MINMI has participated fully in the production, vocals and piano for the new song “Fuurinkazan” (prod.MINMI,MaL&YANAGIMAN). The ultimate towel-waving song will make this summer even hotter!
It’s been 15 years since I first heard her on the mini stereo in the baseball club dormitory in high school. I’ve been able to write a song about fighting with MINMI, who I’ve always respected. By Mac Jack
The fierce yet beautiful “Fuurinkazan” will create a whirlwind throughout Japan!
Message from MINMI
I participated in the song production of “Fuurinkazan” based on the idea of YANAGIMAN. The initial concept was two years ago, so it’s been a long project.
The actual recording began this year (2024), with us exchanging ideas and data between LA, where I am, and Japan.
The first track that YANAGIMAN played for me was a Japanese dancehall-style track, to which I added melody, lyrics, and track arrangements. Together with DJ MaL, I gave the bass and drums a sense of speed, and added inflections with the guitar and piano (Note 1).
The chorus was added at STUDIO BEAT3 in Old Pasadena, LA, and the engineer there, Mr. IRKO (note 2), was wonderful, adding a fantastic and beautiful part. I think it became an intense and beautiful song by overlapping with the momentum of McJack.
In terms of the arrangement, we tried various things to make sure that the individuality of the four Mac Jack members stood out,
I’m really looking forward to seeing it sung at live performances. Please sing it at many venues and create a sensation all over Japan!
2024/08/04 MINMI
Note 1: The piano performance is by MINM herself.
Note 2: An Italian engineer who has won a Grammy Award for his work on Kanye West albums, etc.
■Fuurinkazan STORY ~ Mac Jack and MINMI
・Mitchell, Ali, and Chai were in the baseball club and lived in a dormitory during their high school days. After hard practice, it was their daily routine to have fun listening to reggae and black music on a mini stereo until lights out. Shonan no Kaze, RED SPIDER’s Mix-Tapes, and other MINMI classics were staples in the dormitory.
After graduating from high school, he returned to his hometown of Kobe and decided to pursue music as something he could be passionate about other than baseball, forming the band MacJack. He gained experience in the local reggae scene, and then went on a journey to Jamaica to study music.
In 2019, they were staying in Tokyo to record their second album, “ENERGY,” at a studio owned by producer XLII. By chance, MINMI was working in the studio next door. While they were talking during their free time, MINMI asked them to help with the recording, and the four of them joined in on the chorus.
・To show her gratitude, MINMI said, “I want to do something too.” She helped me write the last line of the lyrics for the song “LOSER.”
In 2022, a collaboration song with MINMI was proposed by his mentor YANAGIMAN. MINMI sent him a demo of “Fuurinkazan” with the chorus and temporary vocals.
In 2023, MacJack will continue pre-production in various locations, from Kobe to Osaka to Okinawa.
・In 2024, we officially started moving towards the release of “Fuurinkazan”, and repeatedly exchanged data with MINMI, who lives in LA. MINMI sent us handwritten lyrics and vocal direction one after another, and the work progressed beyond the time difference. In May, MINMI’s vocals and chorus were recorded at a studio in LA.
-After that, it was manipulated by MaL, adjusted by YANAGIMAN, played on the piano by MINMI, and finally arranged, before being tracked down by Takane Shinsaku, a regular engineer who works on MINMI’s work, before being completed.
■MacJack Profile
They are known as the Kobe Vibes Idiots. All of them are former baseball players.
He was shocked by the reggae music he heard on the mini-component stereo in the baseball club dormitory, and formed the band after graduation. He then traveled to Jamaica. He swapped the bat he had swung to death in high school for a microphone, and set his sights on performing at Koshien Stadium, a dream he had once shattered!
(Photo L → R)
・ALI: Left-handed unconventional southpaw. POW! POW!
・MCL (Mitchell): The bearded leader, aka Vibes Gorilla: “Uh-oh!”
・CHAI: Mr. Atiaty, his speciality is video editing
・JAGA-C (Jagashi): It’s crazy! It’s crazy! It’s real! aka Tetsuro Jagawa
■MINMI Profile
MINMI is a singer-songwriter. She started playing the piano from a young age, and began singing in reggae and hip-hop clubs in Osaka around 1996. On August 21, 2002, her first single “The Perfect Vision” achieved the feat of selling over 500,000 copies, marking a brilliant debut, and the following year (2003) her first album “MIRACLE” recorded sales of 600,000 copies, making her name known in the Japanese music industry. Her live performances have also been highly praised since she first began singing in clubs around 1996, and in 2015 she became the female artist with the most festival appearances. In addition, her large-scale outdoor festival “FREEDOM”, which she organizes, has grown into one of the most popular outdoor festivals. Celebrating her 22nd anniversary since her debut, she has released the album “essence”, which condenses and expresses the essence of her life as a female artist, and is starting her career towards the 30th anniversary of her artist career.
Mac Jack
・Official website
・X
・YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvj4TQpmOvpiCUHtPNUUVHg
・TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@mackjack_official?lang=ja-JP
