Taiji Sawada, born on July 12, 1966. Is a Japanese musician and songwriter. Throughout his professional career usually referred to by his stage name only, he is primarily known for his work with the popular rock band X Japan, for which he played bass on its first three albums. He left the group in 1992 and went on to work with several other bands, such as Loudness and Cloud Nine. Throughout the indie years of X, he designed costumes for the members, and even made the wild hairstyle for Toshi. During X he was known as the bassist, but played some guitar tracks for the song "Voiceless Screaming" in the album Jealousy. Although he wrote many songs during X, "Voiceless Screaming" and "Desperate Angel" were the only songs that came out on the official album. But in 2001, the songs were released in Indies of X Rose and Blood. Taiji left X in 1992 due to musical differences, his last concert with the band being the final night of the On the Verge of Destruction concert at the Tokyo Dome.
After X
Taiji had several difficulties after X. After leaving X, Cloud Nine and D.T.R he had mental and financial problems, which led to divorce and he became homeless. Days later, he had help from his mother but had several suicide attempts and overdose of alcohol which led to liver problems and mental disorders. He had an accident while riding his motorcycle and had several casts on his body making him almost impossible to move around. Currently he has recovered and begun to write music again. In 2007 Taiji returned to Cloud Nine.
Hiroshi Morie, born January 22, 1968 in Amagasaki, Japan. Better known under is stage name "Heath", is a musician, songwriter and member of the popular band X Japan. Joining the group in 1992, he replaced Taiji Sawada on bass. He was first featured on the album Art of Life.
After the breakup he released two solo albums (Heath and Gang Age Cubist) and founded Dope Headz with fellow X Japan guitarist Tomoaki "Pata" Ishizuka and Spread Beaver percussionist/programmer I.N.A. in 2001. The Group ceased activity after two albums. Heath has since resumed his solo career and is currently participating in the X Japan reunion.
Tomoaki Ishizuka, born November 4, 1965 in Chiba, Japan. Better known under his stage name "Pata", is a musician and songwriter and was formerly featured on rhythm guitar and lead guitar in the popular Japanese band X Japan. Pata has taken his nickname from the name of Japanese manga Patalliro!. The reason he took the name is because he was said to resemble one of the characters. He is one of the very quiet ones in the band and usually doesn't show emotion even if he's interested in something. He joined the group in the late 1980s and stayed with it until its dissolution in 1997.
After the breakup he released two solo albums (Pata's 1st Solo Album and Raised on Rock) and founded Dope Headz with fellow X Japan bassist Heath and Spread Beaver percussionist/programmer I.N.A. in 2001. The Group ceased activity after two albums. Since then, Pata has joined Ra:IN (Rock and Inspiration) and is currently participating in the X Japan reunion.
Yoshiki Hayashi, born November 20, 1965, in Tateyama, Japan. Is a musician, songwriter and producer. Throughout his professional career usually referred to by his given name only, he is primarily known for co-founding the popular rock band X Japan, for which he plays drums and piano, along with writing most of the music. He is currently involved with the supergroup Skin.
Biography
Yoshiki formed X Japan with vocalist Toshimitsu "Toshi" Deyama in 1982. Four years later, he founded his own independent label, Extasy Records, in order to issue the band's music. Their breakthrough came in 1989 with the release of the Blue Blood album. After three more albums and several tours, the group broke up in 1997 but releases of arranged material and reissues continue until today.
Aside from his work with the group, Yoshiki has also collaborated with several noted artists such as Queen drummer Roger Taylor, Beatles producer George Martin and various others on the international Kiss tribute album Kiss My Ass. As a producer, he has provided several bands with first time recording contracts through Extasy Records, i.e. Luna Sea, Glay and Zi:Kill.
After X Japan disbanded, his next major endeavor was expected to become Violet UK, but the release of a debut album has since been postponed repeatedly. Beside a symphonic concert performed in 2002 and released on DVD in 2005 (which contained arrangements of old X Japan songs along with music supposedly created for Violet UK), no major publication of the project has yet surfaced.
Yoshiki remains active as a producer, i.e. for the bands Dir en grey and TRAX and has also briefly joined the pop band Globe. He has also contributed the theme song for the Expo 2005 and music for the movie Catacombs. More recently, he has helmed the J Rock Revolution festival in Los Angeles, California. during which his participation in the upcoming supergroup Skin was announced. It will also feature pop/rock artists Gackt and Miyavi and former Luna Sea guitarist Sugizo.
Yoshiki has also confirmed that X Japan will reunite, with a new single and a tour tentatively scheduled for later this year.
On September 20, 2007, at a Catacombs preview in Japan, it was announced that Yoshiki will be producing the soundtrack of the rock musical Repo! The Genetic Opera, along with composing one extra track. In 2003, Yoshiki worked with the lead singer of Pussycat Dolls Nicole Scherzinger on in his Violet UK project. She sang the English version of "I'll Be Your Love" live with the Tokyo Symphonic Orchestra. The track also appeared on the 2003 Various Artists album Exposition of Global Harmony.
In 2007, X Japan reunited. On October 22, 2007 they appeared together for the first time in over 10 years at a public filming of the promotion video for their new single "I.V." which was created for the movie Saw IV.
In March 2008, X Japan performed shows on three consecutive nights in Japan.
Equipment
Drums
While with X Japan, Yoshiki used a custom Tama Artstar II "Titan Body" drumset in a chrome finish with Zildjian cymbals.
The layout consisted of:
* 10"×10" tom-tom
* 11"×12" tom-tom
* 12"×13" tom-tom
* 13"×14" tom-tom
* 16"×16" floor tom-tom
* 16"×18" floor tom-tom
* 6½"×14" steel snare drum
* Two 16"×24" bass drums
* 20" ride cymbal
* 14" hi-hat
* Two 20" China cymbals
* Three 18" Crash cymbals
Piano
Yoshiki performs on a Kawai Crystal II Glad Grand Piano CR-40A. The piano has 88 keys at 7 1/4 octaves with 3 pedals. The piano also has an Aliquot system with fine ivory white keys and fine ebony black keys. The piano has a translucent acrylic resin use and a private chair attachment. The piano has a height of 39 inches, a frontage of 58.5 inches, a depth of 72.2 inches, and a weight of 935 pounds.
Toshimitsu Deyama, born October 10, 1965 in Chiba, Japan), better known by his stage name Toshi, is one of the founders and the vocalist of popular band X Japan, which disbanded in 1997, and then reunited after an 11 year long hiatus in 2008. In the years between and also at present, he has devoted his professional career to "healing music", traveling Japan and other countries to perform acoustic concerts for small audiences. He made a new band called "TOSHI with T-EARTH" and will start a concert tour within Japan. The band known for a new type of music, "Eco Hard Rock", will release its 1st album, "EARTH SPIRIT" in August 2008.
Hideto Matsumoto(December 13, 1964 – May 2, 1998), was a popular Japanese musician. More commonly known by his stage name hide (pronounced /hee.deh/, given in all-lowercase letters by the artist), he was primarily known for his work as lead guitarist of the popular heavy metal band X Japan from 1987 to 1997. He was also a successful solo artist and co-founder of the United States based band Zilch.
Early years (1964–1984)
Hideto Matsumoto was born in St Joseph's Hospital, Midorigaoka, Yokosuka, on December 13, 1964. He entered kindergarten in 1968, studying English for three years, followed by an enrollment in Yokosuka Tokiwa Junior High School. He was first exposed to rock and roll music at the age of fifteen, through the album Alive! by Kiss. In the same year his grandmother bought him his first electric guitar, a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe.
On March 11, 1980, Matsumoto graduated from Tokiwa Junior High School. He then entered Zushi Kaisei Senior High School in Zushi, Kanagawa, where he entered the school's brass band as a club activity. He quit the band soon though, because he was assigned the clarinet, while he wanted to play the trumpet. After this, he concentrated on guitar playing and in 1981, formed the independent band Saver Tiger. A year after their founding, they started playing shows at live houses in Yokosuka, such as Rock City.
In April 1983 he started attending cosmetology and fashion school at the Hollywood Beauty Salon in present-day Roppongi Hills, from which he graduated with outstanding results in 1984. Later that year he took a nationwide examination and successfully obtained a beautician license. In July 1985 Saver Tiger released the self-titled EP. In November, the band contributed to the Heavy Metal Force sampler series, which would also include songs by X Japan later on.
In 1986 the group changed its name to Yokosuka Saver Tiger to avoid confusion with a similarly-named band from Sapporo. Their first appearance with the new name was on the sampler Devil Must Be Driven out with Devil. They continued to perform in live houses and night clubs such as Meguro Rokumeikan, Omiya Freaks and Meguro Live Station.
Shortly after Yokosuka Saver Tiger disbanded, hide had a conversation over the phone with X band leader Yoshiki who expressed an interest to revive X Japan which had taken a hiatus after band members Jun and Hikaru had left.
X Japan (1987–1997)
Main article: X Japan
Hide joined X Japan (then called X) in 1987. He became the band's lead guitarist and occasional songwriter, composing songs like "Celebration", "Joker" and the single "Scars". Shortly after the release of the album Art of Life, the members of X Japan took a break, to start solo projects. Around that time, the group also dropped most of its original visual kei aesthetics, the exception being Matsumoto, who would still perform in wildly colorful outfits and with his trademark pink hair.
[edit] Solo career (1993–1998)
In early 1993, Matsumoto was featured on the sampler Dance 2 Noise 004, with the song "Frozen Bug", which he recorded with Inoran and J of Luna Sea. He also starred in an art film titled Seth et Holth, along with Tusk of Zi:Kill. In 1994, Matsumoto oversaw the production of the first release on his own label Lemoned (founded in 1989), an EP from the band Zeppet Store. In the same year, hide recorded and released his first solo album, Hide Your Face. In addition to songwriting, he played most of the guitars and bass on some of the tracks, and provided all lead vocals. The cover art was based on a mask designed by Swiss artist H. R. Giger. The album's musical style differed significantly from the speed metal anthems and power ballads of X Japan, leaning more towards alternative rock. Matsumoto then went on the Hide our Psychommunity Tour, for which the live band was hired that would later become part of his primary project, Hide with Spread Beaver.
A second album, Psyence, was released in 1996, also followed by a tour, Psyence a Go Go. After X Japan disbanded in 1997, Hide formally titled his solo project "hide with Spread Beaver". He also formed a second band, named Zilch in 1996, which, apart from himself and Spread Beaver percussionist I.N.A. was comprised of American and British artists, such as Joey Castillo (formerly in Danzig) and Paul Raven of Killing Joke. As with his solo project, Matsumoto acted as primary songwriter, singer and guitarist but due to circumstances beyond his control, the album wasn't realesed in 1998, the year of his death. Also in 1998, he started work on Ja Zoo, Spread Beaver's first solo album which Matsumoto never finished himself, due to his death in the same year.
Death
Hideto Matsumoto died on May 2, 1998. After a night out drinking, he was found hanged with a towel tied to a doorknob in his Tokyo apartment. Three fans died in copycat suicides, of the 50,000 people who attended his funeral in Tsukiji Hongan-ji, nearly 60 were hospitalized and about 200 received medical treatment in first aid tents. Later that month, the single "Pink Spider" was released, entering the Oricon charts at number one. The song would also receive that year's MTV Video Music Award in the category "Japan Viewers Choice". Sales were also strong for the follow up single "Ever Free", while those of a single released previous to his death "Rocket Dive" would also see a substantial increase. American Journalist and Pick Up Guru Neil Strauss commented on the trend saying that: "In just a few weeks, pop culture in Japan had gone from mourning Hide's death to consuming it."
While authorities deemed Matsumoto's death a suicide, several of Hide's friends and colleagues stated that they believed it to be an accident, among them X Japan co-founder Yoshiki Hayashi and former X Japan bassist Taiji Sawada. This notion is supported by the fact that no suicide note was left and Sawada theorizes in his autobiography, that at the night of his death, Hide may have been practicing a technique to relieve upper back and neck pains which guitarists can suffer from continuous use of a shoulder strap. The technique involved was practiced by the X Japan members during their touring days and required the use of a towel and a door knob or handle. According to Sawada, Matsumoto may have fallen asleep in his intoxicated state, becoming caught and strangling himself.
Zilch bassist Paul Raven commented that Hide was "under a lot of stress", due to recording schedule for the Ja, Zoo album. He went on to question the ultimate degree of Hide's involvement in the finished record, stating that only three songs had been completed before he died. Ja, Zoo was released in November of the same year, making it the only original studio album to bear the Hide with Spread Beaver handle. The Zilch debut album 3.2.1. was also released and the group continued to perform and record for several years. While they never achieved mainstream success in the United States one of their songs was included on the soundtrack for Heavy Metal 2000.
On May 1, 1999, a tribute album was released, titled Tribute Spirits. It features covers of Hide songs by several bands (such as Buck-Tick, Luna Sea and Oblivion Dust) and solo artists. A Hide museum opened in Yokosuka on July 20, 2000. It remained open, past its original three year plan, for five years before closing its doors on September 25, 2005.
As with many other late musicians, re-issues, compilations and previously unreleased portions of Matsumoto's work continue to be published, the most recent being several singles, re-released on May 2, 2007, the ninth anniversary of the artist's death. The remaining members of X Japan recently reunited and recorded a new song, titled "I.V.". It contains a previously unused guitar track by Hide. On July 8, 2007 Yoshiki Hayashi announced to be in talks with several musicians regarding a Hide tribute concert set for 2008, in order to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his former bandmate's passing. The Hide Memorial Summit was held on May 3 and May 4, 2008 at the Ajinomoto Stadium, where X Japan, as well as many other bands, performed.
Equipment
Hide was rarely seen performing without a Fernandes guitar. He owned a repertoire of signature models as well as standard models. His signature models are still available for purchase today.
Hide often utilized the sustainer feature that came equipped with his guitars, and is heard on many X Japan songs.
Aside from guitars, the majority of amps and effects were never publicly mentioned. Hide was often seen in the early 1990's using Peavey amplifiers on stage.
X Japan is a Japanese band founded in 1982 by Toshimitsu "Toshi" Deyama and Yoshiki Hayashi. Originally named X, the group achieved its breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album Blue Blood. They started out as a power/speed metal band and later gravitated towards a progressive sound, at all times retaining an emphasis on ballads. After three more albums, X Japan disbanded in 1997.
Besides being one of the first Japanese acts to achieve mainstream success while on an independent label, the group is widely credited for pioneering the visual kei movement, though most of the group's members toned down their on-stage attire in later years. As of 2007, the band has sold over twenty million records and over two million home videos.
On 4 June 2007 it was announced the band would reunite with a new song released via digital download in January 2008 and live performances scheduled for March and May.
