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Rocking the Visual: A Deep Dive into Japan's Visual Kei Movement
Discover how visual kei artists have kept fans mesmerized by their music and fashion choices. In this post, we’ll reveal everything there is to know about visual kei and its impact on the Japanese music scene.
Introduction to Visual Kei
Visual kei is a Japanese music genre that features extravagant costumes. It has been a unique and influential genre in Japanese music since the 1980's. Visual kei artists typically perform on stage with dyed hair, elaborate costumes, leather cloths, excessive jewelry, and exaggerated makeup. The aesthetics of these artists often range from androgynous dressing to full-blown cross-dressing.
The term “visual kei” translates to “visual style” in English. This genre of Japanese music is less about the sound and more about visual expression. Hence, visual kei songs and performances can feature any musical style. Glam rock, punk rock, gothic rock, and heavy metal have been visual kei’s most influential music styles.
In the 1990s, visual kei became so popular in Japan that album sales in the genre were competing with those of J-pop. Famous visual kei bands like X Japan, the GazettE, and Versailles have made fortunes from the genre by selling millions of album copies. Despite its success, visual kei has been plagued with controversy. We suppose that is to be expected with such an expressive artform.
Origins of Visual Kei
Before we dive into the defining elements of modern visual kei, we need to trace its development throughout history. Visual kei originated in the 1980s. X Japan, a heavy metal band created in 1982, is widely considered to be the pioneers of the movement. In fact, the term “visual kei” was coined from the band’s slogan: “Psychedelic violence crime of visual shock.” They used this slogan to refer to their shocking appearance. The band members wore eccentric hairstyles, heavy makeup, and flamboyant clothes that unsettled parents and excited teens. Their genre of music was called “visual-shock kei,” but was later shortened to “visual kei” and “v-kei” Other bands that we can consider pioneers of visual kei are Buck-Tick, D’erlanger, Color, and Dead End. Together, they popularized a brand-new musical genre that drew heavily from metal, goth rock, new wave, shojo manga, and kabuki theater.
Late 20th Century: Success and Decline of First-Generation Visual Kei
Despite its beginnings as Japanese underground music, visual kei saw its first notable successes in the mid-1980s. Dead End led the charge by releasing Dead Line, the first visual kei album to sell over 20,000 copies. The movement would begin to gain mainstream success and dominate the Oricon Charts in the late 1980s. Tokyo’s Extasy Records and Osaka’s Free-Will were the most recognized record labels in the genre at the time.
Visual kei’s growing popularity in mainstream Japanese media led to the rise of several new subgenres of the movement. These new styles included: Nagoya kei (emphasis on music rather than fashion), Angura kei (use of kimono and traditional attire), Ouji kei (depiction of princes or boys), and Eroguro kei (sexual grotesque). Some of the newer acts, like Gray, released successful music in the mid 1990s. However, they soon changed their appearance and distanced themselves from the movement after getting famous.
Just when it seemed like the visual kei boom would last forever, the movement experienced a sharp decline in the late 1990s. X Japan, Luna Sea, and other popular bands disbanded in that period. Many other acts, including L'Arc-en-Ciel, turned their backs on the movement. The decline caused major companies to abandon the genre, making it hard for visual kei musicians to make money. Hence, the entire genre lost its mainstream status and returned to being an underground style for rebellious souls.
21st Century: Global Emergence of Neo-Visual Kei
The 2000s saw the emergence of a new generation of visual kei acts. They seemed to have a diverse range of music styles with a major focus on gender ambiguity, which seemed to resonate with the domestic and global audiences of the era. Some of these second-generation visual kei bands include the Gazette, D'espairsRay, Girugamesh, and Alice Nine. Solo acts like Miyavi also emerged.
Following the growing popularity of these new artists, older bands also experienced a rebirth. For example, X Japan and Luna Sea reunited in 2007 and 2010, respectively. Acts formed in 2004 and later were tagged “neo-visual kei” because of their refreshing perspective. Many of them began to perform at Japanese-themed conventions in the United States and Europe. The best of them would embark on world tours a few years later. In 2009, the first V-Rock Festival took place in Chiba City, and was the largest Visual Kei music festival in the world.
The present state of visual kei involves a more intimate connection between artists and their fans. In fact, many would argue that this connection borders on fan service. We’ve seen artists playing tug-of-war with fans during concerts, bands role playing on stage, and many other intimate interactions that resemble the J-pop idol system. Some critics believe this new era of visual kei is good for the movement, while others will beg to differ.
Defining the Visual Kei Style
Due to the diverse music and fashion styles it envelopes, visual kei is one of the hardest musical genres to define. However, seasoned critics have come up with a blueprint that accurately isolates the distinctive fashion and aesthetic elements that define visual Kei. Let’s explore these elements:
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Fashion: Visual kei is more about fashion and aesthetics than it is about music. It features the use of extravagant or flamboyant costumes with mostly dark and monochrome color schemes. Black, grey, crimson, purple, and blue are some of the common colors of visual kei fashion. Only a handful of visual kei acts wear neon or bright colors. Outfits often reflect androgynous or gender-ending themes. Hence, you’ll often see male acts in skirts or dresses. Also, you’ll see a lot of artists wearing leather.
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Makeup: While heavy use of garish makeup is common among visual kei artists, there are no unwritten rules regarding how much makeup to wear. Some artists use only light eyeliner, while others take things up a notch. In general, makeup in the visual kei scene is used to produce porcelain-like skin, sharp brows, enlarged and smoky eyes, and pale lips.
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Hairstyles: Visual kei artists have a lot of freedom when it comes to their hairstyles, with acts sporting cuts that range from short to spiky. They often dye their hair using monochrome colors, sometimes to match their outfits. The elaborate and dyed hair of visual kei artists was often the cause of the supposed “shock” in the early years of the movement.
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Performances: Dramatic is the only way to perform visual kei to a live audience. The artists tend to incorporate unique fantasy concepts in their performances. For example, Gackt claims to be a vampire and often incorporates elements of vampirism in his performances.
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Music: Visual kei is not restricted to any music style. Many of the bands in this genre, including X Japan and Dir En Grey, have evolved their sounds over the years without straying from the movement. However, the most common music styles we see in the genre are rooted in heavy metal and hard rock.
Major Bands and Artists in Visual Kei
Since 1980, hundreds of visual kei acts have emerged from Japan. However, some of them have done enough to shape the genre and propel its reputation to new heights. The following are some of the best visual kei bands and artists in history:
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The GazettE: Formerly called Gazette, this Japanese rock band was created in Kanagawa in 2002. It’s one of the most popular visual kei bands in the world. The band consists of four members and makes music in the metal, hard rock, and punk rock genres. Over the years, the GazettE has changed record labels about half a dozen times, but they’re currently signed to Sony Music Records.
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Dir En Grey: Created in 1997 in Osaka, Dir En Grey, is a visual kei band famous for exploring different subgenres of metal-style music. This 5-man band has released 11 albums in total, many of which have been hugely successful. By proving that visual kei has no musical restrictions, Dir En Grey embodies the diversity of the genre.
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Versailles: The Versailles are one of the most beloved neo-visual kei bands in Japan. They burst onto the scene in 2007, and since then, have stuck to the symphonic power metal sound that brought them early success. Presently a four-man band, they disbanded in 2012, only to reunite three years later, stronger than ever.
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X Japan: Arguably the most influential band in visual kei history, X Japan is one of the pioneers of the movement. They coined the name and most of the principles in the 1980s. X Japan was founded in 1982, originating from a disbanded boyhood band called Dynamite.
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Miyavi: Famous for his unique style of playing the guitar, Takamasa Ishihara (AKA Miyavi) is a popular visual kei solo performer. He started his career as a guitarist for Dué le Quartz before going solo in 2002. The visual kei singer also has a small acting career and has appeared in several American movies, including Unbroken, Stray, and Kong: Skull Island.
The Music of Visual Kei
We’ve already established that music only complements the visual performance in v-kei. Nevertheless, it’s still an important part of the ensemble. Visual kei is mainly a fusion of several different sounds, including glam rock, heavy metal, and punk rock music. Less common, but relevant styles are electronic music, pop rock, industrial metal, glam metal, and neoclassical metal. V-kei performances tend to feature loud drumming, distorted guitar sounds, melodic riffs, and vigorous vocals.
Visual Kei's Influence on Pop Culture
Visual kei has had a significant impact on broader Japanese pop culture and its international fanbase by promoting originality and authenticity in modern art and fashion. Lovers of cosplay and Japanese street fashion often replicate the fashion styles of visual kei artists. In anime, v-kei songs are used as soundtracks and theme songs. They appeared in the openings of Kuroshitsuji, Nightwalker: The Midnight Detective, Trinity Blood, and many other anime series. These shows only served to increase the popularity of visual kei among the global audience. Foreign acts, like German glam rock band Cinema Bizarre, have drawn inspiration from the Japanese subculture, despite their association with other music genres.
Visual Kei Concerts and Live Performances
Visual kei concerts are held in Japan and countries all over the world. Although the experience varies in each region, one constant is the stage presence of the artists. They often command the audience with their larger-than-life personalities and intimate stage setup. Visual kei concerts are also one of the safest musical events in the world. Both the fans and arts are fully focused on “vibing” in the energetic atmosphere. Also, the stages used abroad are often smaller than those used in Japan. The artists like to use cool visual effects on their stages to enhance the live experience.
Controversies and Criticisms of Visual Kei
There’s an ongoing debate over the authenticity of the new generation of visual kei bands. Critics accuse them of copying off the most famous or trending visual kei bands rather than forging their own unique styles. Some argue that the original v-kei bands like X Japan dressed a certain way to stand out rather than to follow a trend.
People also raised questions when bands that gained fame as visual kei groups publicly step away from the movement and tone down their appearance after achieving fame. The nagging question is whether or not visual kei is now seen as a stepping stone of rock performers.
Artists from other genres often criticize visual kei artists for focusing too much on aesthetics and not enough on the actual music they make.
The Evolution of Visual Kei
Visual kei has evolved over the decades, thanks to new brands adding different elements to their style. Such innovations have helped visual kei stay relevant. Examples of new bands making waves in the scene are Nocturnal Bloodlust, 0.1g no Gosan, Choke, and Mai Yajima. A few of the new bands have been known to merge into supergroups.
Where to Experience Visual Kei Today
The best way to find visual kei today is to check out the websites and social media accounts of your favorite bands. They are sure to promote their upcoming events and how to buy tickets to the shows. Some venues in Tokyo, such as Meguro Rock May Kan, are famous for hosting such shows.
Conclusion:
A big part of visual kei’s appeal is its role in expressing individuality and rebellion. It transcends music and has established itself as a Japanese subculture and movement. Despite its many ups and downs, visual kei remains a fascinating aspect of Japan’s cultural landscape. Feel free to explore it!
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