Name:

Wintermute

Dkex

Type:

Music Producer

Novelist/Writer

Genres:

- Vocaloid

- Shoegaze

- Dream-Pop

- Alternative-Rock

- Pop-Rock

Activity:

Active

Official Links:

Website

YouTube

Spotify

Apple Music (jp)

Apple Music (us)

Apple Music (ca)

SoundCloud

ニコニコ

VocaDB

Tumblr

KarenT

piapro

Subjective:

- My Favourite    Producer & Artist

- Favourite Album    (Stray Light)

- Favourite Song    (Jupiter Pop)

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I got the chance to interview Wintermute, so this page is gonna be really detailed.

Wintermute is releasing an album later this month... so i'll update the site once it comes out.

No AI was used for this article, just like for any other page on my website.

Wintermuteさん、もしこれを読んでいるなら、うわっあまさか！
本当にありがとうございます、大好きだよ！

Overview

Wintermute is an alternative Vocaloid producer from the Kansai region of Japan -- specifically Osaka ^(∗), who specializes in shoegaze and dream-pop. He has been a vocaloid producer since around December of 2007, with his debut song being「Mint Tea」^(∗).
Wintermute released several singles, before publishing his 2009 album「Stray Light」, and later publishing「Blood Color Flower EP」in 2015. Since -- apart from a few 10-30 second samples posted to SoundCloud over the years ^(∗) -- he's been inactive in terms of music due to problems with mental and physical health, as well as being buisy with work. Nevertheless, he's been active on Twitter for the past 17 years, posting everyday -- even to this day -- with a total of 100k posts.
He explains that he wants to complete the music he's currently producing as soon as possible, but it's a consultation with his physical condition. ^[ I ]

Wintermute mainly uses Hatsune Miku's voice for songs, but has also used Megurine Luka and KAITO in the past.
He has released a total of 33 songs, 16 of which are on iTunes and Spotify, 26 on YouTube, and 33 on ニコニコ (NicoNico).

The name「Wintermute」originates from William Gibson's 1984 science fiction novel, Neuromancer -- which features a manipulative AI antagonist named Wintermute ^(∗).

When he started playing the guitar, Wintermute's hero was the Japanese beatrock band「Boowy」^[ II ]. Later, he got the idea to compose music after listening to「Ryuichi Sakamoto's」music ^[ II ]; and began producing his current style of Vocaloid shoegaze after wanting to make music with the sound of alternative bands such as Number Girl, Ride, and Sonic Youth ^[ III ]; and got the idea that he could add vocals with the use of Vocaloid ^(∗).
At first he thought Miku was "just another Moe thing", but after feeling down for a long time and having hit a wall with his minimalist techno, He started using Miku for music ^(∗).

In the beginning, Wintermute didn’t think that he'd be making shoegaze, but that’s what ended up defining his position ^(∗).

Releases

Stray Light

Stray Light is Wintermute's first album, released on March 29th 2009. The CD album release contains 16 tracks, while the digital release contains only 10 tracks due to pricing policies^[ 4 ] (All 6 of the extra tracks are remixes; 3 by mango 700). The digital release was distributed by KARENT, an independent music label owned by Krypton Future Media.
The title is based off of Villa Straylight from William Gibson's 1984 science fiction novel, Neuromancer^[ 5 ].
Stray Light was released at MikuFest 2 on March 29th, held at the Miyako Messe Kyoto Kanko-kan convention center^[ 6 ]. There were 200 CD's available for 700 yen each at Wintermute's booth:「C26」in Exhibition Hall 1; alongside「MiKuToPiA 2」, A Hatsune Miku compilation album by MuToPiA LABEL, which features「Sneaker」, a song that also appears on Stray Light^[ 6 ].

Stray Light's album art was designed by todo, and song art was drawn by
小川ニヤコ (Nyako), who has drawn almost all of Wintermute's cover art^[ 7 ].
The album cover features a sillhouette of Hatsune Miku with a turquoise outline, as well as turquoise and red accents; sitting in front of a white background. Her twintails are floating upwards, cut out of frame by the top edge. Her side-sitting body creates a frame for the text by wrapping around the artist name (Wintemute) and album title (Stray Light).

This album is a compilation of all of Wintermute's songs leading up to 2009, therefore there is no overall theme to the album, he simply "hopes you to enjoy listening to it"^{[ I I ]}.
The song he is the most proud of on Stray Light is the 10th track: Fury, Melancholy and Joy. It encapsulates everything he wants to do with rock music: a racing beat, strummed guitar, noise, a simple structure, and lyrics about the desire to escape.


Stray Light means a lot to me; it's my favourite album, by my favourite artist, which contains my favourite song. The album is like nothing else; no matter how far I search -- I'm not able to find anything like it, and I don't think I ever will.
The album is a 10/10. The cover art is a 10/10. Most of the songs are 10/10's. The artist is a 10/10. The album has 10 songs. That basically means this album is a 50/10 overall.

My favourite song on Stray Light (and of all time) is Jupiter Pop. The guitar and drums are unbelievably addicting, and the addition of beautifully written vocals from Miku mesmerize me; it's a perfect opener for an album. The first time I heard Jupiter Pop, I was so stunned that my mouth was agape for the entire song and I couldn't stop bopping my head. For multiple weeks I only listened to Jupiter Pop and Stray Light; I didn't even listen to any of Wintermute's other music for a couple weeks afterwards cause I was so mesmerized by Stray Light and Jupiter Pop.
As of April 2026, I've listened to Jupiter Pop 2412 times on Apple Music alone. Please listen to this song!

Another song that I love from this album is Postscript. The song is a beautiful mix of dread and optimism with it's sad and relatable lyrics about a diminishing relationship and the fear of time passing by. The song's optimistic sound gives off the sense that it'll all be okay.

I've shed a few tears to this song; thinking about the idea of possibly losing the person I hold dearest to my heart... hoping that it's inevitability doesn't catch up to me. It's little embarrasing to wipe my tears on the train...


Tracklist - digital release

1. Jupiter Pop - Hatsune Miku
2. Sleeping in The Red - Hatsune Miku
3. Mint Tea - Hatsune Miku
4. Postscript - Hatsune Miku
5. Autumn Sky {秋の空} (Virtual) - Hatsune Miku
6. Rust of Memories {記憶の錆色} - KAITO
7. Song of Pixie - Hatsune Miku
8. Sneaker {スニーカー} - Hatsune Miku
9. Reality - Megurine Luka
10. Fury, Melancholy and Joy - Hatsune Miku

Album Link (Listen to it.) (You won't regret it)

Tracklist - CD release

1. Jupiter Pop - Hatsune Miku
2. Sleeping in The Red - Hatsune Miku
3. Mint Tea - Hatsune Miku
4. Postscript - Hatsune Miku
5. Autumn Sky {秋の空} (Virtual) - Hatsune Miku
6. Rust of Memories {記憶の錆色} - KAITO
7. Song of Pixie - Hatsune Miku
8. Sneaker {スニーカー} - Hatsune Miku
9. Reality - Megurine Luka
10. Fury, Melancholy and Joy - Hatsune Miku
11. Mint Tea (Mango Roots Mix) - Hatsune Miku
12. Postscript (Mango Roots Mix) - Hatsune Miku
13. Sneaker {スニーカー} (Mango Leaf Mix) - Hatsune Miku
14. Song of Pixie (Bossa Study) - Hatsune Miku
15. Autumn Sky {秋の空} (Real) - Hatsune Miku
16. Mint Tea (Prototype) - Hatsune Miku

CD Information

Additional Information

Album Information
Note (From Wintermute)
Cover Art (Album & Singles)
Lyrics

Blood Color Flower EP

Blood Color Flower EP is Wintermute's first EP, released on January 14th 2015. It's his second project, released 5 years after his preceding album Stray Light. He hasn't officially released anything since. The EP mainly features tracks previously uploaded that were not included on Stray Light or compilation CDs, as well as tracks released exclusively on CD that had not been available online.
Blood Color Flower EP was distributed digitally through KARENT; but it was not released on CD. Wintermute wanted to go「CDs are so last century, yeehaw!」; but it fell flat... So instead he released a set of high-resolution images for DIY jacket printing; so that anyone can print the design and make their own CD.
The artwork for the EP was once again designed by Wintermute's usual artist, ニヤコ (Nyako).
The cover features a sillhouette of a character (maybe Miku?) with turquoise highlights and short hair, which is black at the roots and turquoise at the tips. Theres a red lily flower covering her right eye, which is leeking blood that drips down her cheek, towards her jaw. Theres a white background with a thin red cross, and the title (Blood Color Flower e.p.) and artist name (Wintemute) are displayed in the top left.

Since this EP is a compilation of Wintermute's songs since Stray Light up until 2015, there is no overall theme to the EP, but he was particular about the mix.
All of the songs on Blood Color Flower EP were originally released individually from 2009 to 2010, except for 「Sunshower」, which was released with the EP in 2015. He decided to release the EP 5 years after his previous release (Stray Light), because at the time -- he was thinking that he had enough songs to make a second album on CD. But then, he was invited to KarenT, and it became possible to release it digitally, so he decided to make Blood Color Flower EP.
At the time of making Blood Color Flower EP, Wintermute took insipiration from My Bloody Valentine's album, mbv.
The songs he is the most proud of on Blood Color Flower EP are the 1st and 2nd tracks: Blood Color Flower and Fall.

While this EP isn't as influencial as Stray Light to me, it's still incredible and borderline perfect. It gives me the same feeling of melancholy that all of Wintermutes other music does.
My favourite songs on this EP are Blood Color Flower and In the City of Ghosts. Blood Color Flower is such a beautiful opening, it's slower than most of his other songs, but the melody is so pleasent and catchy. In the City of Ghost is an amazing closing track. It's the only song on the project that doesn't use Miku, instead using Luka. I love listening to this EP on loop, as hearing Blood Color Flower play after In the City of Ghost is an amazing pairing; and creates an excellent loop.


Tracklist

1. Blood Color Flower - Hatsune Miku
2. Fall - Hatsune Miku
3. Coffee Made Body - Hatsune Miku
4. Vermilion Moon - Hatsune Miku
5. Sunshower - Hatsune Miku
6. In the City of Ghost - Megurine Luka

Album Link

Additional Information

Release Announcement
CD Jacket Art

Songs Off-Streaming

Wintermute has released a total of 33 songs to NicoNico. Only 16 of which are on streaming services.
All off-streaming tracks include:

Mint Tea (Prototype)

Mint Tea (Mango Roots Mix)

Autumn Sky (Real)

Postscript (Mango Magic
mix)        [ ✱1 ]

Song of Pixie (bossa study)

Sneaker (mango leaf mix)

Guitar and Glasses [ ✱2 ]

Light Speed High School

Light Speed High School (Demo)     [ ✱3 ]

White Light

RAVEN

Diary

Fall (Mango Seed Mix)

Orchid Parade

Invisible Gun   [ ✱4 ]

Cardigan

Sea and Sky

Alchemy

Chocolatelip Minteyes
and Iceskin     [ ✱5 ]

Unknown

[ ✱1 ] : The song Postcript was previously titled Warm Life; but it was changed to Postscript right before Stray Light's release. (The mango 700 remix was titled「the days of Warm Life had gone away.」 before the title change.)
[ ✱2 ] : An instrumental song. Both the guitar and glasses on the cover belong to Wintermute.
[ ✱3 ] : The demo to Light Speed High School with no lyrics, it instead has Luka and Miku vocalizing the melody. Wintermute crowdsourced lyric submissions for this song, the user who's lyrics were chosen was リカＡ (RikaA)'s.
[ ✱4 ] : Released for Out Wave Cluster's album, 5 senses working overtime; made alongside the band かーふゅー (Curfew) -- (All members apart from Wintermute are secret).
[ ✱5 ] : Wintermute's entry for the Summer Noise Guitar Festival 2016.

Featured Albums

Wintermute has been featured on a total of 15 compilation albums.
All of these albums and their respective song include:

MiKuToPiA

Label: MuToPiA

Appearance: Postscript,
Mint Tea (Mango Roots Mix)

Up in the Higher Skies

Circle: team UHS

Appearance: Song of Pixie

MiKuToPiA2

Label: MuToPiA

Appearance: Sneaker, Postscript (Mango Magic mix)

Greatest Misses

Circle: Out Wave Cluster

Appearance: White Light

Drive on

Circle: team UHS

Appearance: RAVEN

Second Coming

Circle: Out Wave Cluster

Appearance: Diary

Three Out Change!

Circle: Out Wave Cluster

Appearance: In the City of
Ghost

MiKuToPiA3

Label: MuToPiA LABEL

Appearance: Fall,
Fall -Mango Seed Mix-

Quadrophenia

Circle: Out Wave Cluster

Appearance: Orchid Parade

青春スペクトラ

Label: luminouscore

Appearance: Cardigan

5 senses working overtime

Circle: Out Wave Cluster

Appearance: Invisible Gun

SIX STRING SAMURAI

Circle: Out Wave Cluster

Appearance: Sea and Sky

mikgazer vol.1

Circle: ?

Appearance: Alchemy

KIRAKIRA

Circle: SOLDIER FROG

Appearance: Sunshower

イン・ザ・ダーク３

By: jun tokito

Appearance: Unknown

Dkex

Dkex is Wintermute's pseudonym, used for his previous music career, and for things outside of Vocaloid rock.
Before producing his current style of music as Wintermute, he made minimal techno music under the name Dkex. While music under this name was scraped off the internet (or not even there to begin with), some of his techno and ambient music are on his official Soundcloud; those being:
Toast and Butter - YDPI - Loop - Noos - Epilogue - Logos - Acid-01 - Eight Beat Maniac - No Home - Spores - Monad - Beatstudy

He also goes by the name Dkex for the novels and manga he writes.
He has publically released 3 novels, and 2 manga, one in collaboration with ニヤコ, and another alongside a life in orbit's novel.

Novels

Rika wants to stop being human

リコは人間をやめたい (Rika wants to stop being human)
Will write after reading

Link to read Rika wants to stop being human

a life in orbit

a life in orbit
Will write after reading







Link to read a life in orbit

break the code

break the code
Will write after reading









Link to read break the code

Manga

Psycho trigger

PsychoTrigger is a cyberpunk style manga written by Dkex and illustrated by Nyako.
The setting is the earth in the distant future. As a result of the overdevelopment of technology, the upper-class elites have left Earth.
PsychoTrigger is a story about Damon, a boy, and Mika, a girl, who were left behind to live on the devastated Earth, and come into contact with the overtechnology of the past.
The story is devided into 16 episodes, written from (?) to 2013. According to Nyako, it's a manga featuring a young boy and girl in action-packed adventures.

Link to read PsychoTrigger

Out Wave Cluster

Out Wave Cluster is a group of 13 Vocaloid producers that produce songs for original compilation albums. They were active from 2009 to 2014. In that time they made 8 compilation albums in total; mostly comprised of rock music.They participated in events like Bo-Mas, and released their albums at THE VOC@LOiD M@STER and VOCALOID PARADISE events.

Members

- Wintermute
- Bothneco
- キャプテンミライ (CaptainMirai)
- hr
- テンネン (tennen)
- 夢見るP (YumemiruP)
- ろくがつ (rokugastu)
- liam
- えこまる (Ecomaru)
- FuzzP
- テラピコス (Terapicos)
- saiB
- 梨本うい (Nashimoto Ui)

Setup

Wintermute's setup from 2009 is:

- MacBook Pro (15-inch, early 2007)
- Ableton Live 7 (Suite, download)
- Fender USA Highway One Telecaster
- Line 6 POD X3
- Line 6 TonePort GX
- Line 6 POD Farm Plug-in, GearBox Plug-in
- VOCALOID (Miku/KAITO/Luka)
- HairerSoft Amadeus Pro
- EAST WEST Bob Clearmountain Drums 1
- ChocolateAudio Bonzo drum kit
- KORG nanoKEY, nanoPAD

Sources

- likeadaydream.net/about
- @wiki.jp/hmiku/pages/1353
- SoundCloud.com/wntrmt
- vocadb.net/Ar/70
- likeadaydream.net/straylight/note
- likeadaydream.net/archives/120
- likeadaydream.net/archives/44
- likeadaydream.net/archives/58
- likeadaydream.net/archives/29

Interview quotes

[ I ] :「早く音楽を完成させたいと思っていますが、体調との相談です。」/
("I want to complete the music as soon as possible, but it's a consultation with my physical condition.")

[ II ] :「ぼくがギターをはじめた時、ヒーローは日本のビートロックバンド”Boowy”でした。作曲をしたいと思ったのは坂本龍一の音楽を聴いた時。」/
("When I started playing the guitar, the hero was the Japanese beatrock band "Boowy". I wanted to compose music when I listened to Ryuichi Sakamoto's music.")

[ III ] :「今のぼくのボーカロイド音楽のスタイルはナンバーガールやRide、Sonic Youthなどのオルタナティブバンドをごちゃ混ぜにした音楽を作りたいと思ったところからはじめています。」/
("My current style of vocaloid music started when I wanted to make music mixed with alternative bands such as Number Girl, Ride, and Sonic Youth.")

[ IV ] :「個別にリリースしていた曲をまとめたアルバムなので、一貫したテーマとかはありません。なのでただ楽しんで聞いてほしいです。」/
("Since it is an album that summarizes the songs that have been released individually, there is no consistent theme. So I just want you to enjoy listening.")

Last updated on: April 12th, 2026.