Yukihiro (born November 24, 1968, in Ichikawa, Chiba) is a Japanese musician, best known as drummer of the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel since 1998. He also sings and plays bass for his solo project Acid Android, and drums for the supergroup Petit Brabancon. Before joining L'Arc-en-Ciel he was in the popular visual kei bands Zi:Kill and Die in Cries.
Bands
- L'Arc~en~Ciel - current member
Credited On
- L'Arc~en~Ciel - TOUR 2007~2008 THEATER of KISS - L'Arc~en~Ciel, released August 27, 2008 (
KSBL-5909). Drum, Drums, Styling for yukihiro.
Biography
Translated from the ja.wikipedia article Yukihiro (CC BY-SA 4.0), revision 110296600.
Overview
Since his student days, yukihiro has participated in various bands, but his full-scale musical activities began around the time he joined ZI:KILL in 1989. The first commercially released studio recording to feature drums played by yukihiro was the band's album CLOSE DANCE. After leaving ZI:KILL, he formed the music unit OPTIC NERVE with Murohime Shin (室姫深) of THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS in 1991. For this unit, he produced an album oriented toward electronic body beat and composed songs including “ABSTRACTION” and “RED MOON”. He also served as a composer and remixer on several songs during his subsequent time with DIE IN CRIES. In 1998, he joined L'Arc-en-Ciel as its drummer and, as one of the group's principal composers, wrote songs including “New World” (co-written with hyde), “DRINK IT DOWN”, “Cradle”, “trick”, “get out from the shell -asian version-”, “REVELATION”, and “shade of season”. In 2000, L'Arc-en-Ciel released ectomorphed works, a remix album solely produced by yukihiro.
In 2001, he began a new solo project, acid android. In this project, yukihiro principally serves as vocalist and also plays synthesizer. Depending on the song, he also performs guitar, drums, programming, and mixing. Many of the project’s recordings in its early years were influenced by industrial music and heavy rock sounds characterized by guitar riffs, with the basic format combining such musical styles with electronic body music-like structures. Since the latter half of the 2010s, however, he has shifted toward producing songs that strongly reflect influences from 1980s new wave, synth-pop, and electro-pop, which are his musical roots. To date, acid android has released eight albums, eight singles and individual digital track releases, and four video works.
In 2012, he formed the three-piece band geek sleep sheep with Momota Kazuhiro (百々和宏) of MO'SOME TONEBENDER and 345 of Ling tosite sigure. During its early activities, the band released recordings themed around “1990s shoegaze, grunge, and alternative rock”, but gradually began producing songs through a variety of approaches and continues to operate intermittently. Since 2021, he has also participated in Petit Brabancon, a rock band led and formed by Kyo (京) of DIR EN GREY that performs heavy music rooted in nu metal.
He also occasionally works as a DJ, appearing not only at DJ and live events he organizes himself but also at events hosted by hide of X JAPAN and zilch, as well as at a live event organized by Lillies and Remains, PLASTICZOOMS, and THE NOVEMBERS. In 1996, he participated in the production of an album by THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS, and in 2020 in the production of an album by THE NOVEMBERS, handling programming and sequence sound design. As a drummer, he has participated in live performances by CROW, which includes Kamijo Wataru (上領亘), formerly of GRASS VALLEY and P-MODEL; recordings by SUILEN; and the production and live performances of SCHAFT. He has also remixed songs by D'ERLANGER, SOFT BALLET, sukekiyo, and People In The Box.
Like L'Arc-en-Ciel, he is managed by MAVERICK. His current label is track on drugs records, which he established as an independent label in 2001.
Student Years – Joining and Leaving ZI:KILL
yukihiro reportedly began playing drums before entering high school. After receiving money as a school entrance gift, he went to a musical instrument store intending to buy a guitar, but could not find one he liked. He fell in love at first sight with a drum set displayed on the same floor as the guitars and began playing drums instead. The drum set had toms and cymbals properly incorporated into it, and this was said to have been the decisive factor in his purchase. He subsequently began playing and practicing drums at home, but because he played a full set without even laying down soundproofing mats, on the grounds that they would worsen the rebound, neighbors complained. He was visited by city hall officials and thereafter had to set specific times for playing. After entering high school, he began growing his hair and started participating in bands.
During high school, he devoted himself to band activities and gradually lost sight of the point of attending school. He reportedly even consulted his parents about wanting to drop out. However, his parents became very angry, so he ultimately graduated from high school and decided to enroll at Chiba University of Commerce. When he was accepted by the university, he also considered declining admission, but a high school teacher persuaded him, saying, “There are people who wanted to get in but could not. Because you were accepted, someone else was rejected.” He therefore went on to university. His reason for choosing the university was reportedly that he could commute there from home.
While at university, he formed the hardcore band GUERRILLA with UME and NORI, before they formed Tokyo Yankees. On June 11, 1989, GUERRILLA performed at Meguro Rokumeikan (目黒鹿鳴館). He was invited to join ZI:KILL by the guitarist KEN, who had seen the performance. KEN was entirely different from ken, the guitarist of L'Arc-en-Ciel. After joining ZI:KILL, yukihiro took part in the production of the two albums CLOSE DANCE and DESERT TOWN. However, after recording the band's major-label debut album in London, England, he left ZI:KILL on December 28, 1990. According to yukihiro, the trigger for his departure was vocalist TUSK saying during the recording sessions that he would leave the band, but would remain if yukihiro were not in it. As a result, yukihiro, who had joined the band later, decided to leave.
Looking back on the circumstances surrounding his departure from ZI:KILL, yukihiro stated: “My favorite at the time was Ministry. I thought more extreme things were cool. But I felt that ZI:KILL at the time was trying to aim for something more universal. I had joined later, but I wanted to pursue things further. Well, I was young then, so I became unable to compromise. We stopped seeing eye to eye, and even when we were writing songs, I alone would take a different approach. In that situation, I gradually felt a distance developing between the members. It was not that anyone was at fault, though...” He also stated: “I think the other members besides me also felt a sense of discomfort, musically. They would think, ‘Why put that kind of drum pattern on that song? If you gave it simpler drums, it could become a single!’ [...] But I did not like that sort of thing at the time.” He recalled that a divide had developed between him and the other members in terms of musical direction. However, he did not view his period in ZI:KILL negatively after leaving the band. In later years, he stated: “I think ZI:KILL at that time, when I was there, mixed together elements from various kinds of music. But the central pillar, in my interpretation, was underground music. I thought that kind of atmosphere and scent was extremely cool. For example, even in their approaches to various instruments, they did many things that people normally would not do.”
In later years, yukihiro participated in singer-songwriter SION's tribute album SION Tribute Ain't Nothing You Can Do under the name THE Kaigenrei (THE戒厳令), together with ZI:KILL members TUSK and KEN. Consequently, there is currently no discord of the kind rumored.
Although yukihiro thus came to leave ZI:KILL, as soon as his departure was decided, record company staff began ignoring him, leaving him alone on his first trip overseas.
Joining DIE IN CRIES and Its Dissolution – Beginning of Solo Work
After leaving ZI:KILL in December 1990, yukihiro decided to remain in London, where he reportedly visited various places with a local interpreter. Looking back on his days in London, yukihiro later stated, “I could feel the atmosphere of the rave boom at its height there. It was around the time Depeche Mode's Violator came out, and I listened to that all the time while I was over there.” Yukihiro then telephoned KYO, who had just dissolved D'ERLANGER from London. This led them toward forming a new band.
First, in 1991, he formed the music unit OPTIC NERVE with Fukashi Murahime (ex.THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS), and released the album OPTIC NERVE ABSTRACTION on September 10 of that year. The work was produced with the kind of music yukihiro was aiming for at the time: music incorporating synchronization with programmed tracks. It included songs influenced by electronic body music, as well as tracks that fused band sound with technology. Musicians well versed in electronic music were brought in for the recording, including Kenji Konishi (4-D, ex.P-MODEL), TAKA (Takanori Yamaguchi), and engineers Yuji Sugiyama and Masayuki Dodo.
Meanwhile, KYO launched DIE IN CRIES as a solo project on August 10, 1991, and released the album NOTHINGNESS TO REVOLUTION, on which the two members of OPTIC NERVE participated in production. Following the album's release, the two members of OPTIC NERVE and bassist TAKASHI were added, and DIE IN CRIES began anew as a band. At the time he joined, yukihiro reportedly considered the programmed approach in terms of whether it might be possible to “incorporate a sequencer into a rock band and create new music.” The following year, on March 11, 1992, the band made its major-label debut with the album VISAGE. Thereafter, DIE IN CRIES released four studio albums and seven singles, or five albums in total when including the aforementioned 1991 album.
Around the beginning of 1991, before seriously beginning his activities with DIE IN CRIES, yukihiro also served as a support drummer for a band called ROSEN KREUZ. However, he left his support role with the band in less than a year. He was succeeded by Arimatsu, who later played in BLOODY IMITATION SOCIETY, a band in which Murahime was a member, and served as drummer for VAMPS, formed by hyde. Recalling his time as a support member, yukihiro stated: “ROSEN KREUZ was a band with a very advanced sound that also incorporated programming. The guitarist used a synth guitar, and at concerts they ran a ROLAND MC-500 in real time to play sequences. It was in that band that I first played drums to a click track live.”
DIE IN CRIES progressed smoothly and came to perform at Nippon Budokan, one of Japan's leading venues. However, dissatisfaction began to build over the growing influence of outside forces in the songwriting process, leading to differences in musical direction and other issues. The band consequently disbanded following “LAST LIVE,” held at Tokyo Bay NK Hall on July 2, 1995. Looking back on DIE IN CRIES in a 2006 interview, yukihiro stated: “I think DIE IN CRIES did cool things. There wasn't a band like that, was there? Nowadays, synchronized material is considered commonplace, but there really wasn't anything like that back then. I think there were few bands with four members that also properly played programmed sounds and treated them as an indispensable element. I think I was satisfied after putting out the final album, Seeds.” The agency that yukihiro joined while active in DIE IN CRIES was Danger Crue, which also represented L'Arc-en-Ciel; this later led to him being invited by L'Arc-en-Ciel, who were looking for a drummer.
After DIE IN CRIES disbanded in 1995, he began solo activities. On August 19 of that year, he held the DJ and live event “case in Water ~invitation from yukihiro~” under his own name at Nissin Power Station. The event consisted of two parts: a “DJ time” by yukihiro in the first half, followed by a “live time” in which he performed songs produced under his solo name. During the DJ time, he played records of dance music including remix releases by Art of Noise, as well as Massive Attack and Tricky. Several of the songs performed during the live time were later used as original songs in the work of acid android, the solo project yukihiro subsequently launched. Part of the event was included on the live video and live album “8.13” LIVE AT NISSIN POWER STATION '95.8.13, released on November 21, 1995.
After DIE IN CRIES disbanded, he reportedly also searched for members to form a new band. The band was planned to feature Ken Ayugai as vocalist, but it never took shape and was never realized. He also reportedly at one point worked with a band featuring a female vocalist.
During this period, alongside his solo activities, he participated as a drummer in the recording of Naoko Iijima's second single, “Change my mind,” and also performed as the drummer in Kohei Otomo's backing band. His participation in Iijima's recording reportedly began when Tsugutoshi Goto (ex.Sadistic Mika Band, ex.Sadistics) was looking for a drummer. Yukihiro later recalled, “It seems he liked me a little after I did it once, and he brought me work several times.” Furthermore, on January 24, 1996, he participated in the production of THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS' album 4 PLUGS as a programmer. On August 26, 1997, he participated as a DJ in “MIX LEMONed JELLY,” an event organized by hide (X JAPAN, zilch), who rented several clubs in Tokyo.
However, for a time after the dissolution of DIE IN CRIES, he did no work outside music whatsoever, and his savings reportedly nearly ran out, leaving him in a precarious financial situation. As a result, he lived for about a year as a lodger in the home of a guitar technician from Danger Crue. Looking back on this period, yukihiro later stated, “I thought I shouldn't do work outside of music (laughs). Then, when I wondered what to do, someone came along and said, ‘Then you can stay with me’ ... I'm such a hopeless person (laughs).”
Joining L'Arc-En-Ciel and Activities in Various Band Projects – Present
While working as a solo artist and as a backing-band drummer, yukihiro was approached to serve as a support drummer for L'Arc-en-Ciel after sakura, the band's drummer and a junior colleague at the same management agency, was arrested on February 24, 1997 for violating the Stimulants Control Act. Looking back on his impression of L'Arc-en-Ciel from outside the band at the time, he stated, “We were with the same agency, so it was not as though I did not know them. I thought it seemed difficult for them.”
yukihiro subsequently played drums on the recording of “Niji”, the first single released in some time by L'Arc-en-Ciel, then consisting of the three members hyde, ken, and tetsuya. The single's B-side, “THE GHOST IN MY ROOM”, is an upbeat, danceable song distinguished by guitar reminiscent of white funk, and yukihiro incorporated an arrangement using breakbeats, which he favored. However, yukihiro himself apparently felt conflicted about working with breakbeats, saying that he worked on it while wondering, “Is it all right for me to do something like this?”, as he was not even a member of the band.
Immediately after the release of the aforementioned single, yukihiro participated as a support drummer in a live tour held in December 1997 by “the Zombies”, an alternate-name band of L'Arc-en-Ciel, as well as L'Arc-en-Ciel's comeback concert “1997 REINCARNATION”, held at Tokyo Dome on December 23 of that year. He officially joined L'Arc-en-Ciel as its drummer effective January 1, 1998.
The replacement of sakura, whose drumming was characterized by “drum playing that creates improvised yet logical rhythm and groove”, with yukihiro, whose style was characterized by “meticulous and tight drum playing that also favored synchronisation with machine beats”, brought changes to L'Arc-en-Ciel's sound. Moreover, after yukihiro joined, arrangements that synchronised programmed sounds with the band's sound became more common in L'Arc-en-Ciel's music. In an interview concerning L'Arc-en-Ciel's fifth album, HEART, which was produced shortly after he joined, yukihiro said:
As far as I myself was concerned, I did everything I could. I think it is only natural for people to feel that it is different from the previous L'Arc-en-Ciel. I have had that experience myself, and at those times there were people who thought, “They have become a different band.” But I think that is only natural. It is fine if people think it is different, but I do not want them to think it has become uncool, so there was pressure in that respect as well.
He also stated, “The albums I have worked on that gave me a sense of accomplishment were ZI:KILL's album from its independent era, CLOSE DANCE, DIE IN CRIES' final album, Seeds, and L'Arc-en-Ciel's new album, HEART.”
After L'Arc-en-Ciel's activities with yukihiro had continued for approximately three and a half years, its members began pursuing solo work around the middle of 2001. At this time, he launched a new solo project, acid android. At the beginning of his return to solo activities, he released the single “ring the noise” under the name yukihiro, with the song he provided for the PlayStation 2 game Devil May Cry as its title track. However, acid android made its live debut under that name at the one-man concert “acid android act in november”, held on November 19, 2001. Since that concert, he has continued the project alongside his band activities through to the present, releasing music incorporating elements of industrial and heavy rock, which he had long favored, as well as shoegaze and chillout, and, in more recent years, new wave and synth-pop. acid android performed overseas in 2006 and 2017, and has held concerts in Shanghai and Taipei.
In 2012, yukihiro formed a new three-piece band with Kazuhiko Momota (百々和宏) of MO'SOME TONEBENDER, who had participated in acid android recordings, and 345 of Ling tosite sigure. The band gave its first performance without revealing its name at “acid android in an alcove vol.5”, an acid android-hosted DJ and live event held on August 16, 2012. In September of that year, it announced the name geek sleep sheep and began full-scale activities. The band was reportedly conceived backstage under yukihiro's leadership after L'Arc-en-Ciel's Nissan Stadium performance on its 2012 live tour “20th L'Anniversary WORLD TOUR 2012 THE FINAL”. As L'Arc-en-Ciel had no scheduled activities for the immediate future after that tour, yukihiro, who felt that rather than “participating in something as a drummer”, he “wanted to play drums in a band”, went on to form the new band. Many geek sleep sheep songs are influenced by 1990s alternative rock, grunge, and shoegaze, although the members do not appear to adhere to a single musical style, instead creating a distinctive sound that makes use of each member's individuality. During its early period, when it had few original songs, the band often included Western music covers in its live set lists, performing songs by artists of various genres including Radiohead, Strawberry Switchblade, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Mansun.
From 2021, yukihiro has also participated in Petit Brabancon, a band formed under the leadership of Kyo of DIR EN GREY. In addition to Kyo and yukihiro, the band includes Miya of MUCC, antz of Tokyo Shoegazer, and Hiroshi Takamatsu (高松浩史) of THE NOVEMBERS; antz and Takamatsu joined on yukihiro's recommendation. Petit Brabancon made its stage debut at “JACK IN THE BOX 2021”, a live event hosted by its management agency at Nippon Budokan on December 27 that year. The formation of the band was reportedly prompted by an approach from Kyo to yukihiro. In an interview given shortly after the band's formation, Kyo explained its origins as follows:
I have liked yukihiro since his time in ZI:KILL—perhaps he is my favorite drummer. yukihiro had come to watch DIR EN GREY concerts, and we had spoken a number of times. So, if I was going to start a new band, I wanted to do it with yukihiro first and foremost.
The band has produced many recordings in styles such as alternative metal and nu metal, described by Kyo as “spiky things”.
yukihiro also occasionally participates in recordings and provides live support for other bands. In 2002, he appeared as a guest drummer at “Surround Space Perception”, a concert held by CROW, a music project formed by Wataru Uejou (上領亘), formerly of GRASS VALLEY and P-MODEL, and Motohisa Shiraishi (白石元久). In January 2016, he participated as a drummer in the recordings of ULTRA and Deeper and Down, albums released by SCHAFT, the music unit of Hisashi Imai of BUCK-TICK and Maki Fujii of SUILEN, formerly of minus(-) and SOFT BALLET. He also accompanied SCHAFT as a support member, alongside Takeshi Ueda of AA= and formerly of THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS, and YOW-ROW of GARI, on its live tour “TOUR ULTRA -The Loud Engine-” that year. In 2020, he additionally contributed sequence sound design and programming to THE NOVEMBERS' album At The Beginning.
yukihiro formerly wrote a column titled “yukihiro Gyunyu” for the music magazine Ongaku to Hito. As a special edition of the column, the book yukihiro milk another story was released on May 23, 2014. In addition to a list of 100 favorite albums selected by yukihiro, the book includes discussions with artists with whom he is associated, including ken of L'Arc-en-Ciel; Shinya of DIR EN GREY; Kazuhiko Momota of MO'SOME TONEBENDER and geek sleep sheep; 345 of Ling tosite sigure, geek sleep sheep, and ti-ti.uu; Miya of MUCC; Masashi Yano (ヤノマサシ) of POLYSICS; Daigo Yamaguchi (山口大吾) of People In The Box; KENT of Lillies and Remains; and Yusuke Kobayashi (小林祐介) of THE NOVEMBERS and THE SPELLBOUND. In 2011, yukihiro also released beautiful days, a made-to-order photobook and collection of testimonies looking back on the history of his musical activities. From 2012 to 2014, he intermittently wrote a column on synthesizers titled “oscillator lover” for the music magazine Sound & Recording Magazine. In December 2025, yukihiro: the complete story of a drummer & creator 1995-2025, a mook collecting interviews with yukihiro conducted over the preceding 30 years by Rhythm & Drums Magazine and Sound & Recording Magazine, as well as new interviews, was released.
Band, Unit, and Solo Work History
GUERRILLA ZI:KILL (1989–1990) OPTIC NERVE (1991) DIE IN CRIES (1991–1995) yukihiro (1995, 2001) L'Arc-en-Ciel (1998–present) P'UNK-EN-CIEL (2004–2012) acid android (2001–present) geek sleep sheep (2012–present) Petit Brabancon (2021–present)
Parts
In ZI:KILL, which he joined in 1989, he participated as a member in the production of two albums and in live performances in his primary role as drummer. However, on OPTIC NERVE ABSTRACTION, an album released by OPTIC NERVE, a musical unit he formed in 1991 with Shin Murohime (ex-THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS), he took on vocals for the first time. In addition to his primary instruments, drums and percussion, he also played synthesizer, carried out programming using a sampler, and played guitar on some tracks. In DIE IN CRIES, which he joined immediately after releasing OPTIC NERVE’s work, he likewise handled drums, synthesizer, and programming.
In L'Arc-en-Ciel, which he joined in 1998, he has continued since his time in the aforementioned bands to handle not only drums and percussion but also, depending on the song, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, sampling, and programming in recordings. He has also used tambourine and shaker in recordings. Furthermore, in P'UNK~EN~CIEL, L'Arc-en-Ciel’s part-change band launched in 2004, he plays bass under the name YUKI P'UNK. In geek sleep sheep, formed in 2012, and Petit Brabancon, formed in 2021, he also uses a variety of instruments and equipment while maintaining drums as his primary role.
Songwriting
In ZI:KILL, which he joined in 1989, he was involved in songwriting as the drummer, but in 1991, the music unit OPT
Musical Roots and Preferences
Yukihiro mainly listens to music rooted in genres such as new wave and post-punk, which flourished from the late 1970s through the 1980s; alternative rock, shoegaze, and indie rock from the 1990s onward; as well as industrial, electronic body music, electropop, techno, house, and other club music. His own compositions have also been influenced by these genres.
Yukihiro has cited Ippu-Do's song “Sumire September Love” as his formative musical experience. He became interested in music after seeing the band perform the song on television. The first record he bought was also the same single by Ippu-Do. In 2016, he performed five Depeche Mode songs, including “Walking in My Shoes” and “Never Let Me Down Again”, in a session with Masami Tsuchiya, Ippu-Do's vocalist and guitarist, at an event Yukihiro organized. The two also held a discussion that year. During his elementary and junior high school years, he often listened to music ranked on charts published by MTV and similar outlets, and was particularly fond of Japan and Duran Duran.
From his high school years, when he began playing in bands, he started listening to bands from Japan's indie metal scene, including Loudness, 44MAGNUM, Earthshaker, and Dead End, influenced by the heavy metal boom of the time. As he continued listening to these metal bands, his interest shifted toward thrash metal and hardcore bands such as Gastunk and Gauze, and he began playing in cover bands for such groups. He subsequently became deeply immersed in new wave, post-punk, and gothic rock. Among artists then regarded as new wave or post-punk, he particularly enjoyed Depeche Mode, the Cure, Joy Division, Bauhaus, Talking Heads, Echo & the Bunnymen, and U2. Depeche Mode remains one of his favorites to the extent that he still follows its new releases, and he frequently plays the band's songs on the floor as a DJ at DJ and live events held under the name acid android. In 2017, Yukihiro visited the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, to see the band perform live.
At around the age of 20, he frequently visited the record store UK EDISON in Shinjuku, Tokyo, where he gathered information about the underground scene. Looking back on this period in later years, Yukihiro stated: “At Shinjuku Edison, a record store known at the time as a mecca for punk and new wave, I bought anything that was labeled ‘body music.’ I experimented in various ways with how to incorporate the music I was listening to into a band.” He also learned about industrial music, which he would later become devoted to, through record stores. In interviews with music magazines and elsewhere, Yukihiro has frequently named Ministry as the artist that led him to discover industrial music. Recalling its impact, he said, “As soon as I listened to Ministry, I went to buy a sampler,” and “‘The Land of Rape and Honey’ and ‘The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste’ were shocking.”
At that time, in addition to Ministry, he listened to artists associated with industrial music such as Nitzer Ebb, Front 242, Front Line Assembly, and Einsturzende Neubauten. From around this period, he also began to enjoy ambient music and chillout, and was particularly fond of KLF and Art of Noise. “a lull in the rain”, included on purification, the album released by Yukihiro as acid android in 2006, was based on material he had created while he was a member of DIE IN CRIES, after being influenced by the chillout genre. Among Japanese artists emerging at the time, he was fond of bands such as BUCK-TICK, SOFT BALLET, and GRASS VALLEY. He has performed on stage with some members of these three Japanese bands.
Yukihiro was also greatly influenced by the Manchester movement, which was popular from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, and began remixing out of admiration for the movement. Among artists in this genre, he has named the Stone Roses, a leading act of the movement, as well as Happy Mondays and 808 State, as favorites. Yukihiro has released two albums as a remixer: re-make in 1995 while he was a member of DIE IN CRIES, and ectomorphed works as a L'Arc-en-Ciel release in 2000. He also enjoys trip hop, which originated in Bristol, and frequently plays songs by Massive Attack, Tricky, and Portishead on the floor as a DJ at DJ and live events that he organizes.
During the 1990s, he particularly enjoyed electronic and industrial-oriented artists such as Nine Inch Nails, Pitchshifter, the Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Meat Beat Manifesto, Autechre, and Orbital, as well as bands and artists including Primal Scream, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Radiohead, Pixies, Jesus Jones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slint, Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins, the Verve, Deftones, Tool, Curve, the Prodigy, Rage Against the Machine, Korn, Meshell Ndegeocello, Mansun, and Roni Size Reprazent. His fondness for Radiohead was such that he framed and displayed at home a poster he bought at the merchandise stand when attending one of the band's concerts. Yukihiro also collaborated with Toni Halliday, Curve's vocalist and guitarist, on “faults feat.toni halliday”, from faults, the first mini-album released under the acid android name. In other genres, he also enjoys acid jazz and pop music with jazz elements by artists such as Galliano, Sade, Young Disciples, and Mother Earth.
From the 2000s and 2010s onward, he has listened to Arctic Monkeys, A Perfect Circle, Hears Collective, The 1975, the xx, Yves Tumor, Warpaint, Nothing But Thieves, the Japanese House, Pale Waves, Kelly Lee Owens, Tame Impala, FKA twigs, Elysse Trouw, the Smile, and Poppy. Songs by these artists have been included in playlists he has made public on music streaming services. In a 2010 interview, he stated that he often listened to Luciano and Glimpse. In a 2023 interview, he said of songs created by younger artists who reinterpret music from the past, “There is a sense of surprise, or discovery, that there are ways of expressing things like this as well.” In an interview that same year, Yukihiro named Dry Cleaning and PVA as bands he enjoyed listening to.
Yukihiro often shares music he enjoys listening to or music that has influenced him with his listeners. In the past, he introduced a variety of music in “Yukky's Power Play”, a segment of the radio program FLYING~L'Arc~ATTACK, in which L'Arc-en-Ciel appeared. On the program, he introduced songs fitting particular themes and favorite songs from works by artists of various genres that he owned at home, including the Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Slipknot, Hanoi Rocks, My Bloody Valentine, the Sundays, the La's, Mogwai, Low, and Opus III. From around 2020, he has introduced music he likes in a feature titled “ACID ANDROID'S PICKS” on the official YouTube artist channel established under his solo project acid android, featuring songs by more than 30 artists, including the Rolling Stones, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Horrors, Chvrches, James Blake, and Future Islands. At concerts held by L'Arc-en-Ciel since 2020, playlists consisting of songs by various artists have been played at the venue before the start of the show. These playlists are selected individually by each of the four members and are published on music streaming services after the conclusion of each performance.
In Japanese music, in addition to the aforementioned BUCK-TICK and SOFT BALLET, Yukihiro has enjoyed listening to Cornelius, zilch, Fishmans, Original Love, and United Future Organization. Albums by these artists were selected in the “yukihiro Album selection 101” page of the book yukihiro milk another story, published in 2014. Among artists who emerged after he began working for a major label, he is also said to have enjoyed listening to ACO, Cocco, Shikao Suga, Ringo Sheena, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, BUMP OF CHICKEN, and FACT.
When searching for music, Yukihiro often looks for recordings credited to engineers or producers he likes. He has said that he once bought and listened to almost every work involving Alan Moulder, Terry Date, Ross Robinson, or Steve Albini. He also listens collectively to releases from labels he likes. In a 1995 interview, Yukihiro stated, “I often choose music by label rather than by artist. Recently, labels such as Clean Up and Cup Of Tea have been good.” During the 1990s, he also listened to releases from American independent labels such as Touch and Go Records and Amphetamine Reptile Records. In recent years, he has often used music streaming services to search for new music, and has sometimes bought vinyl records by artists he particularly likes.
Playlists of opening background music selected by Yukihiro and played before L'Arc-en-Ciel concerts
2020: ARENA TOUR MMXX OPENING BGM 2021: L'APPY BIRTHDAY! OPENING BGM 2021: 30th L'Anniversary TOUR OPENING BGM 2022: 30th L'Anniversary LIVE OPENING BGM
Playlists of opening background music selected by Yukihiro and played before Petit Brabancon concerts
2023: Petit Brabancon EXPLODE -01- (Spotify) 2023: Petit Brabancon Tour 2023 “INDENTED BITE MARK” (Ver.01 – Spotify; Ver.02 – Spotify)
Profile
Yukihiro was born on November 24, 1968, in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture. His blood type is A.
He is nicknamed "Yukki" by band members and fans.
Before joining L'Arc-en-Ciel, he was often called "Sensei" ("Teacher"). This nickname was given to him because he worked part-time as a private tutor in English and mathematics during his student years. At present, however, "Yukki" has generally become his established nickname.
He is quiet and speaks little, and often does not say a single word into the microphone during television appearances or live performances promoting L'Arc-en-Ciel's music. As a result, when he says a single word during a live performance, that word may enter social media trends after the concert. Regarding yukihiro's taciturn stance, hyde of L'Arc-en-Ciel has said, "I put so much thought into speaking [during MC], yet nobody talks about me. That's the most unfair thing [laughs]. I want to be there too."
Takeshi Ueda of AA= and formerly THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS, who is the same age and has interacted with him, has described both yukihiro's sound and character as follows: "He may be seen as having a taciturn character, but he is actually a sharp, humorous, and interesting man." He has also said, "I believe that sound reflects its creator's personality, for better or worse, and yukihiro's work is no exception. It is delicate, intelligent, aggressive, and romantic."
In interviews about songs in music magazines and in features concerning the equipment he regularly uses, he speaks normally, no differently from the other members. At live performances by acid android, his solo project launched in 2001, there is basically no MC segment at all, and encores are also rarely performed.
Preferences
Yukihiro once firmly adhered to a policy of how a band musician should conduct himself. This included principles seemingly unrelated to musical activities, such as never wearing short sleeves even in summer and not going to Hawaii. He reportedly did not even intend to obtain a driver's license because he had no time to devote to anything other than music. However, after joining L'Arc-en-Ciel in 1998, he was influenced by the other members' natural manner and gradually became more easygoing. Regarding the changes in himself after joining the band, yukihiro stated, “I think there are fewer things where I feel, ‘It has to be this way or I don't like it,’” and, “On the contrary, I am able to enjoy various things.” Those earlier principles also disappeared: he began wearing short sleeves, and he has visited Hawaii several times for photo shoots and live performances. In 1999, tetsuya of L'Arc-en-Ciel told him that he should obtain a driver's license, and yukihiro later revealed on an FM radio program that he had done so.
Nevertheless, he still appears to be particular about many things. Hyde has described yukihiro as “a person with a philosophy of particularity.” In his autobiography published in 2012, hyde said of yukihiro: “He is particular about things everywhere, and he is strongly particular about the band too. Because of that, as a band, we sometimes have to come up with ideas that avoid those things, or spend time persuading him. But I have never viewed that negatively. I feel that L'Arc-en-Ciel has a purity precisely because there is a member like that. We are an intelligent band, so I think we are smart and capable of meeting any request. But yukihiro gives off an air of, ‘As a rocker, I don't want to do this kind of thing.’ I think we must not forget those feelings. It is not so much stubbornness as a policy. I originally had many such feelings too, but they gradually disappeared as we learned to coexist, so looking at yukihiro cleanses my heart.” Masami Tsuchiya of KA.F.KA and the former Ippu-Do also said of yukihiro, “I do not want this to be misunderstood, but I think he resembles the type of musician I admired when I was a student. Like Far Out or Murahachibu.”
He is a fan of Doala, the mascot character of the Chunichi Dragons. Although he originally had no interest in baseball, he revealed on a program in which he appeared in 2012 that Doala had led him to become a Chunichi Dragons fan.
When the live tour “20th L'Anniversary WORLD TOUR 2012 THE FINAL” was held in 2012, “Doal'Arc Chocolate,” featuring portraits of Doala and yukihiro and produced by yukihiro, was sold as a venue-exclusive collaborative item. At a live performance held in 2015, the shoulder bag “Doala kamo?” was sold as a venue-exclusive item. The “Doal'Arc Calendar” was also sold from 2013 to 2016. When “L'Arc-en-Ciel LIVE 2018 L'ArChristmas” was held in 2018, “Doal'Arc So Anime Pipic Pochibukuro,” a venue-exclusive item produced by yukihiro that collaborated not only with Doala but also with the manga and anime Pop Team Epic, was sold. Collaborative merchandise has continued to be sold whenever L'Arc-en-Ciel has held live performances since 2020, making it a standard collaboration.
He is fond of the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the four members of L'Arc-en-Ciel once rented out a cinema to watch the films Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone and Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance from the Rebuild of Evangelion series. In 2012, he and hyde attended the earliest screening event for Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, and he later watched Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. In 2021, as part of a fan-club newsletter feature, he visited the Hideaki Anno Exhibition at The National Art Center, Tokyo.
Among other anime, he is also fond of the Gundam series and frequently builds plastic models of mobile suits appearing in the series. In 2009, he visited the Bandai Hobby Center for a fan-club newsletter feature, while in 2017 he exhibited a plastic model that he had colored himself at THE GUNDAM BASE TOKYO, a facility that opened in Odaiba, Tokyo. Since 2020, he has also reportedly enjoyed watching To Your Eternity and Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.
He is an avid reader of the works of manga artist Tsutomu Nihei and has also watched the animated film BLAME! In 2014, at yukihiro's request, Nihei created an image character for acid android. When creating the original image character, they reportedly exchanged ideas while referring to the names of characters appearing in Nihei's works, including Safeguard, Cibo, and Benitenga.
He also enjoys reading the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. According to yukihiro, he began reading it around 2010 on the recommendation of Hisashi Imai of BUCK-TICK. His particular favorites are Parts 5 and 7. In the 2014 book yukihiro milk another story, he held a discussion with Shinya of DIR EN GREY on the theme of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
He watches films across a variety of genres, but is especially fond of science-fiction works such as Blade Runner and the Dune series. He has also been an avid reader of the works of manga artist Maki Kusumoto and novelist Masahiko Shimada.
He appears to be uncomfortable with horror works, and reportedly watched the 1998 film Ring while frightened. He was also reportedly terrified when he entered the Ring attraction formerly installed at Joypolis. Recalling the experience in an interview in 2000, tetsuya, who entered the attraction with him, said, “What scared me most was Yukki's scream.” In response to tetsuya's recollection, yukihiro said, “It became completely dark, and at that moment I almost grabbed Tetsu-kun's hand beside me (laughs).”
He enjoys playing video games and has played the Resident Evil series, the Devil May Cry series, Onimusha, Seaman, and the Katamari series, among others.
For Devil May Cry, the first game in the series, released in 2001, he provided the song “ring the noise,” which he created under his solo name. The song was included on a CD given as a first-purchase bonus with the game. For Devil May Cry 4, the fourth game in the series, released in 2008, L'Arc-en-Ciel's “DRINK IT DOWN,” composed by yukihiro, was used as the theme song.
Yukihiro is acquainted with Tetsuya Shibata, who is responsible for creating background music for the Devil May Cry series. Shibata has remixed acid android songs and was also responsible for programming the live audio for “trick” and “REVELATION” at L'Arc-en-Ciel's 2015 concert “L'Arc-en-Ciel LIVE 2015 L'ArCASINO.”
He likes sweet foods and reportedly used to eat chocolate frequently during recording sessions. In the 2014 book yukihiro milk another story, he held a discussion with 345 of Ling tosite sigure, geek sleep sheep, and ti-ti.uu on the theme of sweets.
He is the only teetotaller among the members of L'Arc-en-Ciel. A former smoker, he successfully quit smoking after attending a seminar as part of a fan-club project.
Drum Set
The drum set is fundamentally based on a double bass drum setup, consisting of a piccolo snare, roto toms, and numerous cymbals. Its high-mounted China cymbals are a distinctive feature. Using a drum rack, the setup has a complex, symmetry-conscious construction, and its orderly arrangement has often led yukihiro's set to be described as a “fortress”. In contrast to the China cymbals positioned at the front, the snare and toms are mounted low and horizontally, making yukihiro's upper body more visible during live performances than that of other drummers.
All cymbals are made by Sabian and are arranged symmetrically. On the 2024 live tour “ARENA TOUR 2024 UNDERGROUND”, 12 cymbals of varying sizes—including crash cymbals, hi-hat cymbals, splash cymbals, and effect cymbals—were arranged symmetrically. Only one China cymbal, a 17-inch AA Holy China designed under the supervision of Chad Smith, was mounted overhead in the center. A proprietary rack system is used to arrange these cymbals neatly. Its base is secured with the legs of the snare stand, another characteristic of yukihiro's set.
Two 22-inch, six-ply maple bass drums from Pearl's Masters Premium Series, commonly known as MPS, are used. Pearl Eliminator II foot pedals are used. One pedal for the right bass drum is positioned on the right-foot side, while three pedals are arranged on the left-foot side, from left to right: for the left hi-hat, left bass drum, and right remote hi-hat. For many years, an older Yamaha model rather than a Pearl model was used as the remote hi-hat stand; since 2022, a Pearl model has been introduced, and at live performances in 2024, only the leg section of the “Pearl RH-2050” was used.
At the center of the set, the main snare drum is his signature model, the “Pearl FCA1435/B-YA yukihiro Signature Snare Drum Version.3”, with a 14" × 5" Hybrid Exotic positioned to the side. Its head is a Remo Black Suede Ambassador combined with a black ring mute, and it is tuned to a low pitch to differentiate it from the high-pitched sound of the main snare. In front of the snare is one 10-inch tom; on the right side from his perspective are two floor toms, measuring 14 and 16 inches; and, with the front tom between them, three Remo roto toms are positioned to the left and right: a 6-inch model on the left and 8-inch and 10-inch models on the right. A “PreSonus StudioLive 32SX” mixer is used.
Pearl has sold the following three signature snare drum models. A signature stick model has also been released and is used by yukihiro in live performances. Yukihiro's signature snare drum models are also owned by Yano Masashi of POLYSICS, among others. In 2014, when yukihiro took part in a three-way discussion with Yano and Daigo Yamaguchi of People In The Box, he signed the snare that Yano owned.
Pearl 158H/4 yukihiro Signature Drumstick
It is shorter in length and uses a round tip, making it suitable for a tight and sharp playing style. It has a clear lacquer finish and is printed with the original logo.
Pearl YA1435 yukihiro Signature Snare Drum
The first signature model, used in live performances and recording since around 2000.
Pearl YA1435-2 yukihiro Signature Snare Drum Version.2
The second signature model, used in live performances and recording since around 2005.
Pearl FCA1435/B-YA yukihiro Signature Snare Drum Version.3
The third signature model, used in live performances and recording since around 2018.
Evolution of the Drum Set
During his time with DIE IN CRIES, the basic arrangement was similar to that described in the previous section, but the setup contained even more pieces than it does now. Aside from the basic floor toms, the toms consisted of two cannon toms and five roto toms. At one point, it was an even more unusual drum set than his current one: he used no ride or crash cymbals, instead employing nine china cymbals, three splash cymbals, four hi-hats, and even the spokes of roto toms as cymbals. There was also a period when all of his toms were roto toms. In a 2015 conversation with Tomoyasu Kawamura "Kasuke", yukihiro stated that his use of only roto toms at that time was influenced by Terry Bozzio during his time with Missing Persons. However, because the number of pieces was so great, it is said that his roadie at the time tearfully begged him, “Please, use a rack instead of stands.” According to yukihiro, he later incorporated ride and crash cymbals, which he had not used during this period, after DIE IN CRIES disbanded in 1995 and he began working as a studio musician.
From 1998, when he began activities as L'Arc-en-Ciel, until around 2011, he basically used the configuration described in the previous section, with an Arctic White set. A remote hi-hat was also used for the main hi-hat on the left side. Two 18-inch china cymbals were set high at the front in a symmetrical arrangement, although there was also a period when only one was placed on the left side of the set. From 2012 onward, he used a Matte Black set, while the Arctic White set has been used on live sub-stages and elsewhere with almost the same setup as the main set.
From around 2012, in conjunction with the launch of the new band geek sleep sheep, he began using a simple setup of one bass drum, one tom, and two floor toms for the first time since his time in ZI:KILL. In a 2014 interview, yukihiro explained his reason for changing to a one-bass-drum setup: “Because geek sleep sheep is a three-piece, I thought I would make the setup lighter as well.” The overall height, including that of the toms, was lowered from before in order to make the drumheads horizontal. His signature-model snare drum was introduced. The tom positioned in front is 12 inches, while the two floor toms are 14 and 16 inches. The three sets of hi-hats used with the two-bass-drum setup were consolidated into one 14-inch set. The towering china cymbals were removed, and two 17-inch Holy China cymbals were introduced. The change to one bass drum also led to the use of a twin pedal.
At L'Arc-en-Ciel's concert “L'Arc-en-Ciel LIVE 2018 L'ArChristmas,” held in 2018, he used the conventional two-bass-drum setup. The arrangement was almost the same as during the era of the two-bass-drum setup, although the cymbals and other components were positioned at heights closer to those of the one-bass-drum setup. The snare drum was an Ultra Cast piccolo snare incorporating a free-floating system. One 17-inch Holy China was installed high in the center at the front, and the Hybrid Exotic was introduced as a secondary snare. The equipment introduced in 2018 formed the basis of the drum set currently used by yukihiro.
Synthesizers and Other Equipment
He is an avid collector of hardware analogue synthesizers and has introduced a wide range of equipment into his music production, particularly for his solo project acid android. The first piece of programming equipment yukihiro purchased was reportedly a Roland MC-500 MK-II. Looking back on the device, he later said, “You would just keep entering numerical values using the numeric keypad. The length and pitch of notes were all numbers. At the time, it felt like I was having conversations in numbers with the people who were doing that kind of thing,” and, “At first, I would write the numerical values down on paper. Back then, it was not yet easy to simply take photographs of them [laughs]. It was an era when, after taking a photo, you had to go and have it developed.” His first Mac was reportedly a Macintosh IIci, which went on sale in September 1989.
In addition to being used in acid android music production, the analogue synthesizers, rhythm machines and other equipment he owns have also been used on recordings by L'Arc-en-Ciel and Petit Brabancon. For example, a Roland CR-78 was used in the production of L'Arc-en-Ciel's “Perfect Blue,” a Nord Rack 3 was used for the band's “CHASE,” and a Dave Smith Instruments Sequential Prophet-6 was used for Petit Brabancon's “surely.” Hyde, with whom he performs in a band, has referred to yukihiro as the “programming boss.” Kazuhiro Momoi, also a bandmate, has referred to him as the “synthesizer boss” and the “synthesizer minister.”
Although yukihiro favors hardware synthesizers, he does not view negatively the approach of making music with a single computer, software synthesizers and sequencers. In a 2019 discussion with Kei of BAROQUE, when asked, “Do you think anything has been lost through music production that can be completed on a single computer?”, yukihiro replied, “Hmm, I do not think there is much, probably. I think it depends on how the person feels. There are people who used to have stacks of hardware but now do everything on a single computer. I think that is what is right for that person and their music now. I still like hardware, so I use hardware, but that does not mean I think people who do everything on a single Mac have lost something. If it suits what they want to do, then I think that is fine.”
From 2012 to 2014, yukihiro wrote a synthesizer-related column titled “oscillator lover” for the music magazine Sound & Recording Magazine. From the magazine's May–June 2015 issue, the column transitioned into an irregular series titled “oscillator lovers by yukihiro,” in which he invited various creators as guests for in-depth discussions on a single theme. To date, he has held discussions with Takkyu Ishino of Denki Groove, Kensuke Ushio of agraph, video game background music composer Tetsuya Shibata, and engineer Takayoshi Kusaka.
He also collects guitars and bass guitars, primarily using them in acid android productions. He owns guitars from a variety of brands, including Fender Telecasters, Jaguars and Jazzmasters with blue flower and paisley patterns, as well as Gibson Les Pauls, Gibson ES-355s, Gretsch guitars and Paul Reed Smith guitars.
Anecdotes
Yukihiro has an extremely slim build. On one occasion, when his body fat percentage was measured during a tour, it was so low that the device displayed “measurement impossible.”
He eats very little and reportedly did not eat much even when he went out for meals, such as post-concert gatherings, with the other members and staff. Concerned that yukihiro ate so little, the members of L'Arc-en-Ciel once encouraged him to eat a single combined set of food prepared for him, commonly known as the “Yukki Set.” Resembling a set meal, it consisted of portions taken from large shared dishes and divided onto small plates. Yukihiro has also said that, on concert days, he basically consumed only water, throat lozenges, Weider in Jelly, and CalorieMate.
To the other three members of L'Arc-en-Ciel—hyde, ken, and tetsuya—yukihiro was both a senior at their management agency and someone who had appeared on the public stage as a band musician before them. According to ken, when yukihiro first joined L'Arc-en-Ciel, he did not know what to call him. However, hyde unexpectedly called him “Yukki” without any warning, and the nickname became established.
Yukihiro had known the members before joining L'Arc-en-Ciel. In a conversation with yukihiro in the 2014 book yukihiro milk another story, ken recounted encountering him at a record store. Looking back on the incident, ken said: “I asked him, ‘I’m looking for CDs like this, but they didn’t have them here,’ and he kindly explained in detail, saying, ‘That record store over there has a better selection, so why don’t you try going there?’ His public image wasn’t like that at all... So that really warmed me up, you know (laughs).” Tetsuya had visited yukihiro’s home before he joined the band and had listened to music that yukihiro had composed. One of the songs tetsuya heard later became the basis for “a swell in the sun,” which was released as a L'Arc-en-Ciel song.
Regarding his impression of L'Arc-en-Ciel before joining the band, yukihiro said in a 2004 interview: “They were called visual kei, so to speak. I thought, ‘This isn’t the kind of music people like that would play,’ and that was interesting. It meant that none of them really had that kind of blood in them (laughs).” Regarding his impression upon hearing True, the album released by L'Arc-en-Ciel before he joined, he said, “I thought, ‘They play songs like this too!’ It was very fresh.” In 2009, yukihiro commented on playing drums in L'Arc-en-Ciel: “It’s tremendous pressure, isn’t it? With those three in front of me, if I stumble in my playing, everyone stumbles, right? (laughs)”
When he first participated in a L'Arc-en-Ciel recording session in 1997, he was surprised to find hyde appearing before him in tight shorts. This was because it differed greatly from his image of hyde’s appearance at the time, and he also said, “I was surprised that he had a beard.” In fact, hyde was wearing a swimsuit rather than tight shorts on that occasion.
In 1990, while he was a member of ZI:KILL, the band recorded an album in London, England. Differences in musical direction between him and the other members led to an agreement that yukihiro would leave the band once the album was completed. Recording continued after his departure had been decided, but following that decision, staff members with whom he had been close began treating him coldly, and on some occasions only he was not provided with meals. As soon as the album was completed, he was left overseas by himself. Perhaps because of these experiences, he reportedly became distrustful of people, saying, “I don’t trust record company people or music industry people.” Consequently, while he was active in DIE IN CRIES, the band he formed with KYO of D'ERLANGER and others in 1991, he reportedly came to trust only his bandmates.
Even after leaving ZI:KILL, yukihiro did not view his musical activities with the band negatively, and he made positive comments about them in an interview with a music magazine in 2006. In addition, on the July 5, 2001 broadcast of “Yukki’s Power Play,” a segment in which he played songs of his own selection on the radio program FLYING L'Arc ATTACK, hosted by L'Arc-en-Ciel, yukihiro selected ZI:KILL’s “TERO” and DIE IN CRIES’ “NERVOUSE.”
Relationships
Wataru Kamiryou (上領亘) (NeoBallad, CROW, former P-MODEL, former GRASS VALLEY)
Kamiryou is the drummer of GRASS VALLEY, a band respected by yukihiro. yukihiro was greatly influenced by Kamiryou's drumming and began associating with him after being introduced by a record company employee while he was a member of ZI:KILL. In 2002, yukihiro participated in a live performance by CROW, the musical project formed by Kamiryou, performing with him on twin drums. In 2019, at yukihiro's request through Sony Music's Order Made Factory, the reissue box set Original Album Remastered Edition Box, containing all of GRASS VALLEY's original albums, was released. yukihiro, who proposed the reissue project, supervised the remastering work for the box set. To mark the release, yukihiro and Kamiryou held a discussion that was published in the May 2019 issue of the music magazine Rhythm & Drums Magazine.
Maki Fujii (藤井麻輝) (SUILEN, SCHAFT, former minus(-), former SOFT BALLET)
Fujii is a member of SOFT BALLET, a band respected by yukihiro. In 2007, yukihiro participated as a support drummer in the recording of Oto wo Haram(u), an album by SUILEN, the musical unit formed by Fujii. Their association continued after the album's production, with Fujii participating in recordings by acid android and yukihiro joining SCHAFT, the musical unit reactivated by Fujii and Hisashi Imai, as a support drummer. In 2019, under the name ACID ANDROID, yukihiro participated in a remix project for SOFT BALLET's representative song “BODY TO BODY” conducted by the music magazine Sound & Recording Magazine to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the band's debut.
yukihiro has also performed live with Ryoichi Endo and Ken Morioka, who, like Fujii, were members of SOFT BALLET. He performed with Endo at “Surround Space Perception vol.2”, an event held by CROW, led by Wataru Kamiryou, on April 14, 2002. Morioka was invited to perform at “acid android live 2006 side-c”, a concert held by yukihiro under the name acid android on September 27, 2006.
In 1994, yukihiro appeared as a guest with DIE IN CRIES on “L.S.B.”, a joint tour by LUNA SEA, SOFT BALLET, and BUCK-TICK. L'Arc-en-Ciel, which yukihiro would later join, also appeared as a guest at the Sapporo performance of the tour.
Hisashi Imai (今井寿) (BUCK-TICK, SCHAFT, former Lucy)
Imai is the guitarist of BUCK-TICK, a band respected by yukihiro. yukihiro and Imai met in person for the first time in 2008 through a three-way discussion project in the music magazine Ongaku to Hito. On November 3, 2008, they performed SCHAFT songs as a three-piece with Maki Fujii at “MUSIC & PEOPLE”, a live event organized by Ongaku to Hito. They subsequently deepened their association, with Imai appearing as a guest during the production of code, a 2010 album by yukihiro's solo project acid android, and yukihiro participating under the name acid android in a BUCK-TICK tribute album in 2012.
In 2016, following the reactivation of SCHAFT, yukihiro was invited to participate as a support drummer in its recordings and live tour. Regarding his impression of yukihiro as a creator, Imai described him as “nostalgic avant-garde” and “stoic, or rather, an otaku in a positive sense”.
Yusuke Kobayashi (小林祐介) (THE NOVEMBERS, THE SPELLBOUND)
Kobayashi is a musician who served as a support guitarist for acid android from 2012. In 2014, he participated with THE NOVEMBERS in “acid android in an alcove vol.7”, a DJ and live event organized by yukihiro under the name acid android. In 2016, acid android and THE NOVEMBERS jointly organized an event. Kobayashi, yukihiro, and KENT of Lillies and Remains also took part in a three-way discussion on the theme of “new wave” for a book project. Kobayashi is a fan of L'Arc-en-Ciel, and THE NOVEMBERS has performed a live cover of the L'Arc-en-Ciel song “Cradle”. Its later EP TODAY included a studio cover recording of “Cradle”.
For the production of THE NOVEMBERS' 2020 album At The Beginning, yukihiro was responsible for sequence sound design. On March 31, 2024, Kobayashi appeared as a guest alongside Kayoko Kusano and (sic)boy in the L'Arc-en-Ciel feature on the TV Asahi network music program Kanjam: Complete Burning Show.
Hirofumi Takamatsu, who performs with Kobayashi in THE NOVEMBERS, has also long been a fan of L'Arc-en-Ciel and formed the rock band Petit Brabancon with yukihiro in 2021.
Daigo Yamaguchi (山口大吾) (People In The Box)
Yamaguchi is a musician who has served as a support drummer for acid android since 2012. In 2014, he took part in a three-way discussion with yukihiro and Masashi Yano of POLYSICS. In 2019, yukihiro participated as a remixer in the production of a remix version of “Seijatachi”, a song by People In The Box, the band in which Yamaguchi performs.
On July 1, 2022, acid android and People In The Box organized the two-band live event “-aapitb-”. At the performance, People In The Box covered the acid android song “a moon tonight”, while acid android performed “Seijatachi remixed by yukihiro (ACID ANDROID)” in a session with People In The Box.
Sources
- Wikidata entity Q307042.
- en.wikipedia, Yukihiro (musician) (revision 1358531869), CC BY-SA 4.0.
- ja.wikipedia, Yukihiro (revision 110296600), CC BY-SA 4.0.