was a Japanese

visual kei , abbreviated , is a category of Japanese musicians that have a strong focus on extravagant stage costumes that originated in Japan during the early 1980s. Koji Dejima of '' Bounce'' wrote that visual kei is not a specific sound, but rather it " ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band that formed in December 1998"Dué le quartz HISTORY 1999-2000" (VHS) PS Company, 2002 and signed to PS Company, a sub-division of

Free-Will is an independent Japanese independent record label, record label founded in 1986 by Color (band), Color vocalist Hiroshi "Dynamite Tommy" Tomioka, with branches predominantly in Japan and the United States, as well as previously in Europe. Th ...

. The band opened a fanclub on August 1, 2000 known as "Baby Merry". After releasing a few albums, several singles and a

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

compilation, the group disbanded in 2002. Vocalist Sakito and bassist Kikasa later reunited to form the band Figure: (typeset as 【FIGURe:】) (with drummer Kazuki occasionally providing session work)JAME Figure Profile
Retrieved Sep 16 2007 and guitarist Miyabi changed his name to "

Miyavi , better known by his stage name MIYAVI (雅, ''Miyabi'', stylized in all caps), is a Japanese guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor known for his finger- slapping style of playing a guitar. He has been active since 1999, f ...

" and started a solo career.Anime News Network ''Miyavi to Appear at Pacific Media Expo''
Retrieved Sep 16 2007

Biography

In December 1998, Sakito and Ken formed Dué le quartz''Yun, Josephine Jrock, Ink.: A Concise Report On 40 Of The Biggest Rock Acts In Japan'' Stone Bridge Press (October 30, 2005) and played their first live on February 14, 1999. They recruited bassist Kikasa somewhere in between, officially adding Kazuki to the mix on March 22 of that year. Ken left the band in May 1999 due to musical differences, leaving the guitarist gap to be filled by

Miyabi ''Miyabi'' (雅) is one of the traditional Japanese aesthetic ideals, though not as prevalent as Iki (aesthetic ideal), Iki or Wabi-sabi. In modern Japanese, the word is usually translated as "elegance," "refinement," or "courtliness" and some ...

on June 29, 1999 and complete the band's final lineup.''Expect Rush II'' They made it big quickly, landing their first one-man live on August 21, 2000 at Shibuya on Air West. Their first full one-man tour kicked off on May 16, 2001, and their second began on December 4, 2001. The band landed the feature spot in the indie publication, ''Expect Rush I'' (January 2001) and ''Expect Rush II'' (March 2002). After a 3-year run, Kikasa announced his withdrawal, which led to complete disbandment in 2002. They played their last live concert on September 22, 2002 at Akasaka Blitz.

Members

* Sakito –

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

–

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

* Kikasa (キカサ) –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

* Kazuki –

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

;Former members * Ken – guitar

Discography

;Demo tapes * "Ame to Muchi wo..." (アメと鞭を..., July 19, 2000）) * "Rob Song" (May 18, 2001) ;Albums * * ''Jisatsu Ganbou'' (自殺願望, May 28, 2000) * ''Rodeo'' (ロデオ, May 12, 2002) * ''Best Album'' (August 14, 2002, Re-released on November 23, 2005 by King Records) ;Singles * "Dear...from XXX (disc 1)" (January 24, 2001) * "Dear...from XXX (disc 2)" (January 24, 2001) * "Bitter" (February 14, 2001) * "Re:plica" (August 1, 2001) * "Tribal Arivall Warning!!" (August 16, 2001) * "Last Title" (September 4, 2002) ;Compilations * ''Matina Prelude'' (April 26, 2000, Free-Will) ** (with the song "Kikai Shikake no Butoukai" (機械仕掛けの舞踏会)) ;Videos * ''Jisatsu Ganbou'' (自殺願望, July 10, 2000) * ''Milk (white)'' (February 14, 2001, VHS) * ''Milk (black)'' (February 14, 2001, VHS) * ''History 1999-2001'' (January 7, 2002, VHS) * ''Braintine'' (January 9, 2002, VHS) * ''「6419461049162791」-69'' (January 9, 2002, VHS) * ''Tour「アメと鞭を...」Final2002.01.07'' ( July 3, 2002, VHS) * ''Video Clips'' (July 3, 2002, VHS) * ''1st Oneman Live 2000.8.21 at Shibuya on Air West'' (TOUR 「合法ドラッグ」 at 渋谷ON AIR WEST, 2003, VHS)

References

External links

Kikasa Official Blog

Miyavi Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Due Le Quartz Visual kei musical groups Japanese alternative rock groups Musical groups from Tokyo Musical groups established in 1998 Musical groups disestablished in 2002 1998 establishments in Japan 2002 disestablishments in Japan

Biography

Members

Discography

Further reading

References

External links