風 の 行方 (Kaze no yukue)
the japanese version by PREFIX (TK and Mairi)
When I first heard the wonderful music of Prefix I immediately thought they would be the ideal duo to tackle the japanese version of the song. Everything was there, inspriring music, skilled composers and producers, a beautiful voice...
So I was very excited when TK and Mairi answered my request saying that it would not be easy, but that they were more than willing to take on the challenge.
When you will listen to the resulting track, I think you will agree with me that they have done a great job, and I hope it will inspire you to check out more of their music.
So now, the "On the wind" project is expanding its wings again, and I am proud to present you a version by the japanese duo PREFIX, formed by TK (Tomonori Kimuro) and Mairi (Akemi Wakase)
It is not always obvious to create an adaptation in a style and language that is very different from the original.
Below you can read about the making of the song.
The translation of the lyrics into japanese:
The problem is that japanese uses more syllables than english and it is difficult to match this to the melodies afterwards.
For example “thank you” means “arigatou”. “Thank you” needs only one or two notes to sing, but “arigatou” requires at least four or five.
Japanese also uses many vowels, which makes it even more difficult.
Mairi did the translation of this version in a literally japanese style, and she remained very faithful to the original lyrics.
Mairi lost her parents at a very young age when she was 21. The experience of the death of her parents made that she could understand the feelings in the lyrics very well, and she could write straight from the heart.
The sound of the song:
When I invite people to record a localised version of the song, I am more interested in a personal version of the song in their own style, and less in a “traditional” sounding version of the country they live in.
However, TK told me that he wanted to add some japanese instruments to give the song that asian feel.
It is very difficult to use Japanese traditional instruments, because they use no score. But this music have been played since about AC700 in the Imperial Household called 'GAGAKU' (雅楽）
TK’s description of the instruments:
All these instruments use different scales than the western, and some of them are very difficult to play, so for this song I used the sampled version.
琴 (koto) - sounds like a harp (click the image to watch videos and listen to samples)
It has basically 5 scales with 13 strings.
I use it in the intro, interlude and ending.
more info on wikipedia
笙 (shou) - sounds like bagpipes
It is made of a bundle of 17 bamboos in different length.
Each bamboo has a hole.
It is very difficult to play, so I use this from synthesizer in intro, interlude,and ending.
more info on wikipedia
神楽鈴 (kagurasuzu) - little tinkle
鼓（tuzumi) - sounds like a snare (click the image to watch videos and listen to samples)
銅拍子 (chappa) - cymbals
太鼓 (taiko) - drums
I made heavy bottoms (kick or 6 string bass) because in Japanese lyrics, the song becomes slower and with less groove I think.
Multiplex chorusses are our specialty.
A short PREFIX bio:
At the tender age of 3 or 4, Mairi was already singing at the shop window of their relatives’ Japanese cake shop. In those days, she sang in a stage, responding to all the requests. The reward for the songs was, of course, a fresh-baked Japanese cake. This was her point of start as a singer.
Later on, when she was 13, she started playing the guitar and singing at the same time, and that was how she went getting more and more stuck on music. Since she was 16 years old she started to act on the stage and she experienced lots of changes as time went by.
In 1994, she was invited to join S,Q,U,I,E,D as the leader singer of the band by Tk, an acquaintance that she met time ago in a studio session.
By his side, at the age of 4, Tk entered the chapel of a church as a soprano boy, where he sang choir songs every Sunday. This was his first contact with music. Then, when he was 14, he continued with his activity in the choir, but since he was 12, he got a guitar which kept him far from the choir. This was his awakening as a composer. His activity onstage began at 13 years old, and afterwards, he made ANGIE become first on the list among several Rock, Pop Blues bands. His long trip on music started in connection with live concerts. Later on, he wandered beyond a maze full of shifts during many years…
In 1993, after a long break in his musical career, Tk awake and created S,Q,U,I,E,D himself. Three months later, after seventeen years of silence, he appeared onstage again. On this occasion, he asked MAIRI to perform as a leader singer, which can be considered as the beginning of PREFIX.
From 2002 on, they kept evolving as a unit into their current style. Then, they established their own private studio (called Studio ALC) as a sound and track-making unit, and a work studio work plenty of originality began. In the spring of 2003, in their self-produced power CD called “Step up series”, they offered several musical compositions.
From 2003 autumn on, they offered ring tone songs for cells, and thanks to the full-of-pop-essence sound, MAIRI’s healing and lyric voice, and their broad scale musical compositions, they achieved to appear in the 3rd first places at the ranking, towards the end of the year. Ex: from Monthly J-pop Magazine opening page “The reason of the first 3 top songs monopolising the toplist can be explained by the fabulous sense of Tk, its leader, especially at soundmake, as well as by the voice of its vocalist, MAIRI, who can heal everything with her voice”.
From 2005 on, they started offering music delivery services in mobile phones and other contents in different regions, and they began getting more and more popular: that was the birth of PREFIX mania! Afterwards, they continued creating compositions and focusing on their studio work, and then in 2008, they founded their original label GODINFIELD and started their business selling and delivering their products on iTunes store, both nationally and internationally. Their musical genres are POP, Blue-eyed soul, Dance music, Rock, etc. Both Tk, with his broad range and Mairi, with her musical roots, are a proof of diversity, which is PREFIX’s (Pre-Fix) concept. Anyway, this is just the beginning of the story, since their never-ending story has just begun. So let's enjoy them!
風に 去り逝くは 遥かな 彼の地
Kaze ni saruyukuwa harukana kanochi
遠く 離れて 今は 一人きり
Tooku hanarete imawa hitorikiri
心 焼き尽くす 永遠の 別れ 身を焦がし
Kokoro yakitsukusu towano wakare miwokogashi
二度と 届かぬ 朝の 光 冷たく
Nidoto todokanu asano hikari tsumetaku
今は 過ぎ去りし 美しき 日々は
Imawa sugisarishi utsukushiki hibiwa
記憶に 抱かれ ぬくもり 優しく
kiokuni dakare nukumori yasashiku
風に 高く 舞い 光を 目指す
Kazeni takaku mai hikariwo mezasu
深く 燃える 火よ あなたの 元へと
Fukaku moeru hiyo anatano motoeto
心も この身も 高く 連れて 行って。。。。
Kokoromo konomimo takaku tsurete itte
風 (kaze) ＝ Wind
火 (hi) = Fire
Japanese adaptation: Prefix (TK & Mairi)
Prefix myspace page
Prefix website
Selected Discography by Prefix:
