Közi

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Vocal, Guitar, Keyboard : Közi

OFFICIAL LINKS
DALLE - official site
Közi - official site

PROFILE
Közi is best known for his role in influential visual rock band Malice Mizer. After the band split in 2001, Közi released an album with author and former Malice Mizer assistant Minako Honda and joined forces with Haruhiko Ash to perform in his band Eve of Destiny. Aside from his activities with Eve of Destiny, Közi is also pursuing a solo career at a leisurely pace.Közi's solo work consists of fairly simplistic arrangements layered with 'noise' and effects. Although his compositions may appear rather 'eccentric', it is clear that Közi has created his own brand of music and has separated himself from his days in Malice Mizer.

BIOGRAPHY
Born in Niigata, Közi was brought up in a world of music even though he had no interest in mastering the piano which he learned for six years under the influence of his parents during his years in primary school. It is something of a known fact that Közi loves to paint and it is no surprise that as a child, his ambition was to pursue the career of a cartoonist. However, it was in high school that Közi became a fan of the electric guitar thanks to a friend of his, so much in fact, that he decided right there and then to play in a band.Initially he chose to learn bass as his friend knew how to play guitar and he felt it in their best interest for both to at least have two instruments under their belt in order to succeed. These plans were unfortunately thwarted as Közi rapidly discovered that he was not enjoying learning how to play the instrument and his desire to play in a band was distracting him from school.It was at the age of sixteen that Közi and an older friend moved to Tokyo in an attempt to find a band to play with. Due to the lack of money that the pair had bought with them on their journey, they were forced to sleep in a car and applied for band work under the guise of 'support members'. It was in this period that Közi played with two bands: GIRL and Beyond the Reinsight.As a fan of punk and noise style music, it was while working in a karaoke bar that Közi was first introduced to Mana who he rapidly became friends with due to the man's unique style and personality. It was from roughly 1990 to 1992 that the pair joined Matenrou and Közi composed songs that would become influential to the period following Malice Mizer's formation. Following Matenrou's disbandment in the April of 1992, both Mana and Közi came to a mutual agreement to create a new band together featuring double guitar and focusing around classical and horror elements.Officially forming in 1992, Malice Mizer held their first live performance on October 31st of the same year. Over the nine years that Malice Mizer existed, they rose from an unheard of band, to a major label status and then shifted to their own independent label. It should be noted that Közi was the secondary songwriter of the group and presented himself as the 'wild card' with compositions that often featured accordion, circus calliope and synthesizers.Following the band's split in 2001, Közi contributed to author Minako Honda's Izayoi no tsuki album. Following the general style of traditional Gothic horror, this album was somewhat reminiscent of Malice Mizer's works. On the opposite end of the spectrum however, was Közi's joining the Gothic/Industrial band Eve of Destiny who mostly toured Europe. Notably the band did not play in Japan due to the state of the Japanese Gothic scene at the time which was becoming unfashionable and to distance themselves from becoming just another 'visual kei' band.It was in 2002 that Közi released his first solo singles Kinema and Khaos both of which sold out relatively quickly. Following the release of his 2006 album Lokin' roll, Közi seems to once again be on a break, but with the popularity that this enigmatic artist has created both in his home country and abroad, there is hope for future works being released sooner rather than later.