About 7 years back we had a vkei shop here in Los Angeles. Nice stock of merchandise. Fashion and goodies. Occasional Q and As with current bands. It was the closest thing we had to a community herre. I truly miss them.
Your prediction is apt. It's happening with a lot of music genres. I've noticed that aestheticism is playing a huge role in being a fan of many alternative genres, almost more importantly than the music itself
I think your point about fans being stuck in a time capsule is so interesting. I myself started to find it too hard to keep up with bands (because adulting is no fun) and a lot of bands I liked just flat out disbanded. Now I mostly listen to stuff I was into back in the day. I'd like to try and stay more current but the time it would take to research and find new stuff is daunting. I was also apart of a few small communities that fell apart and disbanded (like my bands). And it's so hard to stay motivated as a fan when you have no one to talk to. I was so excited when I found your channel talking about VK. So thank you for these videos 🖤
I will go to live shows, even if I am only a casual listener of a vkei band, simply because I want to be in community with other vkei fans. Having the money now to travel around the US and see bands and meet with fans is everything my younger self ever wanted!
Interesting video, I basically had to wait until I was at least 19 before I could buy vkei albums from Japan but sadly I lost most of them. I also went to Japan at age of 25 and it was eye opening to see how underground the scene is compared to online. Also want to add that I’m from Belgium where only a handful of people listened to the music.
Community is most important, then fashion and music at the end? Hmm... Maybe I'm weird, but... I'm from central Europe, I'm listen to Visual Kei since 2007 and always music was most important for me, and for many yeary I didn't know anyonr who also like Visual Kei, I've never been in any fandoms etc. And when I find band which sound I really like, I'm trying to listen their whole discography if it's possible, also watch MVs and visual style of band in different periods, so maybe I'm just weird... ;)
Oh no. You're not weird at all. Here in the US, or I guess for fans who don't have access to the visual kei scene directly, I'd say the music is most important (and pretty much all we have at times😅). I consider what we experience outside of Japan completely different than what fans experience who are actually there (foreign and Japanese)
here are my opinions and perspectives on all of these (it’s the middle of the night and i have nothing better to do) 1. i’m LOCKED in a time capsule, i pretty much listen exclusively to oldschool visual kei, maaaaybe with the occasional exception of like…lyrica when they released strange rabbit a while back because i was there for that! However, even with bands that are still together like…idk x japan, i only listen to their older stuff. i wasn’t consciously doing this really, but i think it’s just because i don’t really enjoy current visual kei as much?? i don’t want to say that because i like a few new-ish bands and songs but i just feel like the older stuff is just more my speed i guess. i’m also considerably younger than the large majority of fans so it’s almost like nostalgia for something i was never there for. 2. I actually don’t know a single person irl that is a visual kei fan besides my dad…and that’s because i introduced him to it. i really wish i had friends that were also into visual kei especially because i’m obsessed with it to such a crazy extent that it’s almost concerning, but at the same time i’m pretty content with having visual kei friends exclusively online because i’ll take whatever i can get when it comes to that…still makes me sad though tbh
bro old x japan was so good. I don't mean to hate on anyone but to a certain extent I'll never forgive them for not ending the band with a gracious legacy after hide and taiji's deaths. X japan practically ended with hide's death and they could never get back on their feet after that imo. So that one's completely fair.
This is super interesting to watch as someone who was deeply into Visual Kei primarily in the early 2000s. I still listen to some bands, but don't really follow anyone actively anymore except X Japan. Somehow though you made me curious to stick my nose back in.
The time capsule part :') It's not like I don't want to explore more bands (especially new ones), but I just haven't been able to after I finished school and got busy with college and then work :') before reaching adulthood, we had so much free time to explore things that we like, I guess that's why I get stuck with bands that I explored during my teenage years. also, some people switch from vkei to mainstream artistes because it's easier to talk about it with their normie friends. talking about the community.. since I'm from Malaysia where the people are among top 5 spotify listeners ONLY when it comes to kpop, I don't think vkei will ever penetrate our country's market😅even if there's fans, they're mostly casual listeners. so yeah vkei is basically dead here haha
Thank you for this video. I was always curious about this. I agree with you, I always seem to stumble across a Visual Kei band after they peaked. I try to keep up with bands like Deviloof, but it is pretty difficult to stay in the loop. I don't know hardly anyone that is into it as much as I am here in the US. I would love to see a Visual Kei tour in the US! I wish music and merch was more available. Take my money please!
I’m a newer vkei fan, and I’ve been wondering abt this difference too! I stick to older eras of bands, though I keep up with 1 band I still like their older music
from europe and yeah the “time capsule” effect is so true! became a vkei fan in the early 00s and even towards the mid 2010s i was still mostly listening the early work of Diru, MUCC, D’espairs Ray.. etc.
It seems like following up to date info regarding bands only became fully possible as of the social media/streaming era. When we were initially discovering VK in the early 2000s, we basically were discovering things as we found it second hand, translated and re-translated, whatever magazine scan caught our eyes, whatever Kazaa/Napster/Soulseek file we could get, etc. Regarding Point 3, I’ve noticed that the fandom structures tend to be different, and that’s another reason for our consumption patterns. We prefer spreading out our fandom, and consuming the scene as a whole, whereas they prefer laser focusing on one band at a time (or even just one member). That way, they can concentrate their income on one collection and attend every show for their very favourite. I am starting to see more people embracing that Japanese fandom style, and wanting to participate in the in-person scene more. When I eventually go back, I would try and meet more people; but I think I would still prefer to spread out my concert attendance and avoid becoming fixated on any one band or member. Point 4, honestly, I’ve never been a huge image person. Give me wash and go hair, bare minimum makeup, a band tshirt and yoga pants, and I’m good to go. I was “too old” to bother dressing VK or “emo” back when I was in my teens/twenties anyways.
i think ur prediction about the fashion is accurate. it happens to any subculture that tiktok gets a hold of (gyaru, goth, etc) everything ends up getting diluted and most people miss the original point of the fashion/subculture :/ not to sound like a boomer shaking their fist at the youth or anything, but it is really frustrating to see, even for subcultures i’m not a part of
About 7 years back we had a vkei shop here in Los Angeles. Nice stock of merchandise. Fashion and goodies. Occasional Q and As with current bands. It was the closest thing we had to a community herre. I truly miss them.
Fuck I think I remember the exact shop. Years and years ago I got drawn in through a cd sale and picked up a cd for babylon. Babies first vkei cd.
Forget what it was called before xenon. It was a shop ran by cure magazine.
Your prediction is apt. It's happening with a lot of music genres. I've noticed that aestheticism is playing a huge role in being a fan of many alternative genres, almost more importantly than the music itself
I think your point about fans being stuck in a time capsule is so interesting. I myself started to find it too hard to keep up with bands (because adulting is no fun) and a lot of bands I liked just flat out disbanded. Now I mostly listen to stuff I was into back in the day. I'd like to try and stay more current but the time it would take to research and find new stuff is daunting. I was also apart of a few small communities that fell apart and disbanded (like my bands). And it's so hard to stay motivated as a fan when you have no one to talk to. I was so excited when I found your channel talking about VK. So thank you for these videos 🖤
I will go to live shows, even if I am only a casual listener of a vkei band, simply because I want to be in community with other vkei fans. Having the money now to travel around the US and see bands and meet with fans is everything my younger self ever wanted!
Interesting video, I basically had to wait until I was at least 19 before I could buy vkei albums from Japan but sadly I lost most of them. I also went to Japan at age of 25 and it was eye opening to see how underground the scene is compared to online. Also want to add that I’m from Belgium where only a handful of people listened to the music.
I knew it was underground when I saw a video of a guy going around asking people what they listen to in Japan and it wasn't VK😅
Community is most important, then fashion and music at the end? Hmm... Maybe I'm weird, but... I'm from central Europe, I'm listen to Visual Kei since 2007 and always music was most important for me, and for many yeary I didn't know anyonr who also like Visual Kei, I've never been in any fandoms etc. And when I find band which sound I really like, I'm trying to listen their whole discography if it's possible, also watch MVs and visual style of band in different periods, so maybe I'm just weird... ;)
Oh no. You're not weird at all. Here in the US, or I guess for fans who don't have access to the visual kei scene directly, I'd say the music is most important (and pretty much all we have at times😅). I consider what we experience outside of Japan completely different than what fans experience who are actually there (foreign and Japanese)
@@Savette_ I see. ;)
Vk crowd dances like phantasmagoria lol 👍👍👍
here are my opinions and perspectives on all of these (it’s the middle of the night and i have nothing better to do)
1.
i’m LOCKED in a time capsule, i pretty much listen exclusively to oldschool visual kei, maaaaybe with the occasional exception of like…lyrica when they released strange rabbit a while back because i was there for that! However, even with bands that are still together like…idk x japan, i only listen to their older stuff. i wasn’t consciously doing this really, but i think it’s just because i don’t really enjoy current visual kei as much?? i don’t want to say that because i like a few new-ish bands and songs but i just feel like the older stuff is just more my speed i guess. i’m also considerably younger than the large majority of fans so it’s almost like nostalgia for something i was never there for.
2.
I actually don’t know a single person irl that is a visual kei fan besides my dad…and that’s because i introduced him to it. i really wish i had friends that were also into visual kei especially because i’m obsessed with it to such a crazy extent that it’s almost concerning, but at the same time i’m pretty content with having visual kei friends exclusively online because i’ll take whatever i can get when it comes to that…still makes me sad though tbh
All my J-rock friends moved I started going to shows alone. Now my current gf goes with me lol
bro old x japan was so good. I don't mean to hate on anyone but to a certain extent I'll never forgive them for not ending the band with a gracious legacy after hide and taiji's deaths. X japan practically ended with hide's death and they could never get back on their feet after that imo. So that one's completely fair.
This is super interesting to watch as someone who was deeply into Visual Kei primarily in the early 2000s. I still listen to some bands, but don't really follow anyone actively anymore except X Japan. Somehow though you made me curious to stick my nose back in.
The time capsule part :') It's not like I don't want to explore more bands (especially new ones), but I just haven't been able to after I finished school and got busy with college and then work :') before reaching adulthood, we had so much free time to explore things that we like, I guess that's why I get stuck with bands that I explored during my teenage years. also, some people switch from vkei to mainstream artistes because it's easier to talk about it with their normie friends.
talking about the community.. since I'm from Malaysia where the people are among top 5 spotify listeners ONLY when it comes to kpop, I don't think vkei will ever penetrate our country's market😅even if there's fans, they're mostly casual listeners. so yeah vkei is basically dead here haha
Bootleg cds like miya records 😂👍👍👍🔥🔥🔥
Thank you for this video. I was always curious about this. I agree with you, I always seem to stumble across a Visual Kei band after they peaked. I try to keep up with bands like Deviloof, but it is pretty difficult to stay in the loop. I don't know hardly anyone that is into it as much as I am here in the US. I would love to see a Visual Kei tour in the US! I wish music and merch was more available. Take my money please!
I’m a newer vkei fan, and I’ve been wondering abt this difference too! I stick to older eras of bands, though I keep up with 1 band I still like their older music
from europe and yeah the “time capsule” effect is so true! became a vkei fan in the early 00s and even towards the mid 2010s i was still mostly listening the early work of Diru, MUCC, D’espairs Ray.. etc.
I did follow 9Goats (which you mentioned) when they were going.. one of the last great bands on the scene in my opinion :(
It seems like following up to date info regarding bands only became fully possible as of the social media/streaming era.
When we were initially discovering VK in the early 2000s, we basically were discovering things as we found it second hand, translated and re-translated, whatever magazine scan caught our eyes, whatever Kazaa/Napster/Soulseek file we could get, etc.
Regarding Point 3, I’ve noticed that the fandom structures tend to be different, and that’s another reason for our consumption patterns. We prefer spreading out our fandom, and consuming the scene as a whole, whereas they prefer laser focusing on one band at a time (or even just one member). That way, they can concentrate their income on one collection and attend every show for their very favourite.
I am starting to see more people embracing that Japanese fandom style, and wanting to participate in the in-person scene more. When I eventually go back, I would try and meet more people; but I think I would still prefer to spread out my concert attendance and avoid becoming fixated on any one band or member.
Point 4, honestly, I’ve never been a huge image person. Give me wash and go hair, bare minimum makeup, a band tshirt and yoga pants, and I’m good to go. I was “too old” to bother dressing VK or “emo” back when I was in my teens/twenties anyways.
I once in a while get into new bands i listen to all my older bands with their present releases
i think ur prediction about the fashion is accurate. it happens to any subculture that tiktok gets a hold of (gyaru, goth, etc) everything ends up getting diluted and most people miss the original point of the fashion/subculture :/ not to sound like a boomer shaking their fist at the youth or anything, but it is really frustrating to see, even for subcultures i’m not a part of
American fans are interesting...I see them bashing Gackt or Yoshiki without full context of the story due to Language Barrier. :(
Not sure about Yoshiki, but I know Gackt is disliked among many people globally 🤣🤣 japanese included
2023 I still love VK🎉❤