Kami (musician)
| Kami | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | 神村右狂 (Ukyō Kamimura) |
| Also known as | Kami |
| Born |
February 1, 1972 Ibaraki |
| Origin | Tokyo, Japan |
| Died | June 21, 1999 (aged 27) |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active | 1989–1999 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts |
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Ukyō Kamimura (神村右狂 Kamimura Ukyō?, February 1, 1972 – June 21, 1999), better known by his stage name Kami, was a Japanese musician best known as drummer for the visual kei rock band Malice Mizer. He died on June 21, 1999 in his sleep of a subarachnoid hemorrhage at the age of 27.
Kami was born in the city of Ibaraki, Japan on February 1, 1971. As a child in elementary school, he was very much interested in traditional Japanese brush writing and using a soroban (abacus), therefore studying these fondly. His first interest in playing his own tunes was in his fifth year at school when he began to practice on a drum kit. Kami left and didn't return to drumming until early high school. Early influences of Kami included many of the British new wave bands, including Culture Club and Duran Duran. Between this time, Kami devoted his after-school hours to practicing his favorite hobby, tennis, as he was fond of exercise.
At the beginning of his high school years, Kami was invited into a friend's band. Initially, his interest was in being a guitarist; after practicing for a short time, he decided to return to the drums.
Kami's fondness for drumming began to evolve, and a personal drum kit became a necessity. Thus, he took up a part-time job and subsequently saved up the necessary money. Realizing that he could not achieve a large amount of success in his current high school band after graduation, Kami decided to go to Tokyo. Upon leaving his previous group and moving, Kami spent a brief time in a punk band before taking a liking to the visual kei style. As a result, he joined an up-and-coming musical group called Kneuklid Romance. Performing mainly live shows, Kami soon attracted the attention of Yu~ki, bassist from the visual kei rock band Malice Mizer. Due to Malice Mizer's previous drummer, Gaz, leaving (who would shortly thereafter join Kneuklid Romance), the band was very keen on introducing Kami to their style of music. He was reluctant at first although a phone call from one of their guitarists, Mana, persuaded him. Therefore, Kami began to play unofficially for the band over six months as a support player. However, soon after, the other members of Malice Mizer agreed upon recruiting him as a full member of the group. Upon Kami's recruitment, Malice Mizer released their debut album, Memoire, his first inclusion on a publicly released album.
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