S.E.N.S. Spiritual Thinker

Japan's famous new age music group

Meaning: Sound (sound), Earth (earth), Nature (nature), Spirit (spirit) )

Band members:

Akihiko Fukaura

Date of birth: May 13, 1959

Graduated from: Kumamoto, Japan

Blood type: B

Hobby: Fishing

Music, synthesis, computer programming, chorus

Yukari Katsuki (Yukari Katsuki)

Date of birth: April 1, 1956

Graduated from: Fukuoka, Japan

Blood type: B

Hobby: Traveling Japanese hot springs

Music, piano, singing, computer programming

In China, not many people may have heard the name S.E.N.S., but their music works have long been popular.

As one of the three giants of Japanese New Age music, S.E.N.S. is good at writing spiritual music. It was founded in 1984 by Akihiko Fukaura and Yukari Katsuki. electronic keyboard orchestra. Speaking of which, the combination of the two feels incredible. Akihiko Fukaura is a rock musician and is good at modern music. He is responsible for composing, mixing, synthesizing and arranging. Yukari Katsuki, who graduated from the Conservatory of Music, prefers classical music and is responsible for composition, arrangement, piano and voice acting. Generally speaking, it is not easy for two people with completely different musical styles to come together. Akihiko Fukaura and Yukari Katsuki not only perfectly harmonized the music to make it pleasant and sweet, but also brought into play their strengths, making the style and combination of the music no longer monotonous, sometimes gentle and sometimes unrestrained, creating even more incredible The blending and singing. S.E.N.S.'s composing talent is enough to stand out in the music world, and there are countless beautiful melodies flowing from their pen. The only regret is that their arrangement skills are slightly inferior in comparison, and the music form is a bit ordinary and monotonous.

The band's original name was "Sensitivity Project" (Sensitivity Planning Room). Later, in order to allow music fans to use the trilogy of "Maritime Silk Road" soundtracks (respectively "Poseidon", "Gaara", " "Tea Waltz"), to deepen their impression, they changed their name to "S.E.N.S" which has two meanings: "Sense" (sensibility) and "Cense" (incense). After entering the millennium, the creative concept of "S.E.N.S" has been extended to the level of "Sound (sound), Earth (land), Nature (nature), and Spirit (spirit)".

In 1988, "S.E.N.S." was established. Because of its role as composer, arranger and performer in the documentary "Maritime Silk Road" of the "Silk Road Series" produced and broadcast by Japan's NHK Public Television became famous for his work.

In 1989, Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival and became famous in the world of film circles. The original soundtrack of the film "A City Of Sadness" was also performed by Shen Si Zhe. In a short chapter of 21 minutes, the deep, unspeakable helplessness and sadness in the movie are vividly and vividly interpreted, which is deeply memorable. The name S.E.N.S. began to gain worldwide attention. S.E.N.S.'s CDs are sold in many countries in Europe and Asia. S.E.N.S.'s music breaks through language barriers and arouses huge repercussions around the world.

Since 1993, they have also participated in the soundtrack work of several Japanese idol dramas, such as "Love", "In the Glorious Season", "L'oiseau Bleu Blue Bird", "O God" ! Please Give Me More Time", "Future Two Thousand Years of Love", "Flying Modern Cinderella", etc. are all their works.

"The Forbidden City Trilogy" is the theme music collection of the large-scale documentary "The Forbidden City" (also known as "The Forbidden City Treasures") produced by S.E.N.S for NHK in 1996. In this film, the photographer vividly displays the most exquisite and splendid aspects of ancient Chinese civilization from the perspective of an admirer of Chinese culture. In the eyes of a foreigner, China's vast and profound culture is so transparent, and every detail is full of artistry. The soundtrack is exquisite, the notes are ups and downs, and the rhythm is constantly changing with the ups and downs of the historical narrative. The low percussion sounds like ringing the bell of the Yongle Dynasty. The majestic hall covered with glazed tiles in the Forbidden City represents the civilized country they long for. Beauty and splendor. The soul-stirring notes are like a dreamlike magical journey or a large-scale epic movie. "Genghis Khan", "Kaiyuan Dynasty", galloping war horses, pictures flashed in my mind, and suddenly I recalled the vicissitudes of Dunhuang, Yangguan buried by the wind and sand... the ancient and magnificent scenery passed by gracefully, It tells the story of grandeur and vicissitudes, and witnesses history and the future.

The popular "Shen Thinker" has released 36 albums. For more than ten years, it has maintained an exquisite and refined music style, skillfully integrating electronic synthesized instruments and piano to create lyrical and romantic songs. The atmosphere is paired with soothing and elegant beats, as well as oriental mystery and quiet philosophy, creating a style exclusive to the spiritual thinker. For modern people living in the city, the melody of the Shensiers is a paintbrush to release stress; the musical atmosphere is a catalyst to induce imagination. Listening to their music is like getting close to an indifferent gentleman, with a far-sighted vision, Don't be obsessed with fame and fortune, and be immersed in it for a long time, your soul will be unconsciously influenced by it, and you will have clear thinking like a god.

Their music is generally recognized internationally as belonging to the New Age category. I once discovered an encore version of S.E.N.S.'s "Glory Days" in an album by another famous New Age artist, Bandari. Although S.E.N.S. has never stated that their music belongs to New Age or other genres, they have mentioned that they create "spiritual" music. In Japan, S.E.N.S. is recognized as one of the founders of "healing" music. The so-called "healing system" refers to the use of music to treat people's inner trauma. Generally speaking, it is relatively soothing and soft music, which makes it easy for people to enter a relaxed state. Personally, I think it belongs to the New Age category, and I have to admire the Japanese's ability to create new terms.

The works of Shensi Zhe can also be divided into two major categories. One category is the soundtracks of NHK documentaries represented by the two trilogies of "Maritime Silk Road" and "Forbidden City": two series Not only does the work contain a considerable number of classics, but it has also been frequently cited in countless film and television productions and advertisements in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Therefore, many friends will still feel quite familiar even if they are listening to Shensi's music for the first time. The condensed sense of historical vicissitudes in the Forbidden City Trilogy is very successful, even compared with Kitaro.

The other category is the soundtrack composed by Shensi Zhe for many famous Japanese TV series, including "Looking Back to See Him Again", "White Paper of Love", "God, Give Me More Time" , "Two Thousand Years of Love", etc.: The soundtracks of Japanese dramas with the theme of love are completely different from documentaries in style. The picturesque romantic feelings not only match the storyline perfectly, but even if you just listen to the music, it seems like You can also feel the joys and sorrows of the people in the play from the ups and downs of the notes. It can be said that the success of these Japanese dramas is indispensable to Shensi Zhe, and Shensi Zhe has thus won the reputation of "The King of Japanese Drama Soundtracks". In addition, the soundtrack composed by The Thinker for Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien's film "City of Sadness" is also well-known in Asia and is regarded as one of the audition classics by audiophiles.

Unfortunately, The Thinker seems to have declined in creative ability in recent years, and his past active role in the soundtrack industry is no longer the same. The two new albums "Heart" and "The Key" still follow a gentle and lyrical approach. Although the melody is still moving, unfortunately there is no breakthrough in style. Therefore, except for the fans of spiritual thinkers, the response in the market seems to be mediocre. I sincerely hope that Shen Si Zhe can give the audience a new surprise next time and recreate the style of the past.

S.E.N.S. seems to have a soft spot for the word "transparent". From their two best collections, "Transparent Music 1 and 2", to the latest one, "Transparent Time", a collaboration with Etsuji Toyokawa, "transparency" represents a major feature of their music: clean and clear. S.E.N.S.'s music is always so quiet and peaceful, with no superfluous instrumental effects. Most of the time it's just a solo or combination of piano, violin and flute, simple. Another characteristic of them is freedom. Some people say that some of S.E.N.S.'s works are similar to Xiao Bang's music, that is, they both give listeners space for their thoughts to fly freely and gain rare peace and rest in the noisy life. This is the most prominent feature of "healing" music.