Esprit D'Air ("Spirit of Air" in French) is a British-Japanese progressive metal band formed in London in 2010 with members from Japan and England.

Since reforming in 2016, Kai appoints session musicians and support members, which included some of the original line-up to perform with him on tour.

[10] 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.

[18] 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.

[19] 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.

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).

[28][29] In April 2017, the band released their second comeback single, Guiding Light and premiered their music video exclusively with Teamrock.com,[30] and was later listed as their top 50 best rock songs of 2017 so far.

Esprit D'Air performed at O2 Academy Islington as a support act for The Birthday Massacre on 24 October 2017,[34] 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.

[44][45] 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 to start the recording process all over again.

[46][47] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the live show was replaced by a livestream on the same date,[48][49] and instead took place at KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton.

[citation needed] In December 2020, Esprit D'Air released their single, "Leviathan" accompanied by a music video directed by Andy Mihov, which premiered on Loudwire.

"[50]The release of "Leviathan" garnered some praise from peers with The Sisters of Mercy's Ben Christo stating of the song, "It's a really unique blend of djent, industrial, electro, goth, emo, metal and much more.

I love the dramatics and cinematic quality it has, with haunting, melancholy colors swooping betwixt the cruel, relentless jaws of the machine.

"[51] Michael Falcore of The Birthday Massacre stated that "Leviathan" is a "wonderful song, feels like a modern day opera with heavy guitars set on fire!

[54] In March 2021, Esprit D'Air released a cover of X Japan's Kurenai, with the guitars, bass, and vocals recorded by Kai, and drums by Jan-Vincent Velazco.

[59] In October 2021, Esprit D'Air released the single Souhou Raiā in collaboration with Tokyo-based Vocaloid producer UmiKazeTaiyou.

The album includes songs ('Dead Zone' and 'The Abyss') that feature The Sisters of Mercy member Ben Christo, and Ryo Kinoshita from Japanese metalcore band Crystal Lake as special guest vocalists, respectively.

[63][64][65] Simultaneously, Esprit D'Air released an enhanced edition of the 'Leviathan' music video called 'Leviathan 2.0', featuring new visual effects created by Andy Mihov and a team across the UK, France, and Taiwan.

[67] In March 2022, Esprit D'Air released a video and single for 'Dead Zone' featuring Ben Christo from The Sisters of Mercy.

The new version contained new synthesizers and keyboard parts provided by Misstiq and guitars, vocals, bass, and drums recorded by Kai.

[73] On 29 September 2023, Esprit D'Air collaborated with ex-Judas Priest vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens on an Iron Maiden cover of The Trooper, also featuring Ben Christo from The Sisters of Mercy.

In various interviews, Kai has said his favorite bands are Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Megadeth, X Japan, Mötley Crüe, W.A.S.P., and Anthrax, although the music of Esprit D'Air does not reflect this.

"[77]In an article about Japanese rock and metal bands on Loudwire, Kai cites X Japan, Dead End, and L'Arc-en-Ciel (particularly Hyde) to be some of his main influences.

[78] Esprit D'Air has so far collaborated with artists Ben Christo of The Sisters of Mercy, Tim "Ripper" Owens formerly of Judas Priest, Ryo Kinoshita formerly of Crystal Lake, Heavygrinder, Shirobon, Shudan, UmiKazeTaiyou, and Misstiq in official releases.

Between 2018 and 2019, Kai was a frequent guest vocalist for London-based project Shot Through The Heart, a "monthly night of live hard rock, AOR and glam metal covers" presented by Ben Christo.

In 2016, Kai played bass for Stereo Juggernaut and went on a UK tour supporting The Birthday Massacre, as well as shows with 3Teeth, Hed PE and Warrior Soul.

[79] On 15 October 2022, Kai was asked to perform guitar for original Tigertailz vocalist Steevi Jaimz on a one-off show to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Tigertailz debut album Young and Crazy alongside Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and Rachel Stamp drummer Robin Guy and former BulletBoys bass player Rob Lane.

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.

The Experimental Film and Music Video Festival runs every three months at the Carlton Cinemas in downtown Toronto, Canada.

Eligible titles must have been released in the UK in the past 12 months, and the winners are announced at MCM London Comic Con.