Raffia di:ser - Facsimile Edition 1

Raffia di:ser
Facsimile Edition 1
2021/02/04

1. Addiction
2. Mad cry
3. ...and VICE
4. ガラスの雫
5. Bloom
6. Crucified lover
7. Luna～精神異常～
8. ∞ [loop]

Time to take a forgotten rough gem out of the big bag of underground visual kei! Raffia di:ser's 2021 release spree has precious restored tracks in store for old-school lovers.

Okay, I'm not gonna pretend that I've known of Raffia di:ser this whole time. In fact, I first read their name less than a week ago while absent-mindedly browsing vkgy ("sounds cool, let's check it out!"). I soon found out that even though the band itself had a pretty short run as predicted and they're dead and gone for almost two decades now, they released some digital albums last year. A totally unexpected but welcome gesture! Turns out that frontman Akihisa decided to re-record the band's whole catalogue all by himself a few years ago and bundled them into three neat collections.

Those of you who know me also might know that I'm a sucker for old stuff like this, particularly the indies VK of the turn of the millennium, so of course I had to buy all the digital albums they had in their webshop. First of all I have to say I'm amazed by the sheer volume of the material. Each collection contains 8 tracks (about 37 minutes), revisiting both previously released and unreleased music, making them absolute must-haves for fans of this bygone era. This first album is my favorite so far as it sounds the most 'traditionalist', with tasteful and not too overbearing synths providing the backdrop for beautiful fluttery guitars, catchy rhythms and great melodic vocals.

Of course it all wouldn't be worth much if the re-recordings sucked, but thankfully Akihisa seems to have handled everything with care. I have to give him props for going ahead and programming all the synths and drums, playing the bass and all the guitar lines and of course handling the vocals all the way through. I haven't had a chance to check out the original recordings, but after hearing these new ones I might not even have to, just because these sound perfect as they are. Clear, crisp sound, but also with a sense of the early '00s in its DNA. In other words, the production doesn't sound kitschy or try-hard modern, just presenting a polished reimagining of the past.

If my humble ramblings piqued your interest, please visit Akihisa's webshop where you can buy digital and physical versions of the three albums (with a small discount if bought in a bundle), and while you're there I also recommend the Iris d'aile re-recording collection, another kickass batch of nostalgic VK.