Friday 31 October 2014

Hey, Do You Know: Zonbi?



So, I have for you a band that I have liked for a while now that I'm excited to talk about, they are called "Zonbi (ぞんび)"! They were formed in May 2013 and have 4 singles and 1 mini-album out now. Most of their singles have sold out and their mini-album's second press is also venue limited, so be sure to attend one of their lives to get it! I absolutely LOVE their theme and band intro music, it suits them VERY well. I would love to see their zombie march live. I really enjoy listening to Atom's voice, I can listen to him all day. Zonbi do have a sample of their mini album "infection rundesu" on their YouTube so be sure to check it out!

Iris

Fashion Fraction: HALLOWEEN EDITION

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, GHOSTS AND GHOULS~!

We hope you have lots of fun and exciting plans for your Halloween weekend because Halloween doesn't just end once November hits!

Today I'm going to show my Halloween costume and how you can make a unique but recognizable character and not have to give in to the basic mass-produced costumes (but, if you want to, go right on ahead!)

For Halloween this year, I am... Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas~!

Tuesday 28 October 2014

Band Feature: Spacetime And Streams















Formed in February 2010, Spacetime and Streams is a band inspired by a variety a music to create their own grunge alternative shoe-gazing style. Ever chasing after their inspiration, they have carved their own path and seek to free you from everyday, and introduce to you their unique creation of space.


Vocalist: carlos
Birthday: Sept. 11th
Favorite colour: Yellow
Favorite food: Japanese noodles
Most known for saying/catch phrase: Nothing's real anymore.









Lead Guitar: bancho
Birthday: May 5th
Favorite Artist: 3 Doors Down
Instrument brand of choice: Altero Custom Guitars
Favorite colour: Black
Favorite food: Japanese food
Most known for saying/catch phrase: Nobody is perfect.







Bass: masashi
Birthday: March 20th
Instrument brand of choice: FODERA、MOON
Favorite colour: Blue
Favorite brand of clothing: ZARA
Favorite food: Curry
Most known for saying/catch phrase: Treasure every meeting, for it will never recur.




Drums: taka
Birthday: August 17th
Instrument brand of choice: I use ALL USED or ALL REMODELED drum parts.
Favorite colour: Blue
Favorite brand of clothing: Adidas Originals
Favorite food: Italian
Most known for saying/catch phrase: Don’t think, feel.





Though busy with new PVs and member changes, the guys of Spacetime and Streams squeezed us in to talk a bit about what inspires them and the dreams they are chasing. 

Review: ALSDEAD - IDEA



About the Band: ALSDEAD is an alternative-metal band from Tokyo known for a heavy, melodic sound founded in 2008 by DICE AND JOKER members Maki (v), Shin (g) and Setsua (d) and joined by bassist Reito. Reito departed in August 2011 and was replaced by the young and talented Yosuke and the four would power through the VK scene until the recent and heartbreaking departure of Setsua in January of 2014. Former GALEYD drummer, Nikky, joined the ranks in May, giving us the ALSDEAD we have today. IDEA is their third full-length album.


Monday 27 October 2014

Band Feature: Spacetime And Streams Teaser!


2014 has been a busy year for these guys, but even with the chaos, Spacetime and Streams squeezed us in! With their 3rd PV due to be released Nov 1st, you'll definitely want to give them a listen! And be sure to check out our feature focus on them, out tomorrow! So click play, and meet the members behind the band!

The Weekly Quickie: Hide, DEATHGAZE, heidi., Vampire Knight, MAN WITH A MISSION


 We'll be starting off this week with an interesting if not sort of creepy announcement.  On December 10, former X-Japan guitarist Hide will be releasing a new song.  No, this isn't a Halloween, zombie, back from the dead thing (though that would be pretty cool).  As it turns out, Hide was working on a song shortly before his death in 1998 called Co Gal that was meant to be included on his album Ja,Zoo, but he passed before it was finished.  Now, sixteen years later, the song has been completed.  Using VOCALOID technology, Hide himself is able to sing the song he never finished.  The track will be included on the upcoming album of the same name commemorating his 50th birthday.


Saturday 25 October 2014

WANTED: Translators!



Project:  Lixx is on the hunt for passionate and dedicated volunteer translators to assist in correspondence with Japanese entertainers and staff.  We are looking for someone who can translate from English to Japanese and vice versa with reasonable speed and accuracy.  If you are proficient in reading and writing Japanese, passionate about Japanese music and culture, and looking for a place to use your skills, contact us at xzzlixxzzx@live.ca.  Please include examples of previous translation work with your submission.

Monday 20 October 2014

The Weekly Quickie: Liraizo, Mix Speaker's, Inc., Gackt, Avanchik, Miyavi

 
And it starts. Brand spanking new band Liraizo is holding their first ever live internet broadcast, Liraizo Himitsu Housou Club, on October 30.  In case you missed it, Liraizo is a new project made up of ex-AND Eccentric Agent guitarist Kili and drummer Suzune, ex-Screw bassist Yuutoman, ex-Mix Speaker's vocalist Yuki and ex-Circus guitarist Toma.  The broadcast will air on Music Japan Plus starting at 20:00 JST and is sure to full of fun stuff, so set your alarms (that's really effin early in the morning where I am) and check it out.


Sunday 19 October 2014

Fashion Fraction [Tutorials] Basic Visual Kei Eye-Makeup

Hello, fashion fiends... and welcome to the first Fashion Fraction Tutorial!

Today I'm going to demonstrate how I do a BASIC Visual Kei eye. Now, to me, basic VK means the black eyelid with rounding at the sides that lead to the bottom lash line (you'll see exactly what I mean here soon). It's the simplest and fastest makeup I've been able to do and still feel "VK".

What You'll Need:

- makeup applicator sponges (for foundation)
- 3 brushes - thin tipped gel liner brush, angled eyeshadow brush, and a soft round eyeshadow brush
- 3 step foundation - concealer, liquid foundation, and powder foundation
- black pencil liner
- black gel liner
- black eyeshadow
- white eyeshadow
- mascara

What I'll Be Using:

- Maybelline Fit Me concealer and powder foundation; Covergirl -3 in 1 liquid foundation
- NYC pencil liner
- Revlon gel liner
- Hard Candy black eyeshadow
- Hard Candy white eyeshadow
- Maybelline One By One mascara
- brushes are both makeup brushes & paintbrushes (when in a penny pinch, they work just fine!)



Step 1: Push your hair back out of your face and clean your face free of excess makeup and dirt. I have specific products I use to treat my acne while also moisturizing my face and reducing redness- which I shall recommend in my November 11 post!

NOTICE: I don't have eyebrows. This tutorial is going to show how I draw on my eyebrows. If you still have eyebrows, no worries! Just go about your normal eyebrow business. If you want to temporarily get rid of your eyebrows, take a glue stick and run it over them; patting them down as flat as possible before you put your foundation on. There are many tutorials out there that teach you how to do this step by step if you want a clearer explanation.



Step 2: Foundation routine!! Apply your foundation as normal. For myself, I go concealer -> liquid -> powder. Conceal all red marks and imperfections then, with a foam applicator, apply your favourite liquid foundation- blending down the neck and to the ears-, and lastly apply your powder foundation over for a matte finish.

Notice the different the 3 steps make!? Some people use a 2 step routine and that's fine- if you can achieve a clear matte finish with whatever routine you use, then good! This is no filter, no editing- just pure makeup.


Step 3 - Line your eyes as normal. Using the pencil eyeliner, trace as close to your lash line on both the top and bottom. Some people have a problem getting all the skin filled along the top lash line especially.

Something I do is close my eye and pull it to the side to eliminate any puckering skin and make it as smooth as possible. Pull your bottom lash line down to get right on the waterline; you can also pull it to the side like the top to connect the liner in a complete almond shape (or whatever shape your eyes may be).


Step 4 - Trace your crease.

This can be tricky than what it seems because your eye socket shape and crease could make a shape that you don't necessarily want when you open your eye. Try to keep the angle from the tear duct as sharp and low, building to the outer edge of the eye. Think of it like half of a heart at first- later you can make it more rounded on the outer edge.

Something to keep in mind: Everyone's eyes are shaped differently- including creases and sockets. Example: I noticed that my left eye socket will create a higher arch while my right will be farther to the side. You have to experiment and learn to compensate for what the results may be. No one is proportional; it's been determined that many of us all have a "lazy eye". So don't get frustrated if your makeup isn't as perfectly arched or even on both sides. It's all a matter of illusion and angle :)


Step 5 - fill in your eyelid with the black gel liner with the gel liner brush. TAKE YOUR TIME! Use even strokes and make sure to fill in to the lash line. Be even on the inner edge towards the tear duct and keep the arch like I previously mentioned- like a half heart. Don't cake the gel on; some gel liners feel "heavy" on the eyelids and some are easy to spread and blend. Practice with the gel to get a feel for it. Gel is more forgiving than liquid and easier to work with (in my opinion)- it has the consistency of liquid but with the controlled comfort of a pencil liner.






Step 6 - Set and fill in with black eyeshadow with a combination of the angled shadow brush and the soft round shadow brush. Many people skip this step and I don't know why. For me, this helps my makeup stay longer and stay vibrant. You have primer for your face and eyelids that does a good job at that, but to be double sure... setting with a matte shadow and even going the extra step with a setting spray will do wonders.

You're going to cover the gel liner with your favourite black eyeshadow. REMEMBER- fill in your waterline as well and blend the outer edge of the eye to connect with the top arch. You can also take this time to round out the edge even more. To get that swoop of thickness near the outer edge, just take the angled brush while pulling your outer corner to the side and follow the curve of your lower eye to the top lashes.

Step 7 - Add some colour ~

I used my soft round brush with white eyeshadow just to trace along the outer edge of the arch, up to about the middle of the crease. You can use any colour you want here. White also serves as a highlighter and makes the eyes pop even more than they already will. You can play with this and make the line thicker and even layer more colours on top of one another.
Have fun with this part!

Step 8 - Eyebrows!

I normally take a brown liner pencil and trace out the basic shape of the eyebrow that I want... but, my brown liner officially ran out the other day and I have yet to get to the store to get a new one. So, for this tutorial, I'll be using my black liner to trace the shape and a dark brown shadow to fill in.

I love drawing on my eyebrows because I can change the shape to whatever I want. Today, I went more sharp and angled with a nice arched tail. Alternatively, I could have just ended the brow at the highest point before the arch and had angry little daggers for eyebrows.

Filled in with dark brown shadow ->


You can also experiment with thickness at the bridge by taking an angled brush and creating little triangles, blending them back smoothly to the arch.

Something I shall demonstrate next time.








DONE~!









Keep in mind... this is really simple and focusing on the eyes only.

Other things to add in are contouring on the bridge, nose, cheekbones, temples, and chin; playing with the lips- either a gloss or more flesh tone; and even some decorations like acrylic gems or makeup designs.

I will be doing more demonstrations of Visual Kei makeup (as well as maybe some other styles) in the future.

Please be sure to send in your Visual Kei fashion photos to me by October 25. You can email your photos to taka_kagaku2011@hotmail.com and please be sure to specify what type of VK you would like to be featured under- I will be covering Angura Kei (eroguro/chikashitsu), Kote Kei, Tanbi Kei, Nagoya Kei, Neo-Visual, and Soft Visual.

Also, be prepared for the Taka's Product Picks to be posted on November 11. I will be talking about some of my favourite skin care, makeup, and hair care products!
Thanks for reading and good luck, makeup artists~!

~Taka

Wednesday 15 October 2014

Infuzzion Episode 3: Airing October 18th!


We're back!

And we know you missed us...but, who is "us"? This month we introduce you to some of the staff members behind the scenes making everything work, and getting you all the J-Rock you can handle!

And of course, we'll have some new releases, reviews and updates on happenings in the coming month. 

So save the date, the link, and our sanity by tuning in! And don't forget to use the hashtag #jrockradio to chat with us during the broadcast. It gets lonely without you ;)

When: October 18th, 2014; 9-11pm EST

Pre-Order: VYPER Japanese Music Magazine Vol. 002



VYPER Japanese Music Magazine's next issue, Vol 002, is now available for pre-order!!

Initially a French print magazine, this issue also includes English articles! So be sure to order your copy well ahead of time, as this volume is sure to be in demand. 

Also in this issue, a full feature article by VYPER partner Rokkyuu Magazine, well known for their great coverage of everything happening Japan-side!



<Couverture - Cover>

Lycaon


<Intérieur - Inside >

Lycaon/BORN Special Live Report
Satsuki
Sukekiyo
ONE OK ROCK
DaizyStripper
NINJAMAN JAPAN
OLDCODEX
Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas
Pia-No-Jac
VIP
m:ature


<Arrière de Couverture - Back Cover >

BORN

Dan's Pick "Boris"


 So I feel quite awful about missing last month. It snuck up on me!!! I'm not going to feed you a bunch of excuses, though. I'm just going to feed you some pretty stellar music. 

This month I offer to you, Boris! I'm sure a good number of you have heard of them, but if you haven't you may be in for a good treat. 

Boris (ボリス) is a experimental, noise, sludge, psychedelic, doom, noise, black metal band out of Tokyo. Formed in the early 90's, the band started out as a four piece. However, now they are a three piece heavy behemoth consisting of

Atsuo: Vox/Drums
Wata: Vox/Guitar/Keyboard
Takeshi: Vox/Bass/Guitar

I first came across this group from Adult Swim's metal compilation. I'll admit... When I first heard the song I was a little unsure. Just how open it sounded, so atmospheric, and the drumming and guitars... something about it put me off. Then, what I wanted in my metal was just pure heavy, in your face, angry metal. At the same time, though, I was really drawn to it. Now I'm glad I gave them a chance. 

This song is called "Luna" which and comes off their 2011 release "New Record" or off of "Metal Swim", Adult Swim's metal compilation. I think what's most captivating to me about this song are the vocals. They're so angelic and echo-y it really sets the song. Then there are the towering walls of reverbed riffage coming from most of the guitars, but there's also this guitar lead under all the heaviness that flows through the whole song. Like a silver lining amongst a dark cloud of metal. It's just gawwwjuss. I don't really hear much from the bass, and the drums are very rapid and repetitive. But that's to be expected from a song like this.

So without further adieu, here is "Luna"!





Noise / BORIS
BORIS

Monday 13 October 2014

The Weekly Quickie: X-Japan, Nocturnal Bloodlust, My Bacteria Heat Island, LM.C, SuG



As you all probably know, X-Japan played Madison Square Garden in their first show in what seems like a hundred years.  From what I'm hearing, the show went great and came with a big announcement.  X-Japan has confirmed the release of a new album and a world tour!  No details as of yet, but we'll be sure to keep you posted.


Friday 10 October 2014

Review: Moulin Rouge - Kamijo


Ex-Versailles vocalist, Kamijo, has been a busy bee here in 2014! Releasing the mini album, Symphony of the Vampire, back in March; the single, Moulin Rouge, in June; the single, Yamiyo No Lion, in July, and now the newest album, Heart, released a few weeks ago.

For myself... times have made it so my music purchases have to be digital and iTunes takes a bit of time before updating their store, especially when it comes to foreign artists. If you are an iTunes shopper like myself, you'd find that Symphony of the Vampire and Moulin Rouge are available. Even the solo debut single, Louis ~Enketsu No La Vie En Rose~, is available to purchase... but Yamiyo No Lion and Heart have yet to be added. I shall be keeping my eyes peeled to see if and when they get to that...

But for now, with the hype of Heart's release a few weeks back, I felt it a perfect time to review one of the singles that lead up to the release: Moulin Rouge. The title track is even featured on the album along with Louis and Yamiyo No Lion, even an acoustic version of Presto from Symphony of the Vampire!

All of these releases can be bought physically on CDJapan

EVENT: Royz Livestream Q&A @ XENON



XENON Japanese fasion and music shop will be holding a livestream Q&A event on November 21, this time with visual kei rockers, Royz!  Fans are able to ask questions and interact with the band directly through live streaming chat.  This event starts at 8pm and is absolutely free, so if you're in the LA area, NO EXCUSES!



Xenon -Japanesque Rock + Shibuya Style-
319 E 2nd St. #119 Los Angeles, CA 90012
Located inside Little Tokyo Mall
★MC HOST★
Ryo(ex.LF-laissez faire-)

Thursday 9 October 2014

Hey, Do You Know: MAJOLICA?


Say HELLO to MAJOLICA! They came out with their 0th single 【春時雨】 (Spring Showers) released June 14/2014 and it SOLD OUT. There is a second pressing of 【春時雨】 available, but it is venue limited. Their 1st single is 【Masquerade/Misery】, which came out September 24. So far I REALLY like their sound, but I want to hear more. Kyohei's voice is fantastic and he has good vocal range. They do have sample videos on their YouTube channel, so give them a chance and check them out!

Iris

Wednesday 8 October 2014

PV Analysis Plus: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - 'Kira Kira Killer' + How-to, Hosting and Hanging with Pikachu


If you're a regular visitor to Project: Lixx or looking around for the first time, you've surely noticed the focus on J-Rock and Visual Kei in the content here. While I enjoy heavier music, the pop fan in me finds the work of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu compelling on a number of levels. After seeing her live at Sound Academy in Toronto earlier this year (see my report here) I've kept up with her output as it never fails to lift my mood and heart. There's an evolution of the artist happening along the way, not only musically but through expansion to a number of arenas. Since my last look at her PV output she's released the album Pika Pika Fantajin and the video for single Kira Kira Killer provides more candy-flavoured visuals with a streak of darkness beneath.



Tuesday 7 October 2014

Review: LOG - Brave BLUE



About the band: LOG, comprised of vocalist Vambi, guitarists Narumi and Rumina, and bassist Yuki, is a relatively new band in the Visual scene. Formed in February of this year, they are known for their heavy pop melodies and electronic beats. Brave BLUE, released August 3, is their second single.


Monday 6 October 2014

The Weekly Quickie: My Bacteria Heat Island, GRIEVA, QuaLiA, DEATHGAZE, D.I.D., ViViD



We have a mystery this week, folks.  I took a visit to My Bacteria Heat Island's homepage and....countdown?  No clues as to what it means, but boy does it have me excited.  If you aren't familiar with My Bacteria Heat Island, it is the new band fronted by ex-Chemical Pictures vocalist, Tenten and it is....REALLY good so, needless to say, I can't wait to see what surprise they have in store for us.


Wednesday 1 October 2014

EVENT: Babel Entertainment Presents GangLioN at Oni-Con Galveston



Oni-Con is what I like to call the Goldilocks of conventions.  All the great content of a big convention without the infuriating crowds and endless lines.  They always feature great bands, interesting panels, amazing art vendors and some of the best cosplay I've ever seen.  And, even better:  it's on the beach!


This year’s music lineup includes all-girl group, GangLioN. Formed in 2010, GangLioN strives for a sound unbound by genre and, as I sit here and struggle to describe their music, I realize they’ve done it. Mixing heavy-metal guitar riffs, funky bass lines and seductively smooth vocals, these girls defy classification. With sugar and spice and no small amount of venom, they tear up any stage they stand on and Oni-Con promises to be no different.  Check out their video for Distance off of their newest EP, Infinity, below.  Pre-registration is happening now so visit www.oni-con.net for schedules and ticket info.

Oni-Con XI
Galveston Island Convention Center
Galveston, Tx
October 31-November 2