Esprit D'Air

Esprit D'Air ("Spirit of Air" in French) is a Japanese rock and metal band based in London. In 2013, the band increased in popularity as their single 'Shizuku' became the first playable song in the J-Rock category in the video game Rock Band 3. Reformed in 2016, their debut album Constellations was released in 2017.[1]

Esprit D'Air
Esprit D'Air performing in 2013
Background information
OriginLondon, United Kingdom
GenresMetalcore, electronicore, industrial metal, gothic rock
Years active2010–2013, 2016 – present
LabelsStarstorm Records
Websitewww.espritdair.com
MembersKai
Past membersEllis
Yoshisuke Suga
Daishi
Yuki
Coma
Hakuren

History

Formation and Deai (2010-2011)

The band met at a concert in London and made their debut in May 2010.[2] At the time, the band had five members – Yosh (lead vocals), Kai (lead guitar and backing vocals), Ellis (bass), Yuki (rhythm guitar) and Daishi (drums).[3] Esprit D'Air first released an EP entitled 'Deai' in October 2010, which loosely translates to 'encounter'. Kai described the name as a 'sort of like the first hello from the band'.[4] They recorded the 3-track EP at Sarm East Studios in Brick Lane, London.

Since forming in 2010, the band performed at numerous shows in the UK and Spain[5] and have been interviewed by Japanese video sharing website, Nico Nico Douga.[6]

In early 2011, rhythm guitarist Yuki left the band due to personal reasons, leaving the band as a four-piece, whilst Yosh organised and performed at charity events in aid of Japan's 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The band also announced news about their second release.[7]

The Hunter and Shizuku (2012)

In February 2012, Esprit D'Air released The Hunter and performed two headline shows at Nambucca (London, UK) and La Farga (Barcelona, Spain) as part of their single launch.[8][9] Tom Smith, the director of European-based independent record label JPU Records (The Gazette, Polysics, Ling Tosite Sigure), described the single as a release that 'excites them much more than any recent visual kei or J-rock from Japan'.[10]

In June 2012, Esprit D'Air released Shizuku and offered the track free for a limited time.[11]

Rock Band 3, hiatus and Yosh's departure (2012-2013)

In early 2013, the band rose in popularity as Shizuku became the first playable Japanese-language track on the Xbox 360 video game, Rock Band 3 and the only track to be featured in the J-Rock category.[12]

Due to personal reasons, Yosh was no longer a part of the band in early 2013 and returned to Tokyo six months after the band announced their indefinite hiatus in late 2013.[13][14]

Coma, Hakuren and disbandment (2013)

Coma and Hakuren joined as the new lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist respectively, in April 2013 making the band a five-piece once again. However, the band performed their last show with this line-up at Brighton Japan Festival in September 2013. A month later, Coma flew back to Tokyo, Japan without a definite plan to return. With the singer in another country, the band could not see a future together and decided to disband, despite having record label interest for their upcoming album.[15]

It was revealed in an interview with Louder Sound that the disbandment was partially due to primary songwriter and composer Kai's depression and personal struggles, which led him to split up the band.[16]

Reunion and comeback single, Rebirth (2016)

In March 2016, Esprit D'Air reunited for a one-off show as a three-piece with Kai on vocals to perform at a charity event in London, where all proceeds went to Aoba-gakuen, an orphanage in Fukushima, Japan.[17][18] Through ticket, merchandise, food sales, and donations, the event raised over £1,100 for the orphanage.[19] At this point, it was uncertain whether Esprit D'Air were going to reform. Subsequently, due to interest and demand by fans, in June 2016, Esprit D'Air officially announced their return with original guitarist Kai taking over the role of lead vocalist, Ellis on bass and Daishi on drums. The band also announced three shows, including a performance at the main stage of Hyper Japan Festival.[20]

In December 2016, Esprit D'Air released "Rebirth", their first single in four years and celebrated the launch of their single at Zigfrid von Underbelly in London and at Le Trianon in Paris.[21][22] According to Kai, the song tells the story of a man who finds his voice and sings under the stars, this leads to him becoming the savior of his town as his voice inspires and refreshes everyone who hears it. The first and second lines allude to the beautiful view of audiences from the stage ("Aoku yureta hoshi wo matoi" - in blurred lights of the blue stars). The middle bridge implies his bright future, and how he's moving forward towards it.[23]

Constellations (2017-2018)

In March 2017, Esprit D'Air performed a full capacity headline show at the O2 Academy2 Islington.[24][25]

In April 2017, the band released their second comeback single, Guiding Light and premiered their music video exclusively with Teamrock.com,[26] and was later listed as their top 50 best rock songs of 2017 so far.[27]

Esprit D'Air released their album Constellations digitally on 30 June, followed by a physical album on 7 July featuring three bonus tracks under Starstorm Records. Kai described the overarching theme of the album is finding hope and positivity in the darkest and most challenging times.[28]

"For example, Rebirth is a story of a man who regained his voice to sing again among the stars. It reflects my personal story of the reformation of Esprit D’Air, and the strong feelings I have of performing music again after many struggles. Guiding Light is about finding optimism and the will of moving forward in the most bleak of times. Starstorm is an abstract story about fulfilling a promise in the doomed future on a dying planet. Reminisce is about the death of someone really important to you, but you move on as you reminisce about the person, with the last line meaning ‘my courage has just started to turn into freedom’. Versus is about chasing your dreams – the ‘you’ in the Japanese lyrics sounds like it is chasing romance, but the ‘you’ is actually used as a metaphor for your dreams."

Constellations reached number three in the Amazon.com hard rock & metal sales charts and number eight in the rock charts. The album release was shortly followed by a release of another single, Ignition in August,[29] and the single received airplay on Kerrang! Radio.

Esprit D'Air performed at O2 Academy Islington as a support act for The Birthday Massacre on 24 October 2017,[30] as well as a 7-day headline UK tour in London, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Carlisle and Glasgow in February 2018 to celebrate the release of Constellations.[31]

In January 2018, Esprit D'Air released their single "Starstorm" from their album Constellations. The single version is remastered by Stuart Hawkes, who is known for his works with Miyavi, Sugizo, and Mika Nakashima. It also contains a remix by Shudan and an instrumental version.[32]

In March 2018, Esprit D'Air won the award for "Best Metal or Hardcore Album" at The Independent Music Awards in New York for their album Constellations. The judging panel featured Amy Lee of Evanescence, Slayer and Sepultura. The band shortly announced that they will extend their Constellations Tour to Europe in September 2018.[33]

In May 2018, the band released the single, "Calling You". The track featured on Louder's Tracks Of The Week alongside Nine Inch Nails, Ghost and Bullet for My Valentine,[34] and also received its first airplay on BBC Radio.[35]

In August 2018, Esprit D'Air released a cover of Dead End's "Serafine".[36]

At the end of 2018, Esprit D'Air was nominated for "Best Musical Act" at the Neo Awards, sponsored by Sega. The band finished fourth place among Crossfaith, The GazettE, and Band-Maid.[37]

Oceans (2019-present)

At the start of 2019, Esprit D'Air started a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to release their new single "Amethyst". The band reached their goal within three days.[38] Midway through the campaign, Ellis left the band due to personal reasons, and the single was released in February 2019.[39][40]

In June 2019, it was announced that the laptop that contained all the contents of their upcoming album was stolen from them, which meant that they would have start the recording process all over again. It was then that they had also announced that the upcoming album was going to be entitled, Oceans. The release of the new album is now delayed as Esprit D'Air are re-recording it. The stolen work also included backups of their single "Amethyst".[41]

In May 2020, Esprit D'Air announced their 10th anniversary show to take place at The Dome in London on 24 October 2020.[42][43] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the live show was replaced by a livestream on the same date.[44][45]

In December 2020, Esprit D'Air released their single, "Leviathan" accompanied by a music video directed by Andy Mihov, which premiered on Loudwire. Kai tells Loudwire:

"We interpreted 'Leviathan' as a huge power or impact beyond human power or knowledge. When we wrote this, we were thinking about how significantly our world has changed with the pandemic and how we can think positively and have hopes in tough times. Through our composition and songwriting, we tried to express lights of despair, human weakness and stupidity, and human wisdom to build a new world."[46]

Personnel

During their brief 2010-2013 line-up, Esprit D'Air was a group where all members contributed to the songwriting and production. Since their reformation in 2016, Esprit D'Air is now considered to be a one-man band, with Kai being the sole official member, playing and recording all instruments on the releases and having complete creative control. In a live setting, Kai appoints a backing group of musicians to perform the songs, including long-time previous official member Ellis on bass (until 2019), and Pendragon's Jan-Vincent Velazco on drums. Esprit D'Air takes a DIY approach by purposely not seeking a label, management or booking agent, but instead manage everything themselves to be as self-sufficient as possible.[47]

Band members

Official members

Touring members
  • Ryoma "Ryo" Takahashi – live guitar (2016–present)
  • Jan-Vincent Velazco – live drums (2016–present)
  • Yusuke Okamoto – live guitar (2019–present)
  • Kazuki Nishigaki – live bass (2020)
  • Takeshi Tokunaga – live bass (2019)
  • Yuri Shibuichi – live bass (2019)
  • Andre Joyzi – live drums (2020)
  • Taku Miyamoto – live drums (2018–2019)
  • Chris Allan-Whyte – live drums (2016–2017)
  • Jimmy Pallagrosi – live drums (2016)

Past members
  • Ellis – bass (2010–13), live bass (2016–2019)
  • Daishi – drums (2010–13), live drums (2016–2017)
  • Coma – lead vocals (2013)
  • Tatsuya "Hakuren" Nashimoto – rhythm guitar (2013)
  • Yoshisuke Suga – lead vocals (2010–13)
  • Yuki – rhythm guitar (2010–11)

Timeline

Discography

Albums
Year Album details
2017 Constellations
  • Released: 7 July 2017
  • Label: Starstorm Records

Singles
Year Single details
2012 Shizuku (雫; Teardrop)
  • Released: 29 June 2012
  • Label: Independent
2016 Rebirth
  • Released: 14 December 2016
  • Label: Starstorm Records
2017 Guiding Light
  • Released: 14 April 2017
  • Label: Starstorm Records
2017 Ignition
  • Released: 18 August 2017
  • Label: Starstorm Records
2018 Starstorm
  • Released: 26 January 2018
  • Label: Starstorm Records
2018 Calling You
  • Released: 11 May 2018
  • Label: Starstorm Records
2018 Serafine
  • Released: 31 August 2018
  • Label: Starstorm Records
2019 Amethyst
  • Released: 22 February 2019
  • Label: Starstorm Records
2020 Leviathan
  • Released: 4 December 2020
  • Label: Starstorm Records

Extended plays
Year Album details
2010 Deai (出逢い; Encounter)
  • Released: 29 October 2010
  • Label: Independent
2012 The Hunter
  • Released: 29 February 2012
  • Label: Independent
2020 Amethyst
  • Released: 5 June 2020
  • Label: Starstorm Records

Other appearances
  • Various Artists - Now Hear This! The Winners of The 16th Independent Music Awards (2018)

Music videos
  • The Hunter (2012)
  • Shizuku (2012)
  • Rebirth (2016)
  • Guiding Light (2017)
  • Ignition (2017)
  • Starstorm (2018)
  • Calling You (2018)
  • Serafine (2018)
  • Amethyst (2019)
  • Leviathan (2020)

Awards
  • 2012: JpopAsia Music Awards – "Best J-Rock Single" (Nominee) – Shizuku[48]
  • 2017: Neo Awards – "Best Musical Act" (Nominee)[49]
  • 2018: Independent Music Awards – "Best Metal or Hardcore Album" (Winner) – Constellations[50]
  • 2019: Neo Awards – "Best Musical Act" (Fourth place)[51]

See also

References
  1. "Biography". Esprit D'Air.
  2. "MCM BUZZ – Movies, TV, Comics, Gaming, Anime, Cosplay News & Reviews » Two Years Of Esprit D'Air". MCM BUZZ - Movies, TV, Comics, Gaming, Anime, Cosplay News & Reviews.
  3. "Members". Esprit D'Air.
  4. "Kaito, Guitarist of Esprit D'air (LONDON, UK) - The City I See". The City I See.
  5. "Visual Kei". Neo (80). January 2011.
  6. "Esprit D'Air". Nippon Project.
  7. "MCM BUZZ – Movies, TV, Comics, Gaming, Anime, Cosplay News & Reviews » Interview with Esprit D'Air". MCM BUZZ - Movies, TV, Comics, Gaming, Anime, Cosplay News & Reviews.
  8. "MCM BUZZ – Movies, TV, Comics, Gaming, Anime, Cosplay News & Reviews » Esprit D'Air Launch New Single". MCM BUZZ - Movies, TV, Comics, Gaming, Anime, Cosplay News & Reviews.
  9. "Esprit D'Air: 'The Hunter' Launch Party - Japan Underground - JPU Records Ltd". Japan Underground - JPU Records Ltd.
  10. "Esprit D'Air — Official Website - エスプリ デア". Esprit D'Air.
  11. "Esprit D'Air Offer Free Download of Upcoming Single - Japan Underground - JPU Records Ltd". Japan Underground - JPU Records Ltd.
  12. "Esprit D'Air: First Japanese Language Track to Feature in Rock Band 3 - Japan Underground - JPU Records Ltd". Japan Underground - JPU Records Ltd.
  13. "Important Announcement: Indefinite Hiatus". Esprit D'Air. Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  14. edohsama. "Vocalist Yosh Departs from Esprit D'Air - New Lineup to be Announced Soon — SR : JRock News". SR : JRock News.
  15. "History". Esprit D'Air.
  16. TeamRock. "Esprit D'Air reveal uplifting new album Constellations". Louder.
  17. "MCM BUZZ – Movies, TV, Comics, Gaming, Anime, Cosplay News & Reviews » Esprit D'Air to headline Origami: A Charity Gig". MCM BUZZ - Movies, TV, Comics, Gaming, Anime, Cosplay News & Reviews.
  18. "Live music and Japanese food for a great cause!". Kakkoii Club. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  19. edohsama. "Report on Esprit D'Air at the Pipeline, London". SR : JRock News. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  20. edohsama. "Esprit D'Air Returns: Revealing New Line-up and Shows". SR : JROCK NEWS. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  21. Shalimar Sahota. "Esprit D'Air Releases Comeback Single "Rebirth"". MyM Buzz.
  22. "NEO's Top Ten". Neo (157). November 2016.
  23. Elizabeth Birt. "Esprit D'Air have revealed their rebirth!". AltCorner.
  24. Noradila Nordin. "Esprit D'Air + Bexatron + Lightscape + and These Thousand Hills @ o2 Islington, London – 31 March 2017". Gig Junkies.
  25. Electric Bloom Webzine. "PHOTOS: ESPRIT D'AIR, O2 ACADEMY 2 ISLINGTON, LONDON, 31/03/2017". Electric Bloom Webzine. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  26. TeamRock. "Esprit D'Air premiere video for new single Guiding Light". TeamRock.
  27. TeamRock. "The best rock songs of 2017 so far". TeamRock.
  28. TeamRock. "Esprit D'Air reveal uplifting new album Constellations". TeamRock.
  29. MyM Magazine. "Esprit D'Air's new music video for Ignition". MyM Buzz.
  30. "Esprit D'Air to support The Birthday Massacre in London". J-Generation. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  31. Jon Stickler. "Esprit D'Air Announce 2018 'Constellations' Tour". Stereoboard.
  32. edohsama. "Esprit D'Air share details for upcoming intergalactic single "Starstorm"". JROCK NEWS. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  33. Francisca Hagen. "Esprit D'Air extend Constellations Tour with European Tour"". AVO Magazine.
  34. Briony Edwards. "Tracks Of The Week: New music from Nine Inch Nails, Bullet for My Valentine and more - Louder". Louder.
  35. BBC Music. "Esprit D'Air - New Songs, Playlists & Latest News - BBC Music". BBC Music.
  36. Briony Edwards. "Esprit D'Air launch video for moody new single Serafine". Louder.
  37. "Neo Awards 2018". Neo (184). January 2019.
  38. Francisca Hagen. "Esprit D'Air fund new single Amethyst in 3 days". AVO Magazine.
  39. Esprit D'Air. "Esprit D'Air announce departure of bassist". Esprit D'Air Official Website.
  40. Briony Edwards. "Louder's Tracks Of The Week: new rock music from Motley Crue, Tom Petty and more". Louder.
  41. Francisca Hagen. "Esprit D'Air to re-record new album after theft". AVO Magazine.
  42. Katy Castillo. "Esprit D'Air announce 10th anniversary show in London". Yatta-Tachi.
  43. Marija Buljeta. "Esprit D'Air special 10th anniversary show at The Dome in London". Altvenger Magazine.
  44. Chris Betros. "Esprit D'Air to perform livestream concert worldwide on Oct 24". Japan Today.
  45. Anna Chan. "Here Are All the Livestreams & Virtual Concerts to Watch During the Coronavirus Crisis: Week of Oct. 19". Billboard.
  46. Chad Childers. "Esprit D'Air Seek Resilience in 'Leviathan' Video". Loudwire.
  47. "Esprit D'Air - Biography". Esprit D'Air.
  48. jpopasia. "Esprit D'Air". JpopAsia.
  49. Esprit D'Air. "Esprit D'Air nominated Best Musical Act for NEO Awards 2017". Esprit D'Air.
  50. edoh. "Esprit D'Air crowned winners at The Independent Music Awards". JROCK NEWS. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  51. "Neo Awards 2018". Neo (184). January 2019.
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