This thread is dedicated to Kami, one of the best drummers who ever lived who died seven years ago today.
Kami was born on February 1, 1973 in Ibaragi, Japan. From the very beginning he took pleasure in music. “I was fond of the music room in school,” he said during an interview, “so I used to go there and listen to the recordings by myself.” It was in the fifth grade, however, that he first played the drums/percussion in the school music festival. Being competitive in nature, he practiced for hours for the percussion’s part which was only assigned to three students. Kami said, “Then I was the best of them so that the instructors asked me to teach the other two students!” After this, he did not play the drums for a very long time.
It was not until he began high school that he started playing percussion and started to save up for his own drum set after his friend suggested that they make a band. “It was a very simple set,” he recalled, “but it was a very rare thing to a child, to me.”
Kami began practicing for hours on end, stopping only for school and tennis. “I could easily acquire 4-beat and 8-beat, and then I started to learn 16-beat on my own. Then, when I looked at the drummer in Dead End, I was amazed. I liked the technically great drummer. And it’s when I was 17 that I decided I was determined to become a drummer.” After he graduated high school, the band that he had started when he was only in the second grade fell apart. Undaunted by this, Kami moved to Tokyo and joined a punk band. However, he was not fond of the music genre. It was in his interest to play the percussion part which could develop more and require more technique. “And then I found Visual-kei, and eventually I joined a band named Kneuklid Romance.” It was there, in the live houses, that he first heard about Malice Mizer.
Yu~ki, the bassist for Malice Mizer, was the first to approach him and ask him to join. Nevertheless, Kami declined. “I never talked with the other members,” he had said. Not too long after his refusal, Mana gave him a call and he agreed to join as a temporary member. Half a year later, he officially joined them.
When he was asked what had attracted him to Malice Mizer, Kami replied, “They have an original song called ‘Baroque’. It was very long and developed quickly, and changed rhythm a lot. The song made me interested in Malice Mizer. I like to acquire the hard technique, and I think the more the song develops, the more the musician can give his message.” In the beginning, Kami did not sing and only played percussion. “As a vocalist conveys his experience in his words, I want to play drums which will convey my experience. I hope my play could be a sound of my life. As Malice Mizer’s drummer, I think I should play according to the composer, but other than that, I think we should explore more.”
On June 25, 1999, Kami was found dead in his home. As depressing as it sounds, his death day was four days prior to the discovery. He died of cerebral embolism, which is a blockage in the brain. His death was quickly and painlessly in his sleep. A small funeral was held in which Mana, Kozi, Yu~-ki, his parents, and a few friends attended. Unfortunately, Gackt, his good friend and fellow band member, did not hear the news until later due to being on a solo tour. Kami died at the age of 26 and was one of the best drummers in the history of music.
Kami’s personality in life, to me, seemed to defy gravity. He was always bright and cheerful, yet completely down to earth. And his hair, for those who ever doubted it, really was naturally long enough for him to sit on it. His hair matched his personality; it defied all gravity, no hidden fans underneath his drum set involved. We miss you, Kami. Rest in Peace.
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Sources:
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