I find myself at clubs that play electro house (Justice, MSTRKRFT) and it’s the same thing over and over, and I can’t help but wonder – what would happen if the DJ suddenly blasted Malice Mizer’s “Illuminati”? I can only imagine a roomful of club kids wiping their oversized glasses in confusion. But if the DJ were to spin Aural Vampire’s “Innsmouth”… now that would turn the room into Dracula's ball.
Aural Vampire (yes, it’s a play on “oral”) is a Tokyo duo that churns out the most scrumptious Electropop/Darkwave. Think 80s-influenced female-fronted synth (Ladytron, Metric) with a bite of dark/glam industrial (Rammstein).
The band is on an indie record label called “Tokyo Lolita Style” – three words that can also describe their stage image. With her long, blonde princess hair and cat eyes, singer/lyricist Exo-Chika looks as innocent as Dracula’s Mina Harker. But ask her to say “ahhh” and she’ll bare her blood-sucking canines (like in the video above). Her style is more Gothic than Lolita, as she avoids the frills and girlish silhouettes. Exo-Chika often performs in black armbands, corsets, and garters; her partner Raveman lurks in the back, his face covered by a blood red Jason-esque mask.
Here’s some mandatory listening: nine tracks from Aural Vampire's 2004 album, "Vampire Ecstasy." Pump up the jam, switch on the disco ball, bounce around… I know I am!
