There are quite a few.. Under Code Production, Speed Disc, PS Company, Sherow Artist Society, etc, and those that used to be around but just.. aren't.
For me, I've come to really enjoy listening to Matina bands. The melodies are good, and the guitar solos are even better. Though most of the bands signed to the label disbanded (or moved to UCP, as Vidoll did), some members moved on to join other bands that are currently active (I really don't want to list =.=).. And as for favorite bands from Matina, I like vellaDonna, MIRAGE, and GARDEN. NADIA also sounds like a band worth checking out, though all I've seen around by them is 'Tears like a snow' from Matina Prelude :-\ It's a good song though..
What are your favorite labels and bands on them, and which ones do you think people should check out?
White Force.
KEY PARTY.
Key Party had some pretty good bands signed to it (Noir fleurir, Eliphas Levi)
I also have a special respect for Euro because he produced one of my all time favourite VK CD's: Hoshi no hako by Da'vid/shito:aL.
I can't really say I'm a big fan of Matina, but Makaroni had their CD's produced by Matina... and other bands like Anti-Kranke (or it was already Under Code? bah its basically the same), but I don't like the typical 90s Matina bands. As I don't like the current typical UC bands either (just Kibouya honpo which isn't typical or copied)
There was (is?) also Donuts Records which had some nice nagoya bands like Phobia, Lamiel, kein, etc.
And then there's the little labels owned by bands such as Fantasia (AMADEUS) and TEMPLE (Klein Kaiser, BABYLON).
I like bands with their own label, they have all the freedom they want, which in the particular cases of Fantasia and TEMPLE, brings lots of creativity and originality. But they never get to be too big as bands produced by big labels of course (they always can perform in other label's live events and get new public though)
Oh yeah! and there's Art Pop, label of Metronome and SEX-ANDROID, love that label. (Kibouya honpo should be there)
edit: btw i'm about to upload something related to old Matina on the direct download forum... coincidence? :P
Contemode is a good label, that's the label capsule is on and theres a bunch of nagoya-kei and sugary plastic cute pop music on there, usually either jazzy or 8bit-y sorta sometimes.
Matina was only good because of Madeth and Mist Of Rouge.
Key Party and Soleil (which had La'Mule, Vasalla, Birushana, With Sexy, Marry+an+Blood etc.). Donuts Record West also had some nice bands (Lamiel, Phobia, Vizell)
Current labels, I don't know.... there's usually a band or two on every label I like, except PS Company and Loop Ash, who currently don't have any band I care for.
Art Pop = metronome,sex android
relative+heart = eight (and its nachi's label)
anarchist records = A lot of bands I like were on it, like WERKMARE, THE PIASS, ANTI FEMINISM
AMG OSAKA = for cool VA cd and supporting OTO-ONI
avex!!!!
lol jk i actually don't know what label most of the bands i listen to are one >.< sorry i fail...i only know basically what bands are on psc and most of the bands on UCP (i haven't memorized them but i slightly glanced at the homepage once) ...and then well a few band's label here and there... it's just something i hardly pay attention to >.<
Matina is great!!!
Sherow Aritist Society is my favorite mainly because it has Metis Gretel. I'm hoping they will sign more kotekote kei bands We really need them!
QuoteAMG OSAKA = for cool VA cd and supporting OTO-ONI
Tricycle for Amatarase.
Quote from: wtfuxeric on July 28, 2007, 07:11:06 PM
Matina is great!!!
Sherow Aritist Society is my favorite mainly because it has Metis Gretel. I'm hoping they will sign more kotekote kei bands We really need them!
Yes *__*
Quote from: Champ213 on July 28, 2007, 12:23:00 PM
Donuts Record West also had some nice bands (Lamiel, Phobia, Vizell)
Never heard of this one (and had no idea Lamiel was on it)! I just looked it up, and their Wiki says CROIX and Aliza Marie were on it too. ;D
Sherow Artist Society should sign EREMIA (http://ariel.cside.ne.jp/eremia_official/eremia.html). They fit into their concept, already participated in some of their events ans are friends with Metis Gretel. And I think they could far with a good production. Their latest releases already were pretty decent.
sry if i sound stupid but what exactly is kotekote kei >.< i like Metis Gretel but i had no idea they fell into another sub-genre of vk, so would anyone be kind enough to explain...again sorry for my obliviousness
Quote from: Do As Eternity 6 on July 29, 2007, 01:52:18 AM
sry if i sound stupid but what exactly is kotekote kei >.< i like Metis Gretel but i had no idea they fell into another sub-genre of vk, so would anyone be kind enough to explain...again sorry for my obliviousness
"Old school vk". Stuff like Key Party, Matina etc. It's sometimes lously used as "opposite" of oshare kei. Flamboyant clothing and/or lots of black leather, fishnet, gothy stuff, heavy make-up, colorful hair etc. Usually with a darker, heavier sound as opposed to happier oshare stuff.
okay thanks ^^
Quote from: Champ213 on July 29, 2007, 01:42:13 AM
Sherow Artist Society should sign EREMIA (http://ariel.cside.ne.jp/eremia_official/eremia.html). They fit into their concept, already participated in some of their events ans are friends with Metis Gretel. And I think they could far with a good production. Their latest releases already were pretty decent.
Oh my goodness you are right.
They have that 90's Vkish look.
I don't know.. Eremia seems too..amateurish to me. But who knows, maybe with Kamijo's help they could be great.
I think SAS is the best label around right now, not a bad band in the whole bunch. Versailles, Dollis Marry, Metis Gretel, and Juka? All-star cast! I'd love to see Kaya signed too.. They're always doing lives together so he'd fit right in.
^Kaya would be an excellent addtion.
Speaking of Kaya.
What label is he signed to know? ._o
Quote from: Tsunetako on July 29, 2007, 06:41:14 AM
I don't know.. Eremia seems too..amateurish to me.
Have you heard Metis Gretel before they signed up to SAS? :D
my favourite label is Shewrow Artist Society.
they've all my favourite artist as Juka, Hizaki, Metis Gretel and Dollis Marry and Kamijo.
for me it's the best label..great artist and concept ^__^
Quote from: Champ213 on July 29, 2007, 12:25:12 PM
Quote from: Tsunetako on July 29, 2007, 06:41:14 AM
I don't know.. Eremia seems too..amateurish to me.
Have you heard Metis Gretel before they signed up to SAS? :D
Point taken :D
I just like to pretend those demo tapes don't exist. It's easier.
Quote from: Tsunetako on July 29, 2007, 07:38:22 PM
I just like to pretend those demo tapes don't exist. It's easier.
Yeah, one only needs to compare the original version of Metamorphose with the new one from the Graceful Playboys sampler. :-X
Quote from: Alice the Sister on July 28, 2007, 06:53:11 AM
KEY PARTY.
YES.
Also, Donuts Records West and Matina.
There's a lot of other indies labels I like but I can't really pick, because I'm saying these three because I like most of the bands on the label, whereas I don't on a lot of others.
My favorite Label is Peace&Smile and psCompany
H.G.FACT
Sherow Artist Society, Sequence Records isn't too bad either.
Free-Will also has/had some great bands, but I stopped reading anything about that... But maybe I only confuse sublabels here.
Other than that, Sky Crue and that Donut thingie I kind of forgot.
Favorite label is enter brain, but they do more business as an eventer and distributor.
Bands on the label I like: deathgaze, meth., MaveRick
Bands they distribute that I like: heidi. (at one point anyway), Hucci
I used to really love Loop Ash as well but all the bands I liked have disbanded (Kamikaze Boyz, Marusa, SCISSOR)
Quote from: archaela on August 10, 2007, 07:20:43 AM
Favorite label is enter brain, but they do more business as an eventer and distributor.
Bands on the label I like: deathgaze, meth., MaveRick
Bands they distribute that I like: heidi. (at one point anyway), Hucci
I used to really love Loop Ash as well but all the bands I liked have disbanded (Kamikaze Boyz, Marusa, SCISSOR)
oh shit how could i forget enter brain D:
Ah, I miss the Key Party Label. I went through an Aliene Ma'riage phase for quite a while.
But the Matina Label never quite rubbed off on me. I seriously could not tell one band from the other, both music and appearance wise. . I've always kind of related it to the start of the cookie cutter visual kei bands. The only band I really liked was Madeth Gray'll.
PS company has decent bands, but they focus too much on image marketing. So did Loop Ash.
My favorite as of now is probably Danger Crue.
MATINA, always MATINA !
UNDER CODE is ok, but for me isn't good enough as MATINA was
Where was signed Deflina Ma'riage? Auto-produce? Because their music sounds like old visual kei (of course cause there is ex members from missalina rei, alienema'riage and Noir fleurir). In fact I think it was the last band who sounds "exactly" like old bands...
Metis gretel sounds like old bands too, but they have some new school stuff.
Now I listen Jakura, do you remember this band? They was on Marder suitcase (the label of MAHIRO(ex.FAME))
I have a link who can interested you:
http://www22.big.or.jp/~yunisan/vi/lavel.html (http://www22.big.or.jp/~yunisan/vi/lavel.html)
Enjoy! ^^
( Sorry if you don' t understand, I' m not pretty good in English... :/ )
all our hearts in Matina :P :P
Quote from: wtfuxeric on July 28, 2007, 07:11:06 PM
Matina is great!!!
Sherow Aritist Society is my favorite mainly because it has Metis Gretel. I'm hoping they will sign more kotekote kei bands We really need them!
Love Metis Gretel +1
But not many audience known them...
Their style not popular now.
Quote from: garara2007 on October 07, 2007, 06:18:49 AM
Love Metis Gretel +1
But not many audience known them...
Their style not popular now.
Yeah..it's their Kotekote image. Most Kotekote bands seemed to have disbanded with the end of Matina.
It would be nice to hear more 'old-school' bands today, with better recording quality and such.
Bring kotekote back I say! =X
EDIT:
Quote from: karasu1 on August 27, 2007, 11:51:49 AM
I have a link who can interested you:
http://www22.big.or.jp/~yunisan/vi/lavel.html (http://www22.big.or.jp/~yunisan/vi/lavel.html)
Enjoy! ^^
I forgot to add, thanks for the link! *_* This will help me with sorting Visual Kei bands by Label, since sorting them by 'VK/non-VK' makes a really long list. ^^;
Donuts Record West has always had cool bands (like Aliza Marie, バービー, 苺69。, LADY, Lamiel, SIX-R, etc.) and I like ASS'n'ARRow～あすなろ～ a lot.
Some other big ones we didn't go over (either that or I missed it) are Sequence Records (Blast:List, exist†trace, gemmik, ClearVeil, +ISOLATION, key) and Maple Kiss Artist☆Stars Production (えんそく, ANUBIS, FeaDior).
Some good, and some not so good bands there. :P
Kreis was an awesome label back in the day :( They had a ton of great bands like JILS, Ize, Shelly Trip Realize, da'vid no shito:al and pleur.
damn, how come I frogot Kreis :-X
Yukiya has now a new label called Kranze: http://www.kranze.net/
Thats pretty awesome :O though the drummer of logiq scares the hell out of me XD
Quote from: Naja on October 08, 2007, 10:22:03 PM
damn, how come I frogot Kreis :-X
Yukiya has now a new label called Kranze: http://www.kranze.net/
Speaking of which....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/Azami/587102353_239.jpg)
Yukiya's new project 'Kain' will release their first single & album soon.
ObscureWarumono ---> You re welcome for the link! :
I think there is many people who wait there is new kotekote bands.
I m disapointed that Kisaki stopped to be musician, he Always has good band. And Matina was the best kotekote label ever, Kisaki has good for thind good new bands. For me, UNDERCODE is not a good label, Vidoll and Phantasmagoria was good bands, 12012 too but now they are more like "gazette" than kotekote... I think all other bands form this label will have difficulties for become great bands and have succes, maye except Kibouya Honpo. I wait listen "Chariots" (The french word for "wagon" in english... XD) , the new project of Riku (phantasmagoria).
I think is more difficult now to find good VK bands with make emotions, and who don't make same sound like other bands... And it's more difficult to find bands with a beautiful style, not too much basic...
Sequence records is a good label, Exist trace is a very good band, Clearveil too, and ISOLATION is crazy! ^^ All those bands have a beautiful style.
But Gemmik disband soon(right?), Black:list wait new musicians or be disbanded...
Tomozo (Sequence records chairman) has a project called "KEY" I never see and never listen... I m interested in this band.
Anarchist records is a good label too, The piass and Anti feminism! :p (lol) I love those bands! ^^ The piass have always a very beautiful style!
The best label now is maybe Sherow artist socity (Kamijo's label). I think all bands on this label have a true VK spirit, all bands express an idea/ concept by music and visuel in the same way, together. There is few bands on this label for now... maybe new bands will sign in futur, I hope. Maybe the new Matina? (lol :) )
Kamijo is a great man, he has a good spirit I think he will make good things for VK.
Today, Metis gretel is the best kotekote band, isn't it? Without them, there isn' t enought kotekote bands... Eremia, Dollis marry (?), Berlin (?), Marvelous maiden, what's more? Maybe Nega and Hurts from UNDERCODE, Siva and Dari too?
It can be funny to find all kotekote bands who live again now.... ^^"
(Sorry for my bad English... >.>)
is eXtasy records counted? hmm... by yoshiki of x japan.
no fucking way!