently
being confirmed around the globe
and will be announced shortly.
"We are all so excited
to finally come and play in Europe,"
said Yoshiki, X Japan's leader/drummer/pianist/songwriter.
"Because we've never
played Europe before, we didn't
know how many fans we had there,
so we're so excited to have this
kind of support."
With many more dates coming,
X Japan's 2011 global concert
schedule is as follows:
JUNE
28 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London,
UK
JULY
1 Zenith de Paris, Paris, France
2 Tivoli, Utrecht, Netherlands
(Amsterdam)
4 Columbiahalle, Berlin, Germany
AUGUST
13 Summer Sonic Festival, Osaka,
Japan
14 Summer Sonic Festival, Tokyo,
Japan
Source:
Date:
2011-04-21
European
Concert Dates, Summer Sonic Festival
JAPANESE
ROCK ICONS X JAPAN CONTINUE THEIR
WORLDWIDE EXPANSION
WITH FIRST-TIME EUROPEAN CONCERT
DATES
PLUS SPECIAL GUEST SLOT AT "SUMMER
SONIC" FESTIVAL
Friday,
April 15, 2011
They've sold more than 30-million
records and DVDs, filled the 55,000-seat
Tokyo Dome a record-breaking 18
times, made their North American
concert debut last summer at the
Lollapalooza festival, and sold
out their New York City debut
at the famed Roseland Ballroom.
And this year, for the first time
ever, X Japan will bring its long-awaited,
epic rock'n'roll to Europe, with
three special concerts set to
take place in London (June
28, Islington O2 Academy), Paris
(July 1, Zenith de Paris) and
Berlin (July 4, Huxleys).
Tickets go on sale today, Friday,
April 15. Go to www.xjapanmusic.com
for ticket info.
More X Japan concerts are currently
being confirmed around the globe
and will be announced shortly.
"We are all so excited
to finally come and play in Europe,"
said Yoshiki, X Japan's leader/drummer/pianist/songwriter.
"This is something we've
wanted to do for many years, and
we are ready to rock our European
fans."
In addition, X Japan has confirmed
they will play a special guest
slot at the two-day "Summer
Sonic" festival set for August
13 in Osaka and August 14 in Tokyo.
Although on its own, X Japan sells
out Japanese venues twice the
size of the "Summer Sonic,"
it is a big honor for the band
to be part of this bill as the
annual festival features the biggest
and most-buzzed about international
artists. This year's headliners
also include the Red Hot Chili
Peppers and The Strokes.
In Asia, X Japan - Toshi (vocals),
Pata and Sugizo (guitars), Heath
(bass), and Yoshiki (drums, piano)
- plays arenas and stadiums, bringing
in elaborate production including
lasers, catwalks, and holograms.
For these upcoming European dates,
X Japan will tailor its "stadium-sensibility
theatrics" to the more intimate
venues, focusing primarily on
its "Queen-meets-Guns-N-Roses-meets-ŒThe-Matrix'"
rock assault.
"We had a wonderful time
last fall on our first North American
tour, playing theatres, something
we hadn't been able to do in Japan
since the early days,"
Yoshiki explained. "We
were able to make a strong connection
with our audiences because they
were right there, just feet away
from the stage. I even crowd-surfed
a few times! So, we're looking
forward to the same sort of close-up-and-personal
but intense experience on these
dates."
Yoshiki and X Japan's vocalist
Toshi were in Paris last July,
making a special appearance for
more than 5,000 fans. The duo
performed a handful of X Japan
songs "unplugged," and
had the entire audience singing
the chorus to one of the band's
most exquisite compositions, "Endless
Rain."
The members of X Japan have been
writing and recording what will
be their first album to be released
outside of Japan with English
lyrics. According to Yoshiki,
about half of the album will feature
some of the band's most popular
songs from throughout their career,
with nearly all of the lyrics
re-recorded in English, and the
other half, brand new songs written
specially for this album. The
album's first single will be "Jade,"
and will be on the 2011 European
set lists as well.
Yoshiki, who launched his Yoshiki
Foundation America last year,
has been focusing attention on
his Japan Relief Fundraising Auction,
a major celebrity auction to benefit
the survivors of the recent earthquake
and tsunami in Japan. The first
item to go on the auction block
is Yoshiki's own "crystal"
piano, a see-through, Plexiglas
Kawai grand. The auction for Yoshiki's
"crystal" piano begins
April 17 and will run through
April 24 through Yahoo! Japan.
For more information, log onto
www.yoshikifoundationamerica.org
With many more
dates coming, X Japan's
2011 global concert schedule is
as follows:
JUNE
28 Islington O2 Academy, London,
UK
JULY
1 Zenith de Paris, Paris, France
4 Huxleys, Berlin, Germany
AUGUST
13 Summer Sonic Festival, Osaka,
Japan
14 Summer Sonic Festival, Tokyo,
Japan
Source:
Date:
2011-04-15
Yoshiki
leads Japan relief effort
YOSHIKI
LEADS JAPAN RELIEF EFFORT WITH
YAHOO! JAPAN IN CELEBRITY AUCTION
FEATURING ITEMS FROM ROB PATTINSON,
JAMES FRANCO, REESE WITHERSPOON,
STAN LEE, ANTHONY KIEDIS, MARILYN
MANSON AND MORE
X Japan Founder to Auction
Famed "Crystal" Piano
Bidding for "Crystal"
Piano Begins
April 17, 2011 (in Japan) / April
16, 2011 (in USA)
April 11, 2011, Los Angeles,
CA‹Japanese music
and fashion icon Yoshiki, is spearheading
the Japan Relief Fundraising Auction
(JRFA), a major celebrity auction
to benefit the survivors of the
recent earthquake and tsunami
in Japan. The JRFA is in conjunction
with Yahoo! Japan, and is the
company's first worldwide auction.
Yahoo! Japan will have an internationally
accessible web page with translations
in English, Korean, Chinese and
also, through j-Grab, Russian,
Italian and French.
The Foundation has also reached
out to celebrities to donate auction
items. To date, the Foundation
has received items from Marilyn
Manson, Anthony Kiedis, Stan Lee,
and through some members of the
Hollywood Foreign Press Association,
donations from Rob Pattinson,
James Franco and Reese Witherspoon,
and others. In addition, Yoshiki,
leader of X Japan, the multi-platinum
Japanese rock band, is donating
his beloved "crystal"
piano, a see-through Plexiglas
Kawai grand. The JRFA for Yoshiki's
"crystal" piano runs
in Japan from April 17, 2011 until
April 24 through Yahoo! Japan
in conjunction with Yoshiki
Foundation America Japanese Relief
Fundraising Auction
or through the Yoshiki
Foundation America Auction Page.
Additional celebrity auction items
will be added each week.
Yoshiki, who now lives in Los
Angeles, was in Tokyo recording
a new X Japan album when the recent
9.0 earthquake struck. The quake
and resulting tsunami have killed
over 12,000 people, injured and
displaced tens of thousands more,
damaged nuclear power plants and
destroyed homes, marine life and
critical infrastructure. After
witnessing the devastation first-hand,
Yoshiki decided to devote himself
to the relief effort. Since then
he has taken an active role in
reaching out to celebrities, dignitaries
and the media who can help make
a difference. Yoshiki is also
partnering with other organizations
involved in Japan's recovery.
"The situation in northeastern
Japan is desperate and the need
is tremendous," said
Yoshiki. "Not only have
thousands lost their loved ones,
homes and jobs, but entire neighborhoods
and towns have been swept away.
More recently, thousands more
have had to evacuate their homes
because of radiation from damaged
power plants. We can't turn our
backs at such a desperate time."
In addition to the auction, Yoshiki
Foundation America has been actively
soliciting contributions through
its website. The organization
has also partnered with The Japan
America Society of Southern California,
which recently announced it had
raised a million dollars for earthquake
and tsunami relief.
The JRFA, organized by the Yoshiki
Foundation America in association
with Yahoo! Japan, will benefit
the Japanese Red Cross Society's
earthquake and tsunami relief
efforts.
History of Yoshiki Foundation
America
Yoshiki Foundation America is
a California non-profit, public
benefit, 501(c) Corporation founded
in 2010 by Japanese musician Yoshiki
of the multi-million-selling rock
band X Japan. A number of personal
experiences brought Yoshiki to
the launch of his foundation beginning
with the loss of his own father
when he was just a teenager. Like
so many people around the world,
he read news accounts and was
deeply moved by the devastating
effects of the 1995 earthquake
in Kobe; in 2009, he paid an emotional
visit to an orphanage in Sichuan,
still reeling in its recovery,
with so many children still displaced
and orphaned. Additionally, and
as a tribute to Yoshiki's late
X Japan band mate Hide, who embraced
the support of children with bone
marrow disease, the Yoshiki Foundation
provides funds to offer assistance
through music to children with
this debilitating illness. The
Foundation, which has supported
such causes as St. Vincent's Meals
on Wheels, Make-a-Wish Foundation
and the Grammy Foundation will,
for the foreseeable future, be
100% dedicated to assisting in
the relief efforts of Japan.
Date:
2011-04-12
Manson
& Yoshiki project to benefit earthquake
relief in Japan
According to
the LAWeekly Blog, Marilyn MAnson
and Yoshiki are working on a project
to help Japan! Below is an excerpt,
you can read the entire article
here.
Marilyn Manson
appeared at the opening party
for Vivienne Westwood's Melrose
Avenue shop where he said that
he will be working with X Japan
founder Yoshiki on a forthcoming
project to benefit earthquake/tsunami
relief in Japan.
Manson said that
he does not know what the details
for the project are yet. "The
main point is that we're friends
and we're working together,"
he said. "I'm from the
middle west, he's from the far
east, so it's like middle west
meets far east."
X JAPAN'S
YOSHIKI TO AUCTION OFF HIS "CRYSTAL"
PIANO
TO AID JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE/TSUMANI
VICTIMS
LOS
ANGELES, CA March 15, 2011
Yoshiki, leader of the Japanese
rock band X Japan, will put his
favorite "crystal" piano on the
auction block, donating all proceeds
to help provide aid to the victims
of Japan's earthquake and tsunami.
The custom-made, plexi-glass "Yoshiki
Signature Piano by Kawai" with
Yoshiki's name engraved on it,
was used when the band played
their legendary shows at the Tokyo
Dome.
The Japanese-born
Yoshiki, who lives in Los Angeles,
felt the earthquake tremors while
in a Tokyo recording studio working
on X Japan's first North American
album, and was shocked by the
large-scale damage across Japan.
"It took awhile to locate
my mother, but she is, thankfully,
OK," said Yoshiki, "and
I've spoken with [band members]
Toshi, Pata, Sugizo and Heath,
and they are all safe as well.
I am praying for the people here
who are still trying to locate
their family and friends."
X Japan has decided to postpone
the release of their first U.S.
single, "Jade," that had been
scheduled to be released today,
so that they may focus their time
and energies on helping with the
recovery.
In addition to raising money by
auctioning his "crystal "piano,
Yoshiki will collect donations
for the Japanese disaster relief
through the Yoshiki Foundation
America, his California non-profit,
public benefit corporation with
tax-exempt status as a section
501(c) (www.yoshikifoundation.org).
The Yoshiki Foundation has already
donated to American organizations
such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation
of America, the Grammy Foundation,
and St. Vincent Meals on Wheels.
Date:
2011-03-15
Gallery
Update - Yoshiki at AGE
Visit the
gallery
to view pictures of the "Asia
Girls Explosion" fashion
event in Tokyo.
Manson and
other international celebrities
that included Shenae Grimes, Jessica
Stroup and AnnaLynne McCord from
the TV series "90210,"
presented trendy but wearable
collections from a variety of
high-end, international designers
that combined Japanese street
fashion with progressive Western
design, and a healthy dose of
rock'n'roll style. "Asia
Girls Explosion" also unveiled
Yoshiki's own fashion line, "Yoshikimono,"
that paid tribute to his parents
who ran a Kimono shop when he
was growing up.
Date:
2011-03-10
Yoshiki
& Marilyn Manson at "Asia Girls
Explosion"
X
JAPAN'S YOSHIKI HAS MARILYN MANSON
WALK THE RUNWAY AT HIS
"ASIA GIRLS EXPLOSION"
FASHION EVENT IN TOKYO
March 7, 2011
- Japanese music/fashion icon,
X Japan's Yoshiki, co-produced
and hosted "Asia Girls Explosion"
on Sunday, March 6, an East-meets-West/fashion-meets-music
event held at the Yoyogi National
Stadium in Tokyo, and rocker Marilyn
Manson walked the runway.
"When we came up with
the concept for AGE, the first
person I thought of was Marilyn
Manson," said Yoshiki.
"He is the fashion icon
in rock'n'roll, and I'm very excited
he agreed to be part of the show."
Pictured:
Yoshiki and Marilyn Manson on
the Red Carpet
Manson and other international
celebrities that included Shenae
Grimes, Jessica Stroup and AnnaLynne
McCord from the TV series "90210,"
presented trendy but wearable
collections from a variety of
high-end, international designers
that combined Japanese street
fashion with progressive Western
design, and a healthy dose of
rock'n'roll style.
"Asia Girls Explosion"
also unveiled Yoshiki's own fashion
line, "Yoshikimono,"
that paid tribute to his parents
who ran a Kimono shop when he
was growing up. "It is
a tradition in Japan that the
eldest male takes on the family
business," Yoshiki explained.
"But I rebelled and got into
rock'nroll. With the Yoshikimono
line, I feel I'm keeping my parents'
dream alive."
Yoshiki's band, X Japan, one of
the biggest rock bands in Japanese
history, is currently recording
what will be their first-ever
album to be released in North
America. The album's first single,
"Jade," will premiere
on March 15, and the album will
be out later this year.
Pictured:
Manson on the runway; one of Yoshiki's
"Yoshikimonos."
Date:
2011-03-07
X
Japan & EMI Music announce North American
Agreement
X
JAPAN AND EMI MUSIC ANNOUNCE NORTH
AMERICAN AGREEMENT
Band In The Studio Recording American
Debut Set for a Summer 2011 Release
LOS ANGELES,
CA (Thursday, January 27,
2011) -- X Japan, one
of the most successful rock band
in Japanese history, and EMI Music
have signed an exclusive three-year
manufacturing and distribution
agreement that will have EMI Label
Services handle the band's releases
in North America. The first release
will be the track "Jade"
on March 15, followed
by the band's as yet untitled
American debut set for a Summer,
2011 release.
"We are
so honored to have X Japan as
part of the EMI Label Services/Caroline
family," commented Mike
Harris, Executive Vice President/General
Manager, EMI Label Services &
Caroline Distribution. "After
the highly successful North American
tour last fall, the timing is
perfect for the upcoming X Japan
release."
Added Dominic Pandiscia,
Executive Vice President EMI Music
Services North America, "We
are thrilled to have the opportunity
to work with X Japan. They have
cultivated a strong following
in the U.S. and we look forward
to working with them, helping
to reach even more fans."
X Japan Yoshiki/band
leader/producer/songwriter/drums,
piano, Toshi/vocals, Pata/guitar,
Sugizo/guitar, violin, and Heath/bass
- is in the studio putting the
finishing touches on the album,
the band's first new studio album
since 1996, and fifth overall.
Half of the songs will be culled
from some of the band's Gold and
Platinum Japanese singles; the
other half are brand-new songs,
and an estimated 95% of the lyrics
are being sung in English.
"Some of
the songs on this new album were
originally written with Japanese
lyrics," Yoshiki explained,
"so translating them
into English has been challenging.
For some reason, English needs
more words, so I ended up re-writing
many of the lyrics but kept the
same message."
Most of the album
has been recorded in Los Angeles
at Yoshiki's own studio. It's
the same studio where Metallica
recorded its classic "Black"
album, and artists from Van Halen
to Michael Jackson to KISS also
recorded there before Yoshiki
bought it and turned it into a
private facility. Yoshiki, who
lives in Los Angeles, traveled
to Japan a handful of times to
record with the rest of the band
there. In addition, some of the
album has been recorded live over
the Internet, with Yoshiki in
L.A. and the band's other members
at their studio in Japan.
Added Yoshiki, "X
Japan's music is everything from
fast, super-heavy rock to ballads
with classical piano - all of
those elements are what makes
X Japan's music. We don't play
just one kind of music - we want
to take people on a journey."
The X Japan/EMI
agreement comes on the heels of
X Japan's U.S. concert debut last
August at Lollapalooza, and the
band's first-ever North American
tour that wrapped up on October
10 with a sold out show at New
York's Roseland Ballroom. Many
of the new album's tracks were
introduced to western fans when
they were performed on the tour,
including "Rusty Nail,"
"Kurenai," "I.V.,"
"Born to Be Free," and
the album's first single, "Jade."
Over the course
of the tour's seven dates, all
played in theatre-sized venues,
X Japan easily demonstrated why
they've sold more than 30-million
units and filled the 55,000-seat
Tokyo Dome a record-setting 18
times. X Japan hadn't played venues
that small in more than 15 years,
so they tailored their "stadium-mindset"
production to the theaters, making
every effort to bring their take-no-prisoners
theatrics and spectacular visuals
to America. As the SF Weekly put
it, "All it took was
one show to make it very clear
why X Japan is such a phenomenon
in its homeland."
Distribution agreements
outside of North America, including
Japan, will be announced shortly.
To support the new
album, X Japan plans to
tour extensively in 2011.
Check out some song
teasers from the new album,here.
Date:
2011-01-27
Scarlet
Love Song
The
new year starts with a new X Japan
song called "Scarlet Love
Song". The new Warner Bros
anima movie "Buddha"
, based on the mangas by Osamu
Tezuka will be released in Japan
to theaters on the 28th May 2011.
You
can hear a snipet of "Scarlet
Love Song" by watching the
trailer for the movie here.
Already
on November 22nd, Toshi mentioned
in an interview in a hotel in
Tokyo that he and Yoshiki have
plans for a unique collaboration.
Now more details emerged: There
will be an exclusive dinner on
the 24th and 25th January. The
event is called "Crystal
piano no kimi" and will be
held at the Tokyo City Hotel.
The famous cook Mikuni Kiyomi
will cook for the guests of this
special event after a performance
from Toshi & Yoshiki.
Tickets
for this exclusive event are limited
to 2000 guests. With a big orchestra
as backup, Toshi will perform
songs from his solo album and
X Japan ballads accomponied by
Yoshiki, as well as the titel
song for this event "Crystal
Piano No Kimi" (which was
written for a TV movie by Yoshiki
and originally sung by Masafumi
Akigawa). The absolute highlight
of this show will be the duet
of Yoshiki & Toshi where they
will both perform a piece on crystal
pianos.
There
is also an upcoming release of
"Crystal PIano No Kimi"
but no further details are known
yet.
There
are times when a person can get
an inkling of what they’re
in for with a concert before the
show even starts. X Japan’s
gig at New York’s Roseland
Ballroom, their last stop on their
first North American tour, was
one such example. As we approached
the venue, we noticed something
peculiar about the line to get
in, which was already moving.
It wrapped around the entire block.
Twice.
Overexcited fans,
many of them likely seeing the
Japanese band live for the first
time, showed little annoyance
at the length of the line. If
there were any frowns earlier,
they were quickly wiped away with
boxes of free pizza courtesy of
drummer and co-founder Yoshiki
himself. Really, how many bands
take care of their fans like that?
Even concert goers who just came
off of this weekend’s New
York Comic Con/New York Anime
Fest (of which we’re sure
there were many) were bound to
be revitalized.
This
is an excerpt from the article,
please read the entire article
here.
You can find additional reviews
here
and
here.
Set
List:
Jade
Rusty Nail
Silent Jealousy
Drain
V iolin and piano interlude
Kurenai
Born to be Free
I.V.
X
(Encore)
Endless Rain
Art of Life
COMIC
BOOK LEGEND, STAN LEE'S POW! ENTERTAINMENT
and
WORLD RENOWNED MUSIC ARTIST, YOSHIKI,
JOIN FORCES TO CREATE
MUSIC SUPER HERO MOTION COMIC
AND COMIC BOOK SERIES
New York, NY October
9, 2010 Stan Lee's
POW! Entertainment, the comic
book legend who co-created Super
Heroes such as Spider-Man,
and The Hulk, and Yoshiki,
Asia's most influential music
artist and founder and drummer
of the band, X Japan, join forces
to develop a music Super Hero
comic book and motion comic series
that will incorporate both Stan
Lee's
literary genius and Yoshiki's
music genius.
"When I met Yoshiki,
I was so impressed with his musical
talents and unique creative eye
that I knew immediately I wanted
to work with him on something
special where we could combine
both our strengths. Creating a
music Super Hero character was
the natural evolution of our efforts,"
said Stan Lee, Founder, Chairman
and Chief Creative Officer (CCO)
of POW! Entertainment (PK:POWN)
Combining the talents of these
two great artists, Stan Lee's
gothic-styled music Super Hero
will be based on Yoshiki and his
passion for music and his fascination
with dragons. The music Super
Hero will be a vigilante. Yoshiki's
music will be inspired by Lee's
story and will play an important
role in the comic series. The
Super Hero's powers are triggered
when certain musical notes are
played on drumsticks by Yoshiki's
character. Additionally, Yoshiki
will create music that will be
heard in the motion comic.
"Just like the rest of
the world, I have admired Stan
Lee and his creations my entire
life. Just meeting him was so
great and now working with him
is one of the most fun and creative
experiences I have ever had. To
watch his mind at work is amazing
and inspiring," said
Yoshiki.
About the Artists
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic
book writer, editor, actor, producer,
publisher, television personality,
and the former president and chairman
emeritus of Marvel Comics. He
co-created Spider-Man, The
Fantastic Four, The X-Men,
The Hulk, Thor, Daredevil,
Doctor Strange and Iron
Man, and hundreds more fictional
characters, introducing complex,
naturalistic characters and a
thoroughly shared universe into
superhero comic books. Lee was
influential in the expansion of
Marvel Comics from a small division
of a publishing house to a large
multi-media company which was
recently acquired by the Walt
Disney Company. Lee is currently
Chairman and Chief Creative Officer
of POW! Entertainment, a multi-media
entertainment development company.
About POW! (PURVEYORS
OF WONDER) ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
(Pinksheets: POWN)
An advanced media and entertainment
company, POW! was founded by Stan
Lee, together with award winning
producer Gill Champion and intellectual
property attorney Arthur Lieberman,
Esq., to create, produce and license
original intellectual properties.
POW! Specializes in franchises
for the entertainment industry,
including animation and live-action
feature films, plus television,
DVDs, video games, merchandising
and related ancillary markets,
all of which contribute to global
expansion. Walt Disney Studios
has a first-look deal with POW!
Entertainment. For more information,
visit www.powentertainment.com.
YOSHIKI
The heart of X Japan is Yoshiki
- songwriter, drummer, and classically-trained
pianist who also plays guitar,
bass and trumpet. Yoshiki, who
has been referred to by his first
name only throughout his professional
career, is arguably Asia's most
influential musical artist and
biggest rock icon. According to
one industry insider, "Yoshiki
is to Japan what Bono is to the
UK." His double-record classical
album, Eternal Melody (1993) was
co-produced and arranged by the
legendary George Martin, recorded
with the London Philharmonic Orchestra,
and remains one of Japan's most
successful classical releases.
For Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss
Regrooved, the 1994 KISS tribute
album, Yoshiki arranged and produced
"Black Diamond" as a
piano concerto, prompting Rolling
Stone magazine to comment in its
CD review, "the ingenuity
award must go to Yoshiki..."
Yoshiki has produced some of Japan's
most influential bands, including
Dir En Grey and Glay. At the request
of the Japanese government in
1999, Yoshiki composed a piano
concerto and performed it with
a 77-piece orchestra to commemorate
the Emperor of Japan's 10th anniversary
on the throne. In 2005, he was
named the Music Director for the
2005 World Expo, composed the
event's theme song, and conducted
the orchestra at the opening ceremonies.
Yoshiki also wrote the X Japan
song "I.V." for the
2007 international blockbuster
horror film, "Saw IV,"
which played over the film's closing
credits.
Beyond music, Yoshiki is an entrepreneur
and a true renaissance man. He
started his own racing team -
Team Yoshiki - with Honda in 2009,
the Bank of Japan issued Yoshiki
Visa card, and Yoshiki has overseen
the development of a premiere
line of Yoshiki jewelry. He collaborated
with the California Mondavi family
to develop his own wine, "Y."
For the first time in its history,
a Hello Kitty product line was
designed after a person, creating
a new name - "Yoshikitty,"
which became available in late
May 2010. Yoshiki has graced the
covers of more than 200 music,
business and trade media outlets
in Asia.
Date:
2010-10-09
X
Japan @ Toronto, Massey Hall
Even
with a scaled back stage set-up,
the evening was impressive. Yoshiki’s
drum kit and piano were set up
on a riser behind the band. Large
LED monitors were set up behind
the band to display video footage,
and during two songs, columns
of billowing smoke were blasted
to the rafters of Massey Hall
to dramatic effect.
Yoshiki came out
draped in a Canadian flag for
the band's encore, which didn’t
happen until after 15 minutes
of deafening screams from the
audience of “We Are X”
over and over.
Yoshiki told the
crowd that they had been trying
very hard to come over to play
in our country and that they were
so very happy to finally to get
to do so. He talked a bit about
the band and their journey to
North America, before being visibly
moved… finishing with “You
guys fucking ROCK”, and
the band then played ‘Endless
Rain’, one of the best songs
of the evening.
This
is an excerpt from the article,
please read the entire article
here.
You can find additional reviews
here
and
here.
Set
List:
Jade
Rusty Nail
Silent Jealousy
Drain
V iolin and piano interlude
Kurenai
Born to be Free
I.V.
X
(Encore)
Endless Rain
Art of Life
Whereas
they kept things short at Lolla,
X Japan unrolled one hell of a
set this time for Chicago. Opening
with new single, “Jade”,
the band touched down on several
favorites (“Silent Jealousy”,
“Born to Be Free”),
in addition to showing off their
musical prowess on either drums
or violin. Frontman Toshi kept
the handful of dedicated fans
in high spirits by inciting them
with calls of “Are you ready?”,
while multi-instrumentalist Yoshiki
engaged the audience with some
insightful humor.
For
instance, every time he said “fuck”,
the crowd went nuts; what’s
more, he even mentioned how he
hadn’t tried the city’s
pizza. However, the true touching
moment arrived just before the
band’s encore of “Endless
Rain”, when Yoshiki admitted,
“Seriously, it’s our
dream come true to play in front
of you guys… because of
you we can still keep going.”
This
is an excerpt from the article,
please read the entire article
here.
Set
List:
Jade
Rusty Nail
Silent Jealousy
Drain
Violin and piano interlude
Kurenai
Born to be Free
I.V.
X
(Encore)
Endless Rain
Art of Life
WORLD
RENOWNED MUSIC ARTIST, YOSHIKI,
MAKES DEBUT PANEL APPEARANCE
AT NEW YORK COMIC CON
TWO WINNERS AND THEIR GUESTS
WILL WIN TICKETS TO X JAPAN'S
NEW YORK CONCERT
New York, NY October
6, 2010 X Japan
founder and world renowned
music artist, Yoshiki, will
appear at New York Comic Con
on Saturday, October 9, 2010
from 6:30 7:30pm (Jacob
J. Javits Center, room #1A08).
New York Comic Con registered
attendees and fans will be
the first to hear the special
joint announcement by Yoshiki
and Stan Lee, and will then
have the opportunity to win
the exclusive 2-pair ticket
give-away for X Japan's first-ever
New York concert on Sunday,
October 10, 2010 at the Roseland
Ballroom.
This year has been full of
many firsts for Yoshiki and
X Japan. These firsts include:
X Japan's first North American
Tour; The first-time ever
for Yoshiki at New York Comic
Con; Yoshiki's first-time
ever working with comic book
legend, Stan Lee; The launch
of The Yoshiki Foundation
America; The first-time ever
that X Japan performed at
Lollapalooza. 2011 promises
to be another year of firsts
with the release of X Japan's
debut North American album
with lyrics sung in English.
"X Japan and I are so fortunate
to have fans around the world
that appreciate and enjoy
our music. The love that we
get from our fans is what
makes our adrenalin pump and
want to create more music.
It's a fantastic cycle," said
Yoshiki.
Calling X Japan the most successful
rock band in Japan is not
a statement made lightly.
X Japan has sold more than
30-million albums, singles
and videos, headlined and
sold out Japan's 55,000-seat
Tokyo Dome 18 times - so far
- and played to tens of thousands
of fans outside of Japan.
Going back to the 1980s, the
band's look and sound sparked
a global interest in Japanese
entertainment, especially
with the Japanese cultural
rock phenomenon, "Visual-Kei,"
a movement X Japan pioneered
that went on to become a catalyst
for today's worldwide Anime
craze.
Yoshiki, the band's leader/songwriter/drummer
and classically-trained pianist,
has been referred to by his
first name only throughout
his professional career, and
is arguably Asia's most influential
musical artist and biggest
rock icon. According to one
industry insider, "Yoshiki
is to Japan what Bono is to
the UK."
The members of X Japan - Yoshiki,
Toshi (vocals), Pata (guitarist),
Heath (bass), and Sugizo (guitar)
- have been spending time
in Yoshiki's Los Angeles recording
studio working on what will
be the band's U.S. debut,
and its first album sung in
English. "We decided to record
English lyrics for four or
five of our most popular,
previously released songs,"
Yoshiki explained, "and then
write an additional four or
five brand new songs, also
sung in English. We have worked
very hard on this album, and
are very excited to present
our music to the American
rock fans."
Yoshiki remains active in
the J-Rock music industry
as producer for influential
Japanese bands including Glay
and Dir En Grey, promoter
of the J-Rock Revolution festival
held in Los Angeles in 2007
and performer in the J-Rock
supergroup S.K.I.N. Most recently,
he has also contributed music
for several movies including
Catacombs, Saw IV and Repo!
The Genetic Opera and is appearing
at New York Comic Con, where
he and Stan Lee will be making
a joint announcement on October
10, 2010.
Date:
2010-10-07
X
Japan @ Vancouver, Queen Elizabeth
Theatre
If
you looked in the dictionary under
“super-cool” you'd
find a picture of X Japan.
From the moment
we set foot inside the Queen Elizabeth
Theatre the place was buzzing.
Everywhere you looked there were
people decked out in X Japan gear.
People of all ages, educational
and ethnic backgrounds filled
the room with a palpable energy.
We were in for a great night of
rock and roll.
Then came the main
event. X's drummer/pianist Yoshiki
Hayashi burst onto the stage and
stood on top of his double base
drum kit in a flurry of shirt
tails and smoke, standing as still
as Michael Jackson while the crowd
went crazy.
This
is an excerpt from the article
posted at the Vancouver Observer,
please read the entire article
here.
Set
List:
Jade
Rusty Nail
Silent Jealousy
Drain
Violin and piano interlude
Kurenai
Born to be Free
I.V.
X
(Encore)
Endless Rain
Art of Life
Amid
a blitzkrieg of sound, lights,
fog and pyrotechnics, X Japan,
the biggest rock band in the Land
of the Rising Sun, made its Seattle
debut Friday (Oct. 1) at the Paramount
Theatre. The five-member, all-male
band is enormously popular in
its native country, selling more
than 30 million albums over three
decades and regularly playing
stadiums. The group is currently
fulfilling a longtime dream to
tour the United States with a
short trek that began in September.
Realizing that many
U.S. rock fans had never hear
of them, the members of X Japan
decided to play smaller venues
— smaller than arenas and
stadiums — to test reaction
to the group’s flamboyant,
big-haired pop metal, a style
of rock that faded away with grunge
but is experiencing a bit of a
revival. Are U.S. audiences ready
for a Japanese group that sounds
like an arena-rock band of the
1980s? Response to X Japan’s
debut U.S. album, due next year,
may provide the answer.
You
can read the full article about
the Seattle show here
including many gorgeous pictures
taken by Mike Savoia (see underneath
for example)!
Set
List:
Jade
Rusty Nail
Silent Jealousy
Drain
Violin and piano interlude
Kurenai
Born to be Free
I.V.
X
(Encore)
Endless Rain
Art of Life
After
the parade of former protégés
who've hit American shores over
the past few years, it's cool
to finally see X Japan doing a
tour of its own. The question
is, can the band pull it off?
With a singer who's been mostly
out of the business for a decade
and a drummer who's dealing with
multiple health problems (including
one that put him through surgery
a couple of years ago) the odds
would seem to be against it. And
then there's new guitarist Sugizo
- there's no question that he's
brilliant, but he's also replacing
a legend whose distinctive style
was quite different from his successor's.
With all the obstacles in its
path, can this iconic Japanese
rock outfit really still be the
band that spawned a thousand imitators?
Going by last night's show at
the Fox Theater, the answer is
yes.
This
is an excerpt from the article
posted at SF weekly, please read
the entire article here.
PARTY
WITH X JAPAN
AT THE LOS ANGELES RECORD RELEASE
PARTY The Band's Blue Blood
Fan Club
Announces Special Online Contest
Now
that X Japan has finally made it
to North America with the September
25 launch of their first-ever North
American tour - first date at the
L.A. Wiltern Theatre SOLD OUT -
they've got lots more planned for
their western invasion, including
the release of the band's brand
new album in early 2011, the first
with English lyrics.
First,
if you're not already a member of
X Japan's Blue Blood Fan Club, go
to http://www.xjapanmusic.com/contest,
join the fan club and register as
a Level II member (registration
for Level II is automatic).
For
every friend that you sponsor to
also join the Blue Blue Fan Club,
you'll be awarded one entry into
the drawing to win a prize, including
the grand prize - attending the
record release party. The more friends
you sign up, the better chance you'll
have of winning, and you can use
the website's scoreboard to help
keep track of how many entries you've
accumulated and where you rank in
the contest.
X Japan wants to have
lots of winners for this contest,
so here's what else you could be
eligible to win:
#1: win round trip
Coach airline tickets to Los Angeles,
hotel room accommodation for the
X Japan Record Release Listening
Party.
#2: will receive a
signed X Japan snare drum head and
pair of drumsticks used at one of
X Japan's shows.
#3: iPod Nanos with
customized, limited edition X Japan
cases
Saturday
night, X Japan played The Wiltern.
It was a night of firsts, as it
was both the band's first proper
concert in Los Angeles and the
first stop on their first North
American tour. Inside the venue,
the crowd chanted fiercely as
they waited for the night's headliners.
Someone would shout, "We
are" and much of the audience
would respond with "X."
This went on sporadically until
the lights dimmed, opera filled
the room and the members of the
band appeared on stage.
Every
movement the members of X Japan
made on stage amplified the drama
of their melodic, orchestral-tinged
metal. During his violin solos,
Sugizo alternately arched back
and dropped his torso forward.
Similarly, Yoshiki concluded a
piano solo by letting his head
fall towards the keys. Singer
Toshi consistently pumped his
fist in the air to keep the energy
high. X Japan isn't just a band
of incredibly skilled musicians,
but of master performers. Young
musicians could learn a lot by
watching them play.
As
the show concluded, the band members
felt no need to wind down the
crowd. Toshi and Yoshiki led the
rallying cry with the simple "We
are!" The response "X"
was louder than it had been all
night. X Japan clearly didn't
leave the audience disappointed.
These
are excerpts from the article
posted at LA weekly, please read
the entire article here.
Set
List:
Jade
Rusty Nail
Silent Jealousy
Drain
Violin and piano interlude
Kurenai
Born to be Free
I.V.
X
(Encore)
Endless Rain
Art of Life
X
JAPAN LAUNCHES NORTH AMERICAN
WEB SITE, XJAPANMUSIC
LOS ANGELES,
CA - September 22, 2010
-- In conjunction with the band's
first North American tour dates,
X Japan - one of the biggest rock
bands in Japanese history - having
sold 30-million units and set
a record by filling the 55,000-seat
Tokyo Dome 18 times - has launched
its first American website, XJapanMusic.
The site offers
news and updates on the band's
activities, including their upcoming
debut American CD release, and
first-ever North American tour,
set to kick off this Friday, September
25 at the Wiltern Theatre in Los
Angeles. In addition, XJapanMusic
features a special video message
from the band's leader Yoshiki,
"teaser streams" of
brand new songs, background info
on the band, and recent American
press. Fans can purchase concert
tickets on the website, and can
join the X Japan Fanlist for access
to exclusive content. The site
also enables X Japan's Yoshiki
to interact with fans and includes
a rich widget application
run from ehab.com,
a cutting edge content management
system. The app can be grabbed
by millions of fans and placed
on Facebook, Bebo, blogs, MySpace
and anywhere a consumer has a
profile on the web. The site also
includes integrated feeds and
links to the band's FaceBook and
Yoshiki's Twitter.
X Japan - Yoshiki
(drums, piano), Toshi (vocals),
Pata (guitarist), Heath (bass),
Sugizo (guitars) - was formed
in 1982 (calling themselves X)
by Yoshiki and Toshi while still
high school students. Over the
next 13 years, the band released
five studio albums, six live albums,
10 compilation albums, and 15
video albums. X Japan was one
of the first Japanese bands to
achieve mainstream success while
on an independent label - Yoshiki's
own Extasy Records. The band was
so popular, SEGA produced an X
Japan video game. In the fall
of 1997, the band's vocalist,
Toshi, decided to leave X Japan,
which led to the dissolution of
the band. Four months later, Hideto
"Hide" Matsumoto, X
Japan's original lead guitarist,
was found dead in his Tokyo apartment
of an apparent suicide. At his
funeral, more than 50,000 fans
came to mourn his passing, and
in May, 2010, 35,000 fans stood
in line at a memorial service
to pay their respects and mark
the 12th anniversary of his tragic
death. In early 2007, Yoshiki
and Toshi started working together
again, and later that year, X
Japan officially reformed. During
2008-9, the band launched its
reunion tour with a multi-million
dollar stage production that sold
out everywhere it played. In 2010,
X Japan filmed a music video on
the rooftop of Hollywood's Kodak
Theatre, with a throng of some
8,000 U.S. fans taking part in
the shoot on Hollywood Blvd.
Dates for X Japan's
first North American tour are
as follows:
SEPTEMBER
25 Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
CA
28 Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA
OCTOBER
1 Paramount Theatre, Seattle,
WA
3 Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver,
BC CANADA
6 Riviera, Chicago, IL
7 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON CANADA
10 Roseland Ballroom, New York,
NY
Date:
2010-09-22
Special
Tour video message from Yoshiki
Date:
2010-09-20
Follow
Yoshiki and X Japan on Facebook
You
can follow Yoshiki and X Japan
now on Facebook! Click
here to view Yoshiki's
Facebook entries and here
to view the X Japan facebook account.
Date:
2010-09-20
X
Japan announcing 2010 U.S. Tour Dates
X Japan
- Japan's Biggest Rock Band -
Set To Invade America with First-Ever
U.S. Tour
Dates Follow U.S. Concert Debut
at Lollapalooza
First North American Album Release
Expected Early 2011
LOS
ANGELES, CA (Monday, August 16,
2010) -- They've sold
30-million records and DVDs, filled
the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome a record-breaking
18 times, they pioneered "Visual-Kei,"
the Japanese music movement that
helped spark the current world-wide
Anime craze, and their leader
has been referred to as "the
Bono of Japan." But the one
thing this Guns-N'-Roses-meets-Queen-meets-'The-Matrix'
rock group has wanted to do for
years but has never done, is tour
America. That's about to change,
as on September 25, X Japan will
kick off a seven-city North American
trek at the Wiltern Theatre in
Los Angeles, with subsequent stops
in Oakland, Seattle, Vancouver,
Chicago, Toronto, and New York.
Tickets go on sale today (8/16)
and most can be purchased through
www.ticketmaster.com (go to www.etix.com
for the Chicago date) or at the
venues' box office.
"We feel
like a new band now, like we are
going back to the beginning,"
said X Japan's leader/drummer/pianist/composer
Yoshiki about the upcoming U.S.
concerts, "and it's very,
very exciting. We are looking
forward to playing smaller venues
here in the U.S., something we
haven't been able to do in Japan
since the very early days."
In Asia, X Japan
plays arenas and stadiums, bringing
in elaborate production including
lasers, catwalks, and holograms.
Comparably, the North American
dates will be "back to basics,"
with pyrotechnics and some production,
but with the band focusing primarily
on the music. As Yoshiki told
one reporter, "You don't
see good rock shows anymore. Rock
doesn't have enough drama now,
rap, R&B, and dance music
have taken care of that. We want
to be a part of bringing the drama
back to rock."
While this will
be X Japan's first U.S. tour,
the band made its American concert
debut on August 8, 2010 playing
the Main Stage at Lollapalooza
in Chicago in front of some 10,000
people. The Chicago Sun-Times
called the band's set "a
spectacular, almost operatic performance
of big ballads and speed metal..."
with new song "Jade,"
"...a rumbling guitar attack
that would make Metallica take
notice." Time Out Chicago's
review thanked Lollapalooza's
co-founder Perry Farrell for booking
"the coup of the festival,"
and pointed out Toshi's "Steve-Perry-eat-your-heart-out-vocals,"
while USA Today wrote, "The
metal-pop-punk was fast and furious,"
and described Yoshiki's drumming
as "Keith-Moon-on-Red-Bull."
Clustered down front-and-center
were some 1,000 staunch X Japan
fans who had flown in from all
over the world to witness this
historic first. While these fans
were decked out in full X Japan
glam-Anime regalia, most in the
audience were unfamiliar with
the band when they first took
the stage. But by the end of the
50-minute set, X Japan had converted
them. As the Chicago Sun-Times
reviewer noted, "Even
the mildly curious were won over
by the infectious rock drama.
Fists were pumping, guys were
playing air guitar, people were
making the X Japan sign by crossing
forearms in the air."
The members of X
Japan have been writing and recording
what will be their first album
to be released in North America
and to contain English lyrics.
According to Yoshiki, about half
of the album will feature some
of the band's most popular songs
from throughout their career,
with all lyrics re-recorded in
English, and the other half all
brand-new songs. The album's first
single will be "Jade,"
which was performed at Lollapalooza
and will be on the North American
dates' set list.
X Japan - Yoshiki
(drums, piano), Toshi (vocals),
Pata and Sugizo (guitars) and
Heath (bass) - has its roots in
the life-long friendship of Yoshiki
and Toshi, who met when they were
four years old. While still in
high school, they formed the band,
known at the time simply as "X,"
and over the next 13 years, X
Japan released five studio albums
as well as six live albums, 10
compilation albums and 15 video
albums, and attained iconic status
in Japan. With the late-90s breakdown
of Yoshiki and Toshi's friendship,
combined by the sudden death of
then-guitarist Hide, the band
called it quits. It wasn't until
2007 that Toshi and Yoshiki reunited,
that X Japan was reformed, and
that the band put America back
in its sights.
"While
we are confident about coming
to America," Yoshiki
added, "I don't know
if we are going to end up being
successful or not. But what I
do know is that music breaks down
barriers, and it doesn't matter
what country the music comes from.
Good music is universal."
Dates for X Japan's North American
concert tour debut are:
SEPTEMBER
25 Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles,
CA
28 Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA
OCTOBER
1 Paramount Theatre, Seattle,
WA
3 Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver,
BC CANADA
6 Riviera, Chicago, IL
7 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON CANADA
10 Roseland Ballroom, New York,
NY
X-Japan
added two additional tour dates
for August! X Japan will play
at the Nissan stadium on the 14th
(Saturday) and 15th (Sunday) August.
You can get a X-Perience Tour
Nissan Stadium package for these
events from Jrockrevoluton.
X-Japan
to perform at the Yoshiki Foundation
America Official Fan Party
MEMBERS
OF X JAPAN TO PERFORM AT THE YOSHIKI
FOUNDATION AMERICA OFFICIAL FAN
PARTY TO BENEFIT CHARITY
Join Yoshiki (X JAPAN) on July
1, 2010; 8:00 pm 11:00 pm
For more information about this
event click on the Yoshiki Foundation
banner or here.
Los
Angeles, CA (June 28, 2010)
X JAPAN fans rejoice as
another surprise is coming your
way! Fans will be in for a treat
as, X JAPAN band members
Yoshiki (piano), Toshi (vocals)
and Sugizo (violin) will
perform a rare acoustic LIVE set,
During the evening festivities,
during the YOSHIKI FOUNDATION
AMERICA KICK OFF PARTY and benefit
bash for charity on July 1, 2010
at Club Nokia in downtown Los
Angeles. THE YOSHIKI FOUNDATION
AMERICA is a California non-profit,
public benefit corporation and
has applied to obtain tax-exempt
status as a section 501(c)(3)
organization. Fans are encouraged
to make donations during the party,
all of which will be donated to
charity.
Date:
2010-06-28
X-perience
a one day music video shoot event spectacular
X JAPAN TO
TAKE OVER DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
AND INVITE FANS TO X-PERIENCE
A ONE DAY MUSIC VIDEO SHOOT EVENT
SPECTACULAR
Mega Super J-Rock Band to Hold
Music Video Recording Event the
Evening of July 1, 2010 at Club
Nokia Immediately Following the
Yoshiki Foundation Launch Party
Los Angeles, CA and Tokyo,
Japan (June 24, 2010)
Fans of X JAPAN, are in for a
once in a lifetime treat, will
have the opportunity to "X-perience"
the power and magic of the legendary
J-Rock super-band in the filming
of the epic band's upcoming music
video at Club Nokia in
Downtown Los Angeles at L.A. Live
on the evening of July 1, 2010
immediately following the Yoshiki
Foundation launch party.
Fans are encouraged to "dress
to impress" as the entire
band will take over the famous
Club Nokia venue and "rock
the house"!
Calling X Japan
the most successful rock band
in Japan is not a statement made
lightly. X Japan has sold more
than 30-million albums, singles
and videos, headlined and sold
out Japan's 55,000-seat Tokyo
Dome 18 times - so far - and has
started playing to tens of thousands
of fans outside of Japan. The
band's look and sound sparked
a global interest in Japanese
entertainment, especially with
the Japanese cultural rock phenomenon,
"Visual-Kei," a movement
X Japan pioneered that went on
to become a catalyst for today's
worldwide Anime craze.
Yoshiki, the band's leader/songwriter/drummer
and classically-trained pianist,
has been referred to by his first
name only throughout his professional
career, and is arguably Asia's
most influential musical artist
and biggest rock icon. According
to one industry insider, "Yoshiki
is to Japan what Bono is to the
UK." The members of X Japan
include Yoshiki, Toshi (vocals),
Pata (guitarist), Heath (bass),
and Sugizo (guitar).
Date:
2010-06-24
Yoshiki
Foundation to host an official fan party
to benefit charity
Join Yoshiki (X JAPAN) on July
1, 2010; 8:00 pm 11:00 pm
For more information about this
event click on the Yoshiki Foundation
banner above or here.
Date:
2010-06-21
Yoshiki
at Oktakon 2010
Yoshiki & Sugizo
X JAPAN
Saturday Special Appearance
Otakon is proud
to welcome YOSHIKI & SUGIZO
of the legendary visual kei rock
band X JAPAN. They'll appear during
Otakon's Masquerade, where they'll
participate in a moderated Q&A
session. As a special treat for
Otakon members, they'll perform
a brief, intimate, acoustic set
-- just one week before X JAPAN
appears at Lollapalooza in Chicago.
THIS SUMMER¹S
HOTTEST TICKET: X JAPAN TO ROCK
LOLLAPALOOZA
Japan's Mega Super Band to Rock
the Summer Stage in Chicago August
6-8, 2010
Hollywood, CA and Tokyo, Japan
(April 5, 2010)
This summer will
sizzle and explode like no other
as X JAPAN, one of Japan's most
popular and influential bands,
takes over the hottest and most
anticipated summer music event,
Lollapalooza, in the jewel of
Chicago, Grant Park.
"We're very
excited to have X JAPAN on this
year's Lollapalooza", states
Marc Geiger, Head of Contemporary
Music for William Morris Endeavor,
"Japan has known for years
how great this band is, and now
America is about to find out."
X JAPAN's leader and drummer,
Yoshiki, states "Performing
at Lollapalooza is a wonderful
opportunity for X JAPAN to perform
for our U.S. fans, to bring our
music to new fans and to debut
some of our newest songs."
Complete line-up,
tickets and show information are
available at www.lollapalooza.com
Source:
Date:
2010-04-05
Yoshiki
reveals LA plans
X Japan leader Yoshiki
revealed on Friday that the entire
rock group plans to relocate to
Los Angeles and hold a concert
there as its first official American
performance. Yoshiki revealed
the plans during the unveiling
of his Yoshiki Jewelry brand's
new collection in collaboration
with Kuwayama.
Guitarist Sugizo
made a surprise onstage guest
appearance at Friday's event before
about 120 invitees, and then Yoshiki
made the announcement that all
of X Japan will be moving to Los
Angeles.
Yoshiki once again
confirmed in an interview on the
red carpet at the Grammys, that
X-Japan will be one of the headliners
of the Lollapalooza Festival in
Chicago, held on August 6th to
8th.
X Japan will be
the first japanese arist to play
at the main stage at the Lollapalooza
festival. There are no official
details of this event available
yet. For future updates please
visit the official Lollapalooze
site here.
The
intersection of Hollywood and Highland
has to be the busiest and brightest area
in Los Angeles. Hollywood Boulevard, the
street where the filming took place, is
known for countless tourists flocking
to the streets looking at remnants of
classic Hollywood. They’re either
taking pictures of the stars for famous
people, going to attractions such as Ripley’s
Believe it or Not and Madam Tussaud’s
Wax Museum, or even taking pictures with
the strange people dressed up as famous
characters.
This is the crazy place
where X JAPAN filmed four of their new
music videos. The four videos they ended
up filming were I.V., Jade, Endless Rain,
and Rusty Nail.
This is an excerpt of
the article at jame-world. Please click
here
to visit the site and read the entire
article.
Behind-the-Scenes
Peek of X Japan's Video Shoot for Jade
The
videos for songs "Rusty Nail,"
"Endless Rain," "I.V."
and "Jade" will be epic. We're
talking "November Rain" epic.
There are multiple shoots going on at
once, with multiple crews, hailing both
from the U.S. and Japan, working through
the night, every night, for days.
Friday's
shoot took place at Los Angeles Theatre,
one of the downtown movie palaces that
has been restored to a work of old L.A.
grandeur. There are hidden rooms across
the multiple levels of the building and
it seemed like every one was in use. The
dressing area was filled with extras transforming
into the attendants of a gothic masquerade
ball. In other rooms, one crew was filming
documentary footage while another was
posing vintage baby dolls like cupids
amidst bouquets of black flowers.
This is
an excerpt of the article at laweekly.com.
Please click here
to visit LAweekly and read the entire
article, there is a gallery with images
of the video shoot too!
Here
is your chance to be part of a one in
a life time experience! X Japan will film
4 of their new music videos on the 9th
January in Los Angeles Hollywood and you
can be part of it! Visit jrocknation
to sign up!
Also head
into the gallery
section to get a glimpse of the set!
Yoshiki
was spotted on the red carpet at
the movie premiere of Atom. He was
chosen as music producer for this
movie but had to cancel this project,
because of his surgery. More information
and a gallery of this event can
be found on the barks.jp site (click
here).
Yoshiki
underwent surgery at the end of July for
his cervical foraminal stenosis (a painful
condition caused by the narrowing of the
spinal canal).
Sanspo reported
that Yoshiki made a wonderful recovery,
he has already restarted his studio work,
and is officially establishing the new
members for his solo project, Violet UK.
A translation of the article can be found
here.
As expected both
concerts were a big success. Sugizo joined
X Japan as additional guitarist on stage.
People also once again got a sneak peak
of Violet UK. Here are the set lists:
May 2nd 2009:
The Last Song
Rusty Nail
Weekend
Jade
Celebration
Rose of Pain (acoustic)
Tears
08.Yoshiki & Sugizo (piano
& violin)
Dahlia
Kurenai
Rosa (Violet UK)
Yoshiki drum solo
Without You
.IV
X
Endless Rain
May 3rd 2009
Amethyst
Rusty Nail
Weekend
Jade
Drain
Toshi solo
Longing (acoustic)
Tears
Kurenai (piano & violin)
Orgasm
Rosa (Violet UK)
Yoshiki drum solo
Without You
World Anthem / I.V.
X
Endless Rain
Art of Life
Say Anything
The
popular Japanese magazine Cure is now
available in the USA too. You can order
your copy on the Cure USA site (click
here).
The first
edition of the magazine has a special
feature with Yoshiki on the cover. On
the site you can also enter a contest
to win Yoshiki's autograph.
Today
Yoshiki had a press conference announcing
his breaking into the racing circuit.
YoshikiI announced that he will
be producing a racing team of two
drivers for the Dome company for
the Super GT Series. The team will
be called “Team Yoshiki Dome
Project”.
For
more information including a gallery
visit the Hear Japan website here.
There
are even Yoshiki Visa credit cards
available now. More information
about the Underground Kingdom cards
can be found on Yoshiki's official
site, by clicking here.
Missed
Repo in the theatres? The good news is
that it's available on DVD now! Repo is
a dark horror musical/opera with an amazing
soundtrack featuring Sarah Brightman,
Nivek Ogre, Paris Hilton, Alexa Vega,
Paul Sorvina and last but not least Anthony
Head.
You can
find more information about this movie
on the "Project" section of
this site or visit the official movie
home page.
Yoshiki
is promoting an energy drink called "Rockstar",
which is quite popular in the USA. More
information can be found here.
On the Rockstar Energy Site you can also
find the commercials with Yoshiki and
pictures from the race car team.
On
Saturday, the 22nd November in Palais
Omnisports Paris Bercy. Ticketsale will
start on the 5th September 2008. Visit
the official english X Japan site for
more informations here.
X
Japan officially announced following live
concerts:
5th July 2008 - Villepinte
Parc d'exposition, Paris (France)
2nd August 2008- World Trade Center, Taipei
(Taiwan)
13th September 2008 - Madison Square Garden
(USA)
Also check out the official
X
Japan myspace site as it
has clips from their concerts in Japan
(March 08).
Summary
of a Night of Destruction, Madness &
Creation
All
three concerts were a huge success. The
"Night Of Madness" concert was
a bit of a chaos, due to technical problems
it started late and it got cut a bit short,
cause Yoshiki was too exhausted to continue
the concert (had to be escorted from the
stage) during Art Of Life.
There were videoscreens with live footage
and a hologram from hide on stage, to
remember him. Sugizo, Richard Fortus,
Punk Scandal and Wes Borland joined X
Japan on stage.
Here are the inofficial
setlists:
Night
Of Destruction
Last
Song
Rusty
Nail
Weekend
with Sugizo
Scars
/ Silent Jealousy
with Sugizo
Drum
Solo Yoshiki
Pose
with Pata and Heath
Say
Anything
Without
You
I.V.
with Sugizo
Kurenai
Art
Of Life
Night
Of Madness
Forever
Love
Rusty
Nail
Weekend
Pata
Solo
Drain
Longing
Piano
Solo Yoshiki
Without
You
I.V.
1st part acapella, 2nd part
with Sugizo
Kurenai
City
Of Devils (Song by Violet UK) with Sugizo, Pata, Punk Scandal,
R. Fortus
Drum
Solo Yoshiki
Tears
World
Anthem
X
with Sugizo, R. Fortus &
W. Borland
Night
Of Creation
Tears
Rusty
Nail
Weekend
Pata
& Heath Solo
Miscast
& Doubt hide Tribute played by Pata
and Heath
Earth
In The Dark by Toshi
Running
And Roses by Yoshiki
Forever
Love Acoustic Version Toshi, Pata and Heath
Without
You
I.V.
with Sugizo
Kurenai
Orgasm with Sugizo, Richard Fortis
and Wes Borland
City
of Devil
Song by Violet UK
Drum
Solo Yoshiki
Endless
Rain
World
Anthem
X
Art
Of Life
Date:
2008-05-10
X
Japan Tickets on sale now
You
can order tickets for the upcoming X Japan
concerts (held on the 29th and 30th March,
Tokyo Dome) here.
Don't miss out on this opportunity!
According
to a recent blog entry of Tetsuya Komuro,
he and Yoshiki are thinking about bringing
their V2 project back to life!
Quote: "Lastly, it's
either a 0% or 100% possibility but I
talked with YOSHIKI on the phone the other
day & we are pumped up about the prospect
of working on our V2 project. Given that
X-JAPAN's work has been completed. No
more vocals so no need to worry about
that."
On the 10th anniversary of their
breakup and with their upcoming
reunion, X Japan releases another
live DVD. There are three versions
available.
A limited Edition set which contains
the concerts from both days. A
version with the concert of the
30th December 1993 and another
version with the concert of the
31st December 1993.
All are available on cdjapan.
Click here
to order the ltd. Edition, here
to order the 30th Dec. edition
and here
to order the 31st Dec. edition.
Full tracklist
of the limited Edition containing both
concerts:
You
can listen to a clip of I.V. here.
If you look at the bottom right, there's
also an official press release.
Excerpt from the press
release:
Fans of X JAPAN –
one of Japan’s most popular and
influential bands – are expected
to turn out in force opening weekend
at “SAW IV,” which represents
their first opportunity to hear new
material from the outfit credited with
creating the flamboyant rock sub-genre
visual kei (visual style). The song,
titled “I.V.,” was written
especially for the end titles of “Saw
IV” and will be unveiled in the
film nationwide Oct. 26.
“Having
exclusive new material from X JAPAN –
especially a song written specifically
for the film – close out ‘Saw
IV’ is truly a landmark for us,”
says “Saw IV” producer Oren
Koules. “The band’s dark sensibility
makes X JAPAN a perfect creative complement
to the ‘SAW’ series.”
Don't miss
out on this
article about the video shooting
at jrockrevolution. And for a FAQ with
lots of interesting details on I.V. click
here.
Yoshiki
is producing and writing a song for the
soundtrack of a movie called "Repo!
The Genetic Opera". Not only that,
he's also one of the producers of this
movie. The movie is still in production
and the release date is set to 2008.
The upcoming
movie from the "Saw" series,
will feature X Japan's new song I.V. Yoshiki
was approached by the team (same team
that produced the Catacombs movie) to
write the title song. Although there is
no release date confirmed yet, the band
will shoot a video for I.V. on October
22nd, at Tokyo Odaiba Aqua City.
Yoshiki appeared at the Catacombs premiere
on the 20th September 2007, in Japan.
You can watch an interview with him here.
In this interview he mentiones that the
movie was pretty scary. You can also see
a clip of the movie director asking the
fans, if they would like to see Yoshiki
participating in a role in his next movie.
Yoshiki said that nothing was decided
yet though.
This will
be the first official Violet UK release
ever, on this soundtrack! Cdjapan has
it already listed, but no tracklist, you
can preorder it here.
The release date will be the 3rd October
2007, under Extasy Records.
Tracklist:
Violet UK - Blue Butterfly
Black Light Burns - Lie
BT - Smartbomb
Skinny Puppy - Magnifishit
The Crystal Method - Bad Ass
Avenged Sevenfold - Unholy Confessions
Peter Murphy - Twist Your Fate
Shawness Smith - Please Myself
Zilch - PSyche
Atreyu - Bleeding Mascara
The Human Abstract - Vela, Together We
Await The Storm
Ministry - Die In A Crash
Get sure to get the September
issue, because there will be an extra
long interview (12 pages) with Yoshiki,
in the September issue of the magazine
Fool's Mate, covering such themes as S.K.I.N.'s
debut, Violet UK and the reunion of X
Japan.
Update: you can see some
behind-the-scenes footage of the shooting
here.
The first concert of
S.K.I.N. was as expected a huge success.
The setlist included following songs:
GEI-SHA
Killing you softly
Beneath The S.K.I.N.
Violets
You can check out some
pictures of the concert here.
For further information (reviews, etc)
please be sure to visit skin-online.net
and jrockrevolution!
I'm sure you all want
to visit skin-online.net
to get the latest buzz about S.K.I.N.,
a wonderful fansite made from fans for
fans (from the team of sugizolove.com).
I am very happy to be a part of this wonderful
project (I'm responsible for Yoshiki related
things) and thanks to Kuri, who is behind
all this!
Yoshiki apparently wants
to relive his experience at Otakon, because
his next target is the Japan Expo in France,
held from the 6th to the 8th July in Paris,
this summer!
Source:
Japan
Expo - Thanks to Beatrize for these
news!
Date:
2007-06-11
Articles,
pics & videos from the Jrock festival
The
crowd went wild when Miyavi announced
that he will join the band S.K.I.N.. You
can watch a video of it hereand a video with Yoshiki, who
joins him on stage,here.
There's also an article
with some pictures up on Sponichi, which
you can read hereand last but not least,
also an article on Oricon, check it outhere.
Yoshiki
stated in the newspaper "Sport Nippon"
that the reformation of X Japan is in
it's final stage. All the member decided
already informally to join. Regarding
hide's part on stage, Yoshiki said it
would be a nice and a good way, if several
guitarists will play his parts as guest
musicians, he added that there might be
over ten guitarists for one concert.
The first reformation
concert will probably be held in Los Angeles
in 2007, a release of "Without You"
(with Toshi's vocals) is also planned,
but a release date has yet to be determined.
Source:
Sport Nippon - Thanks to Naomi for these
news!
Miyavi
joins "S.K.I.N."
It's
official, Miyavi will be the 4th member
of Yoshiki's latest project, a Jrock "superband".
The name of the band is S.K.I.N..
They will perform live
at the Anime Expo in Anaheim, California
on the 29th June 2007! You should not
miss out on this chance!
Source:
Anime
Expo - Thanks to Beatrize for these
news!
X
Japan reformation in December 2007
Toshi
stated that the reformation of X Japan
is scheduled to happen in December 2007.
Source:
nnn.co.jp
- Thanks to Lawrence for these news!
New
X-Japan DVD
The
release date of the DVD is on the 25th
July 2007. You can either get a DVD from
the 30th December (Aoi Yoru) or of the
31st December (Shiroi Yoru).
There's also a special DVD box with those
two DVDs combined coming out (limited
Release), which contains 4 DVDs of footage.
The boxset also includes a bonus DVD,
with over 50 minutes of unreleased behind-the-scenes
footage and a bonus CD containing a recreation
of the demo tape originally distributed
at the concert titled "Longing -
Togireta Melody."
Aoi Yoru Shiroi Yoru Box Set
Aoi Yoru Complete Edition
Shiroi Yoru Complete Edition
To order the:
- Aoi Yoru Shiroi Yoru Complete Edition
DVD Box (ltd Rel.) click here.
- Aoi Yoru Complete Edition click here.
- Shiroi Yoru Complete Edition click
here.
Source: Cdjapan
- Thanks to Beatrize for these news!
Yoshiki
plans Jrock festival
The "Jrock Revolution" festival
will take place at the "Wiltern
Theater" in Los Angeles, on the
25th and 26th May. The linup will include
following bands: Alice Nine, Vidoll,
Duel Jewel, Kagrra, Miyavi, Déspairs
RAy, Merry, Girugamesh and MUCC.
Yoshiki will of course attend the festival
but he will not perform. For the curious
of you out there: the fourth band member
of Yoshiki's latest project (collaberation
with Gackt) will be announcend on the
festival.
For more information about this awesome
event click here.
Toshi posted a message on his myspace
account, saying that he met up with
an old friend (Yoshiki) in march. They
worked together on the song which Yoshiki
wrote after hide passed away. You can
read the wonderful message here.
According to Toshi's official site,
the manager from X-Japan approached
him and they talked about a possible
reunion. He appears to be in contact
with Yoshiki and would agree to join
them (previous plans always shattered,
because Toshi had no interest). While
there are no plans for an album or new
music, there might be a valid chance
for a short reunion tour. This would
be a once in the lifetime chance to
see X-Japan one again perform live for
the fans. However, there's no official
statement from Yoshiki out there, yet.
It's official now! Sugizo (former member
of Luna Sea) is joining the new band
Yoshiki and Gackt formed. They revealed
that the band is going to have five
members. One can only wonder who the
other two high profile musicians are
that will join this amazing project!
Here's a really good oportunity to
get your hands on some original X-Japan
albums that already were out of print!
Yoshiki remastered the "Blue Blood"
and the "Jealousy" Album using
the latest technological advancements.
This remastered re-issues also include
a bonus CD with a compilation of instrumental
versions Of X-Japan songs. These are
limited releases, available only until
the end of May 2007!
You can order Blue Blood here
and Jealousy here.
CD Japan ships worldwide and the site
is in english.
There is a review about the Otakon
convention in the newtype magazine,
October 2006 issue. Of course Yoshiki
also gets mentioned. An excerpt from
the article:
It was like having
Elvis back in Memphis or Frank Sinatra
returning to Las Vegas, except that
it was a legendary Japanese performer
in Baltimore, a combination that would
seem unlikely anywhere but Otakon (the
Largest of the East Cost anime conventions).
Yoshiki, former X-Japan leader, was
the conquering hero of the convention.
Few American rockers have seen the kind
of fame that Yoshiki has had in Japan
as the leader of X-Japan, and few American
J-rock fans previously had a chance
to see the performer, even though he
spent years of his career among starts
on Los Angeles. That chance came in
Maryland, and fans took advantage of
every moment they had to see musician
who dropped out of performing and was
later coaxed back to the stage. From
an appearance in a packed ballroom to
a radio interview and an autograph session,
Yoshiki was Otakon’s big star
on a weekend of Japanese musical performers
that included up-and-coming artists
MUCC and Nana Kitade. Fans got to see
Yoshiki perform only in videos, but
MUCC and Kitade performed in a downtown
Baltimore club that’s separate
from the convention center where the
rest of the Otakon was held…
As mentioned in the last news, Yoshiki
composed a song for a movie soundtrack.
The movie is called "Catacombs".
The team from the popular horror film
"Saw" is working on it. Violet
UK's featured song is called "Blue
Butterfly".
Yoshiki
found some time to update his blog again.
He gave away a little secret again. He
composed a song (Blue Butterfly) for an
upcoming movie next year with Pink in
it.
He's still working on
the VUK album and recorded a new song
called Asphyxia with "Katie"
as vocalist.
He's talking about his
lyrics in this update and a bit about
the recording process, it's hard for him
to find a compromise to the perfect image
he has in his head, when putting together
the score.
Yoshiki also talks about
his visit at the Otakon convention. Get
sure to read up on his latest news here.
No real news, just a small sidenote:
Yoshiki attended (along with Mandi,
Violet UK's bass player) the Dir En
Grey concert on the Family Values Tour
in San Bernardino.
Yoshiki
& Gackt
During the Question & Answer session
on the Otakon convention (see the last
news update), Yoshiki gave away a little
secret. He plans to start a band with
Gackt!
Source:
Thanks to Kate for these news!
Otakon
convention with Yoshiki
Big news here! Yoshiki will attend
the Otakon convention. The convention
takes place in Baltimore from the 4th
to the 6th August 2006. There will be
a Q&A with Yoshiki and maybe he
will be signing autographs.
There's
an article about Yoshiki in the Yahoo
Music Magazine. He explains how he is
using the internet as a way to market
Violet UK. He explains the advantages
to reach people from all over the world.
It's in japanese and can be found here.
You
can hear a preview of the Violet UK songs
"Mona Lisa" and "City Of
Devils" and a new version of Sex&Religion
now on myspace.
Source:
Thanks to Bre for this news!
Berusaiyu
no Bara
YOSHIKI
has been named as the composer of the
music for a well known animation turn
movie planned for release in Spring 2007
called: Berusaiyu no Bara
Source:
Thanks to Bre for this news!
Bullrun
DVD
Yoshiki
anticipated in the Bullrun 2004, as mentioned
some time ago in the news section. (The
bullrun is a ralley leading across the
USA). You can order a DVD now of this
event here.
It has some nice clips about Yoshiki.
Or you can watch a collection of Yoshiki
clips of this event here.
Note
that these are not the official lyrics,
I can't guarantee that they're hundert
percent correct.
Lyrics: Yoshiki, Music:
Yoshiki
Getting
high to match the low, but I can’t
get enough satisfaction
Play with me and fly with me, I’m
addicted to you like sex and religion
The higher and higher we get , the further,
further we'll be falling
Maybe birds are meant to be; baby, are
our feelings supposed to be in a cage
Where is the sun
that led me to rome, it’s swirled
away
Whether it’s real, or truth in a
dream, it’s still pointing my mind
Drowning deep in
the dark, eternal roses evoke temptation
Come to me and come with me, into the
unknown, beyond this illusion
The harder and harder you fight, the deeper,
deeper you get sucked in
Maybe, maybe it’s time to surrender,
to this lust
Where is the sun
that led me to rome, it’s swirled
away
Wheter it’s real, or truth in a
dream, it’s still pointing my mind
The higher you get,
the further you’ll be falling, maybe
it’s the end
baby let’s get to the end, where
everything starts new
Wheter it’s
love, or lust ... love, I don’t
care.
Just come as you are, and lose yourself,
among faith, sex in the distance to shine
Where is the sun that led me to rome,
it’s still fucking my mind
Violet UK on Itunes
The
"release" of Violet UK started.
Although in another way as expected. Instead
of releasing a CD, you can download a
test mix of "Sex And Religion"
on Itunes Japan. A new release date for
the CD has yet to be determined.
On
the 1st October 2005 a new X-Japan release
will hit the stores. It's a huge set containing
5 CDs and 7 DVDs. Two of the DVDs contain
never before released videos. You can
pre-order the set here
at CD Japan. Or here
at yesasia (includes free shipping and
the box set is a bit cheaper).
CDs:
Art Of Life
Dhalia
Live Live Live Tokyo Dome 1993-1996 (2-discs)
Live Live Live Extra
Live in Hokkaido 1995.12.4 Bootleg
Art of Life Live
The Last Live (3-discs)
DVDs:
Dahlia The Video Visual Shock #5 Part
1 & 2
Dahlia Tour Final (2-discs)
X Japan Clips II
The Last Live Video (2-discs)
Art of Life Live 1993.12.31 Tokyo Dome
Bonus DVDs:
X FILM GIG 1993 Visual Shock Kogekisaikai
Kurenai/XCLAMATION
Source:
Cdjapan,
Yesasia
- Thanks to Breanna for these News!
Yoshiki
and Gackt appeared together on "Hey
Hey Hey" a japanese television show,
on the 30th May 2005. Yoshiki promoted
his wine and "Yoshiki Curry"
and he performed the song "Unnamed
Song" together with Daughter live
on stage.
The
official Release Date of Violet UK is
on the 22nd September 2005. Note that
X Japan disbanded on the 22nd September
1997. This release opens another chapter
in Yoshiki's life.
Yoshiki
attended the opening ceremony of the Expo
2005.
It was really exciting
for him to hear the "Expo Super World
Orchestra". (About 100 acclaimed
musicians from the world's top orchestras,
most of whom serve as concertmasters and
soloists, came together to form a grand
orchestra for the occasion.)
He felt very honored
to watch the Expo Super World Orchestra
perform I'll Be Your Love.
Yoshiki
will visit Japan to promote "Eternal
Melody II" and the "Symphonic
Concert" DVD. He will also be a special
guest for the Japan Expo on the 24th March
2005.
According to Yoshiki
he will finish recording for Violet UK
this month and he plans to release it
in the autumn but there is NO official
release date yet.
A
"Thank You" goes out to Koki again
for these News!
In
the new issue of Fool's Mate (February
issue with Gackt on the cover) is a new
interview with Yoshiki about his return
to Japan and the upcoming Violet UK album.
Click here
to view the cover and the index of the
magazine.
The Release
Date of the Live DVD is the 30th March.
It's a DVD from the "Yoshiki Symphonic
Concert" with the Tokyo Philharmonic
Orchestra featuring Violet UK. The concert
was held in the Tokyo International Forum
on the 3rd and 4th December 2002. You
can preorder the DVD here.
Tracklist:
1. Say Anything
2. Amethyst
3. Last Song
4. 7th
5. Forever Love
6. Longing
7. Amethyst (with Vocal and Piano)
8. Seize The Light
9. I'll Be Your Love
10. Screaming Blue
11. Blind Dance
12. Anniversary
13. Endless Rain
14. Tears
The Release
Date Of Yoshiki's "Eternal Melody
II" is also on the 30th March. You
can preorder it here.
It will be also available through Amazon
(43.49 US$), you can order the CD here.
Tracklist:
Disc One:
1. Unnamed Song
2. Seize the Light
3. Without You
4. Longing
5. I'll Be Your Love
6. Kimi Dake Dakara
7. Red Christmas
8. Ima Wo Dakishimete
9. Forever Love
Finally
there's a new release date for Yoshiki's
Eternal Melody II in end of March. The
CD includes following songs (in no particular
order): Anniversary, Without You, Seize
The Light, I'll Be Your Love, 7th and
Red Christmas.The exact tracklist and
the release date are going to be announced
soon officially.
Yoshiki
came back to Japan for a brief visit on
the 27th August. He visited a revue from
Takarazuka and offered a new song for
the revue.Takarazuka is a company staging
western style musical shows, the novelty
of Takarazuka is that all the parts are
played by women. The costume and set designs
are incredibly lavish, and the performances
are melodramatically emotional.
Source:
Takarazuka
Revue (A special Thank You to Koki
for these news!)
Red Delicious spent 3 years trying to
perfect a collection of songs to release
as their official 1st retail CD. Lead
Singer Sara Wallace floats through the
songs with her beautiful and provocative
vocal sound taking the listener on a journey
through every imaginable thought provoking
innervations. Red Delicious has delivered
a collection of songs that simply can’t
be denied. With their unique blend of
alternative rock, with acoustic and electronic
influences, their songs are guitar and
melody driven, sultry and laden with hooks,
yielding a sound all their own. "Addictions
& Scars" is the follow-up to
Red Delicious's first Internet only CD
"Emotional Blur".
Yoshiki
took part in the Bullrun. The Bullrun
is "the world's most glamorous car
rally" all in aid of Nordoff Robbins
Music Therapy. The event took place from
4th - 11th June and the rally's course
was LA - Vegas - Phoenix - Desert - Dallas
- New Orleans - Tampa - Miami. Other participants
were: Paris Hilton, The Cuban Brothers
& Nick Moran.
Yoshiki
came back to Japan for hide's 7th memorial
day on the 2nd May. He, Pata and Ina attended
the "seventh anniversary of death
event" taking place in the hide museum.
Many fans gathered to visit the hide museum
and to lay down flowers infront of hide's
altar.
The latest
issue of the magazine Fool's Mate (November
2003) has Yoshiki on it's cover and a
ten pages interview inside about Violet
Uk.
Other articles in this
issue are: Dir En Grey, Pierrot, Baroque,
Mook, Merry, Plastic Tree, Sugizo, Janne
Da Arc, Penicillin and Jils. Click here
to order it.
In the
article Dahlia talks about her childhood
in Hawaii, how she was raised by her grandmother
because both of her parents were working
(both singers, her brother is a jazz musician)
and how her grandmother taught her a lot
about Okinawa and Japanese culture. She
also explains the meaning of "I'll
Be Your Love" and how it was to work
with Yoshiki.
Sorry
to inform you, but it seems like Yoshiki
still isn't done with editing, because
according to cdjapan the new release
date for the DVD is undetermined again
and they took "Eternal Melody II"
out of their catalogue.
The
new release date of Yoshiki's Symphonic
Concert 2002 with Tokyo City Pillharmonic
Orchestra featuring Violet UK DVD is
the 17th December 2003. You can preorder
it now here.
You
can preorder Eternal Melody II here. There is
no tracklist available yet, but the
CD features songs like: Anniversary
(written for the Empereor's 10th anniversay
of reign), I'll Be Your Love (EXPO song),
Seize The Light (Globe) and "Seventh
featuring Violet UK" inspired by
the attack on September 11. Like in
Eternal Melody I, all these songs are
classical versions of Yoshiki's latest
works.
You
can order official Art Of Life goods
like T-shirts, keychains, and much more
on this site. You can also
oder the "Cool Stance & Hot
Style" Yoshiki T-shirts there.
The
stunning live performance from X Japan's
"Art Of Life" from (only performed
once in 1993 at the Tokyo Dome) is now
for the first time available on DVD.The
Limited Edition includes a photo book
with 48 pages and an additional photo
booklet with rare photos from the band.
You can
order the regular edition here
and the limited edition here.
This is the official theme for the EXPO
2005. Written by Yoshiki and performed
by "Dahlia", chosen by Yoshiki
to sing this song.
Yoshiki describes this song as a “ballad
based on the theme of nature and love,
combined with the global image of world
exposition and advances in science and
technology.” Dahlia, aged 19,
is from Hawaii and is a bilingual girl
with a Japanese father and an American
mother.
.
You
can order the maxi CDhere.
For more informations about this project
please visit the news
archive on this site.
World
Premier of the movie "Pirates of
the Caribbean"
Yoshiki
attended the world premier of the newest
Walt Disney movie "Pirates of the
Caribbean - The Curse Of The Black Pearl"
on the side of actress Virginia Madsen.
The world
premier took place in Disneyland, California
on the 28th June 2003.
Keeping
children safe this summer while they
surf the web is the focus of Hollywood
celebs & sports heroes, home depot
nationwide, Symantec and I-Safe America.
Yoshiki attended the "'Home Depot
& I-Safe's First National Internet
Safety Month" event amongst other
celebrities in Hollywood on the 6th
June 2003.
Yoshiki
will release a DVD from his Symphonic
Concert with the Tokyo City Philharmonic
Orchestra and Violet UK on the 28th
May. This DVD is only available in a
limited edition (20.000 copies worldwide).
You can preorder it now here.
The
first album from Globe called "Level
4"with Yoshiki as a new member
will be released on 26th March 2003.
The first press includes a special feature/bonus.
You can preorder it now here.
Tracklist:
1. Out Of C Control (Album Mix)
2. Get It On Now (Feat. Keiko)
3. Weather Report
4. Box, The
5. This Is The Last Night
6. Inside (Feat. Marc)
7. Seize The Light (Album Mix)
8. Blow
9. Compass (Album Mix)
Yoshiki
returned on stage after nearly five
years since the Last Live concert from
X Japan. He played songs such as: Say
Anything, Forever Love, Endless Rain...
And he also presented for the first
time in a concert Violet UK with 2 american
female singers.
Due
to problems with his hands Yoshiki had
to cut down a bit on the performance.
All in all it was a terrific and very
emotional concert.
Planned
release date for Violet UK is spring
2003, followed by a tour.
Click here
to read an article
about Yoshiki's Symphonic concert (japanese).
Yoshiki
and the vocalist from Violet UK, Sara,
are the stars of the new commercials
from the company Parco. You can watch
the two funny commercials called "Wonderful
X'mas" and "Believe
In Wonder" here.
On
December 3rd and 4th, Yoshiki will give
a concert together with the Tokyo Philharmonic
Orchestra. It will be a musical journey
through his works from the past with
X Japan with a glance into the future
with his new project Violet UK. Yoshiki
will present together with the vocalist
of Violet UK songs that were never heard
before.
The
concert will be held in Tokyo at the
Tokyo International Forum (Hall A),
tickets are available in different price
categories from 4.000 to 10.000 yen
(seating only).
The
first single from Globe with Yoshiki
as a new official member will be released
on the November 27th. The single is
called "Seize The Light" and
it's the main theme from the TV show
"Dark Angel" in Japan. Order now
Tracklist: 1. Seize The Light
2. Compass
3. Seize The Light (instrumental)
4. Compass (instrumental)
Tracklist:
1.
Feel Like Dance
2. Departures
3. Is This Love
4. Face
5. Faces Places
6. Love again
7. Wanna Be A Dreammaker
8. Still Growin' Up
9. Don't Look Back
10. Try This Shoot
11. Many Classic Moments
12. Winter Comes Around Again
Additionally, the best of compilation
album "8 Years - Many Classic Moments"
is released simultaneously. Order
Now
I'll
Be Your Love - Official EXPO 2005 Aichi
Theme Song
On
the official Expo site (Japanese version)
you can now listen to a sample from
"I'll Be Your Love", and also
see the score and the lyrics.
To
hear the sample click
here. (Opens in RealPlayer.)
To have a look at the lyrics click here.
And to view the score click here.
Don't forget to watch Yoshiki presenting
the song. Video can be found here.
This
is an excerpt of an Interview with Yoshiki,
held for Yoshiki mobile. It has a statement
from Yoshiki to his fans regarding joining
Globe and also about Violet UK.
Dearest
X Japan Fans:
I
really care about you, because without
your support I could not have lived.
Because of you, I am still able to continue
as an artist, so don't worry, I'm still
Yoshiki, still X Japan's Yoshiki. The
spirit runs in my blood, whatever I
do and wherever I am. I'll do my best
to create music that is meaningful.
Also, I am continuously working on Violet
UK because Violet UK will be my second
project since X Japan, and also the
last project in my lifetime.
Meanwhile,
let me enjoy globe. They are friends
of mine and I would like to support
them as much as I can. This may sound
a little too selfish, but I have been
working on Violet UK so hard, and
for such a long time, I've gotten
lost in it many times.
But my fans,
I mean you guys, and your warm words
made me find the light whenever I
was lost. That is why I could keep
working on Violet UK till this day.
I
think the goal is near, but who knows,
because the producer is me, "Yoshiki."
This guy can't compromise when it comes
to his music. Do you understand what
I'm talking about? I've been fighting
inside because there are several "Yoshikis"
in me. But in the end, I will let him
bring you music that is beautiful and
beyond outrageous, whether it will be
popular or not. So please wait another
10 years…..I'm joking. I hope
that day will come sooner, maybe even
early next year. By the time I finish
Violet UK, I would love to visit the
countries where my fans are. I can't
wait to see you, because I love you,
"I love you all."
People
in Japan can now sign up for "Yoshiki
Mobile" to receive news, interviews,
logos and special ringtones for your
mobile phone. More info can be found
here.
In
the Sony Music Entertainment shop you
can buy now Yoshiki T-shirts with 2
special designs called "Cool Stance"
and "Hot Style". Click here
to order. (Japanese only)
On
September 1st, a news conference was
held and Globe introduced Yoshiki as
the new 4th official member. Yoshiki
will co-write songs with Komuro and
alternate between drums and piano. Yoshiki
decided in July to accept Komuro’s
invitation to join Globe. Both have
been friends for several years, and
have already worked together for the
project V2.
Globe
already started to record new material
co-written by Yoshiki and Komuro. A
single is due to be out in November
and an album next spring. A nationwide
tour is also planed. Even though Yoshiki
is still working on Violet UK he said
“I give all my projects 100 percent.”
Two of the most talented artists in
Japan found together, now it’s
time to wait for the record to be released.
The
Japan Association for the 2005 World
Exposition held a press conference on
July 25 at Tokyo Prince Hotel in Minato-ku,
Tokyo, to announce the official theme
song for the Exposition of Global Harmony.
It
featured about a 5-minute presentation
of the melody for the song by songwriter
and producer YOSHIKI and introduction
of the female vocalist DAHLIA.
YOSHIKI
described the song as a “ballad
based on the theme of nature and love,
combined with the global image of world
exposition and advances in science and
technology.” DAHLIA, aged 19,
is from Hawaii and is a bilingual girl
with a Japanese father and an American
mother. The song is to be promoted overseas.
The song is scheduled for completion
and release in September.
You
can order beautiful Art prints with
Yoshiki now. Three different designs
are available, all consisting off a
modified picture of Yoshiki with writing
on it. The prints are available in 3
different sizes.
Visit
the sitehere.
The site is in Japanese but when you
scroll down to the very bottom you can
see that they also accept orders from
overseas.
Yoshiki
has a guest appearance in the newest
Abandoned Pools video "Remedy".
They are signed to Extasy Records and
Yoshiki is the executive producer from
their record. You can download the video
here
on the official Abandoned Pools site.
. 
. 
