Moi dix Mois (lit. "Me Ten Months" in French) is a Japanese
visual kei
is a movement among Japanese musicians that is characterized by the use of varying levels of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics, similar to Western glam rock.
Some ...
gothic metal band, founded in 2002 by
Mana
According to Melanesian and Polynesian mythology, ''mana'' is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have ''mana''. They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being ...
after
Malice Mizer
Malice Mizer (stylized as MALICE MIZER) was a Japanese visual kei rock band active from August 1992 to December 2001. Formed by guitarists Mana and Közi, their earlier music and themes were characterized by their strong French and classical ...
paused activities. The guitarist and sole songwriter has been the only constant member in a series of lineup changes, and the band's material is released on his own record label
Midi:Nette.
History
March 19, 2002, approximately three months after Malice Mizer announced their indefinite hiatus, Mana announced the formation of his solo project, Moi dix Mois. Their first single, "
Dialogue Symphonie", was released October 19 of the same year.
Moi dix Mois played their first concerts outside Japan in March 2005 in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
as part of their Invite to Immorality Tour. After the tour's final show on April 24, 2005 in Tokyo, singer
Juka left the band.
A new phase of the band began on March 1, 2006, when they released the album, ''
Beyond the Gate''. This featured a new vocalist named Seth. Before the album was released, Mana indicated that the sound would be the beginning of a renewed direction for the band, possibly more integrated towards
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...
. After the announcement of the ''Beyond the Gate'' release was made, Seth was revealed as the new vocalist, and it was announced that Kazuno (bass) and Tohru (drums) were both leaving the group.
In June 2006, Moi dix Mois headlined the
Wave-Gotik-Treffen
The Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT; ) is an annual world festival for "dark" music and "dark culture" in Leipzig, Germany. 150+ bands and artists from various backgrounds ( gothic rock, gothic metal, EBM, industrial, noise, darkwave, neo-folk, ne ...
in
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
, Germany. They then returned to touring in Japan. A prospective five city tour in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
was scheduled for July 2006, but cancelled due to the band citing "differences in policies" with the tour organizer; however, Mana did make a U.S. appearance at the 2006
Anime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first w ...
in
Anaheim, CA
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
on July 1, where he announced that Moi dix Mois was planning to tour America sometime "within the calendar year". However, this US tour did not materialize in 2006.
On March 28, 2007, they released their fourth album, ''
Dixanadu
''Dixanadu'' is an album released by Moi dix Mois on March 28, 2007. It contains re-recordings of "Tentation" ("Last Temptation") and "Pessimiste" ("Neo Pessimist"), originally from the album '' Dix Infernal''.
Style
The album features Gothic me ...
'', the first with the current lineup. On December 27, 2008, Moi dix Mois held the Dis Inferno Vol.VI ~Last Year Party~, where they played a session gig along with Mana's fellow Malice Mizer guitarist
Közi
Közi is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter and DJ. He is best known as one of the guitarists for the 1990s visual kei rock band Malice Mizer. After they went on indefinite hiatus in 2001, he formed the industrial rock duo Eve of Destiny a ...
.
They performed at Anime Expo 2009, the largest anime convention in North America, on July 2 at the
Los Angeles Convention Center
The Los Angeles Convention Center is a convention center in the southwest section of downtown Los Angeles. It hosts multiple annual conventions and has often been used as a filming location in TV shows and movies.
History
The convention center, ...
. Also in July they went on a short two-gig coupling tour with Közi called Deep Sanctuary, playing on the 17 in Osaka and the 19 in Tokyo. At the V-Rock Festival '09 on October 24, Moi Dix Mois played two new songs, "Dead Scape" and "The Sect", and a new version of "The Prophet".
In July 2010, they went on another tour with Közi, titled Deep Sanctuary II, this time with Malice Mizer bassist Yu~ki as a special guest at
Akasaka Blitz on the 17. This was the first time in 9 years that the three Malice Mizer members were on stage together. Moi dix Mois' fifth album, ''
D+Sect
D, or d, is the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''dee'' (pronounced ), plural ''dees''.
History
Th ...
'', was released on December 15, 2010.
On August 27, 2011, Mana announced that Moi dix Mois will be releasing a compilation album as part of their 10th anniversary celebration. The album is composed of re-recordings of older songs, from the group's first two albums, by the current line-up. Fans requested which songs were chosen through Mana's blog. The album, titled ''Reprise'', was released on July 11, 2012 and includes the new song "Je l'aime". On April 7, 2012, Moi dix Mois performed at
Sakura-Con
Sakura-Con is an annual three-day anime convention held during March or April at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, Washington. The convention, which is traditionally held over Easter weekend, is the largest anime convention in the ...
2012 in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...
.
To celebrate their tenth anniversary, Moi dix Mois held a special concert at Shinjuku Blaze on March 20, 2013. At the end, former members Juka, Kazuno and Tohru reunited with Mana for a one-off performance of the group's original lineup.
On May 19, 2014, guitarist K was found dead at his home by relatives. A memorial concert was held on September 15 where Moi dix Mois performed, including the new song "Beast Side" that was composed in memory of the guitarist. His replacement, Ryux formerly from the band Omega Dripp, was announced by Mana on December 3.
Member history
Moi dix Mois has experienced numerous lineup changes, with leader and guitarist Mana the only constant member. Vocalist
Juka and bassist Kazuno were employed from Moi dix Mois' conception, with Tohru originally a support drummer. Tohru officially joined with the release of "Shadows Temple" in May 2004. K was introduced as guitarist and "death vocalist" with the Dis Inferno III event in December 2004.
At the end of the Invite to Immorality Tour on April 24, 2005, Juka announced that he would be leaving. A year later, Kazuno and Tohru left with the release of ''Beyond the Gate''. At the same time, Seth was announced as being added to the project as their new vocalist.
Sugiya and Hayato provided live support until the release of "Lamentful Miss", which included them for the first time as full members. After K's death in 2014, he was replaced by Ryux.
The current lineup consists of:
*
Mana
According to Melanesian and Polynesian mythology, ''mana'' is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have ''mana''. They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being ...
–
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
s,
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
s,
programming
* Seth –
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
* Sugiya –
bass
* Hayato –
drums
* Ryux – guitars
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Dix Infernal
''Dix infernal'' is the first album by Moi dix Mois and was released on March 19, 2003.
"Tentation" and "Pessimiste" were re-recorded on the ''Dixanadu'' album.
Track listing
:All songs written by Mana
According to Melanesian and Po ...
'' (March 19, 2003),
Oricon Albums Chart Peak Position: No. 77
* ''
Nocturnal Opera'' (July 20, 2004) No. 116
* ''
Beyond the Gate'' (March 1, 2006) No. 84
[Moi dix Moisのアルバム売り上げランキング](_blank)
''oricon.co.jp.'' Retrieved 2012-02-19.
* ''
Dixanadu
''Dixanadu'' is an album released by Moi dix Mois on March 28, 2007. It contains re-recordings of "Tentation" ("Last Temptation") and "Pessimiste" ("Neo Pessimist"), originally from the album '' Dix Infernal''.
Style
The album features Gothic me ...
'' (March 28, 2007) No. 158
* ''D+Sect'' (December 15, 2010) No. 113
Compilation albums
* ''Reprise'' (July 11, 2012) No. 102
Singles
* "Dialogue Symphonie" (November 19, 2002),
Oricon Singles Chart Peak Position: No. 97
* "Shadows Temple" (May 31, 2004) No. 103
* "Pageant" (October 6, 2004) No. 40
* "Lamentful Miss" (October 4, 2006) No. 73
[Moi dix Moisのシングル売り上げランキング](_blank)
''oricon.co.jp.'' Retrieved 2012-02-19.
DVDs
* ''Dix Infernal ~Scars of Sabbath~'' (December 16, 2003), Oricon DVDs Chart Peak Position: No. 274
* ''Europe Tour 2005 -Invite to Immorality-'' (July 27, 2005)
* ''Dixanadu ~Fated "Raison d'être"~ Europe Tour 2007'' (January 30, 2008) No. 206
References
External links
Official websiteOfficial MySpace
{{Authority control
Gan-Shin artists
Visual kei musical groups
Japanese gothic metal musical groups
Japanese symphonic metal musical groups
Industrial metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 2002
Musical quintets
2002 establishments in Japan
Trisol Music Group artists