Moi dix Mois
Encyclopedia
Moi dix Mois is a musical project founded by Japan
ese musician and fashion designer Mana
in 2002 after his previous band, Malice Mizer
, paused activities.
Moi dix Mois played their first concerts outside Japan in March 2005 in Munich
, Germany
and Paris
, France
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
. 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 in Leipzig
, Germany
. They then returned to touring in Japan.
A prospective five city tour in the United States
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
in Anaheim, CA
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
, 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
.
They performed at Anime Expo
2009, the largest anime convention in North America, on July 2 at the Los Angeles Convention Center
. Also in July they went on a short 2 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 3 Malice Mizer members were on stage together. Moi dix Mois' fifth album, D+Sect, 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 will be composed of re-recordings of older songs, from the groups first two albums, by the current line-up. Fans can request which songs are chosen through Mana's blog.
Originally the lineup included:
Juka and Kazuno were employed from Moi dix Mois' conception, with Tohru being a support drummer originally. 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. It was announced that Kazuno and Tohru would also be leaving with the release of Beyond the Gate
. At the same time, Seth was announced as being added to the project as vocalist.
Sugiya and Hayato provided live support until the release of "Lamentful Miss", which included them for the first time as full members.
The current lineup consists of:
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese musician and fashion designer Mana
Mana (musician)
Mana is a Japanese musician and fashion designer, best known for his role as leader and guitarist of the visual kei band Malice Mizer. His clothing label, Moi-même-Moitié, helped popularize Japan's Gothic Lolita fashion movement. Mana is currently working on his solo project Moi dix...
in 2002 after his previous band, Malice Mizer
Malice Mizer
Malice Mizer was a visual kei rock band from Japan. They were active from August 1992 to December 2001. Formed by Mana and Közi, the band's name stands for "malice and misery", extracted from "nothing but a being of malice and misery" — their reply to the question "what is human?"...
, paused activities.
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
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
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
Beyond the Gate
Beyond the Gate is an EP released by Moi dix Mois on March 1, 2006. A limited edition, containing instrumental versions of songs from the record was released as well...
. 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
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
. After the announcement of the Beyond the Gate
Beyond the Gate
Beyond the Gate is an EP released by Moi dix Mois on March 1, 2006. A limited edition, containing instrumental versions of songs from the record was released as well...
release was made, Seth was revealed as the new vocalist, and it was announced that Kazuno
Kazuno (musician)
Kazuno was a Japanese visual kei musician born on October 17 in Hiroshima.- Project History:Kazuno became known after being recruited by Mana in 2002 as bassist of his solo project Moi dix Mois. Kazuno was new to the visual kei scene and this was one of his first bands. Kazuno, along with drummer...
(bass) and Tohru (drums) were both leaving the group.
In June 2006, Moi dix Mois headlined the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. They then returned to touring in Japan.
A prospective five city tour in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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
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 . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...
in Anaheim, CA
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
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
Dixanadu is an album released by Moi dix Mois on March 28, 2007. It contains re-recordings of "Tentation" and "Pessimiste" , originally from the album Dix Infernal.-Track listing:# "Dispell Bound" – 3:04...
, 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
Közi is a Japanese musician who plays guitar, piano, keyboard and synthesizer. Közi is best known as guitarist for the visual kei rock band Malice Mizer. After the band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2001, he joined the industrial rock act Eve of Destiny and also started a solo career...
.
They performed at Anime Expo
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 . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...
2009, the largest anime convention in North America, on July 2 at the Los Angeles Convention Center
Los Angeles Convention Center
The Los Angeles Convention Center is a convention center in the southwest portion of downtown Los Angeles. The LACC hosts annual events such as the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show and Anime Expo, and is best known to video games fans as host to E3...
. Also in July they went on a short 2 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 3 Malice Mizer members were on stage together. Moi dix Mois' fifth album, D+Sect, 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 will be composed of re-recordings of older songs, from the groups first two albums, by the current line-up. Fans can request which songs are chosen through Mana's blog.
Name
The band's name, which literally translates from French as "me ten months", has special meaning to Mana. "Moi" stands for his debut as a solo artist; "Dix" stands for the number ten and while one symbolizes the beginning of something, zero means something similar to "eternity"; "dix mois", again, means "ten months", the average time a baby grows inside its mother's womb before being born (the Japanese traditionally count gestation in lunar months).Project member history
Moi dix Mois has experienced numerous lineup changes.Originally the lineup included:
- ManaMana (musician)Mana is a Japanese musician and fashion designer, best known for his role as leader and guitarist of the visual kei band Malice Mizer. His clothing label, Moi-même-Moitié, helped popularize Japan's Gothic Lolita fashion movement. Mana is currently working on his solo project Moi dix...
– guitar, keyboards, and programming - Juka – vocals
- KazunoKazuno (musician)Kazuno was a Japanese visual kei musician born on October 17 in Hiroshima.- Project History:Kazuno became known after being recruited by Mana in 2002 as bassist of his solo project Moi dix Mois. Kazuno was new to the visual kei scene and this was one of his first bands. Kazuno, along with drummer...
– bass - Tohru – drums
Juka and Kazuno were employed from Moi dix Mois' conception, with Tohru being a support drummer originally. 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. It was announced that Kazuno and Tohru would also be leaving with the release of Beyond the Gate
Beyond the Gate
Beyond the Gate is an EP released by Moi dix Mois on March 1, 2006. A limited edition, containing instrumental versions of songs from the record was released as well...
. At the same time, Seth was announced as being added to the project as vocalist.
Sugiya and Hayato provided live support until the release of "Lamentful Miss", which included them for the first time as full members.
The current lineup consists of:
- Mana – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboards and programming - Seth – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- K – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Sugiya – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Hayato – drums
Albums
- Dix InfernalDix InfernalDix 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:# "Dix Infernal" – 0:42...
(March 19, 2003) - Nocturnal OperaNocturnal OperaNocturnal Opera is an album released by Moi dix Mois on July 20, 2004. It was also released in Europe as a 2CD digipack, with the other CD containing a collection of the singles released by Moi dix Mois...
(July 20, 2004) - Beyond the GateBeyond the GateBeyond the Gate is an EP released by Moi dix Mois on March 1, 2006. A limited edition, containing instrumental versions of songs from the record was released as well...
(March 1, 2006) - DixanaduDixanaduDixanadu is an album released by Moi dix Mois on March 28, 2007. It contains re-recordings of "Tentation" and "Pessimiste" , originally from the album Dix Infernal.-Track listing:# "Dispell Bound" – 3:04...
(March 28, 2007) - D+Sect (December 15, 2010)
Singles
- "Dialogue Symphonie" (November 19, 2002)
- "Shadows Temple" (May 31, 2004)
- "PageantPageant (song)"Pageant" is a single released by Moi dix Mois on January 5, 2005. This is the only release so far that does not have Mana on the cover....
" (October 6, 2004) - "Lamentful Miss" (October 4, 2006)
DVDs
- Dix Infernal ~Scars of Sabbath~ (December 16, 2003)
- Europe Tour 2005 -Invite to Immorality- (July 27, 2005)
- Dixanadu ~Fated "Raison d'être"~ Europe Tour 2007 (January 30, 2008)