The fifth album of the Vladikavkaz duet Miyagi and Andy Panda quickly captivated the audience with high-quality compositions that skillfully combine stylish sound and semantic recitative. On November 13, 2020, the guys summed up their work on the record with a musical short film for the song YAMAKASI. The video complemented the summer hit and turned it into a deep composition, in which there was a place for references, allusions and reflections.

Meaning of Miyagi & Andy Panda YAMAKASI song

The text of “Yamakashi” turned out to be very personal for the performers. It is dedicated to them, as well as to their hometown of Vladikavkaz and the people who live in it. Azamat and Soslan talk about how they feel their native land and everything that happens around.

Both musicians talk about the same topic in their verses. Their words echo. If you read the text of the song, discarding the music and voice, then you get the feeling of holistic poetry.

The guys demonstrate that the city of childhood brought both joy and sadness. Once it seemed like a paradise, and sometimes it turned into a living hell.

There are several references and barbs in the text. For example, the authors express dissatisfaction with the way contemporaries boast of the merits of their ancestors. The new generation “erects monuments” in honor of their grandfathers, but they themselves are not able to continue their glorious work. These lines are also a criticism of those who continue to live in the past, remembering past conflicts and quarrels. The deeds of grandfathers should not become a reason for new strife.

Describing all the ambiguities of their native land, the musicians each time come to a positive conclusion, which is concentrated in the chorus:

Exorbitant my pure side

Receive guests fairly

Smiled at those who were close in spirit to us

Chased away the stench and absurdities

The beauty of this city burned furiously

Burnt with news bulletins

I pray to God for you, Motherland, close

With you alone to the end, at least kill

These lines say that North Ossetia is always fair to people, giving everyone what they deserve. This region will always answer a smile with a smile, but will not tolerate malicious intent. Despite all the charm of Vladikavkaz, it periodically falls into the epicenter of unpleasant events that fill the news bulletins. It is possible to refer to several terrorist attacks that took place in this city (1998 and 2010), as well as to the Beslan events of 2004.

Meaning of Miyagi’s “Yamakashi” video (analysis, references)
Supplementing the song with strong, beautifully shot shots added new meanings to the composition. The most obvious of these is the anti-war line and the emphasis on the need to end conflicts. The whole narrative led to the fact that people are obliged to bury the hatchet (in this case, firearms).

The first frames of the clip are set to short. We are shown everyday life, life, different generations of people and different fates of the inhabitants of the highlands. The severity of the land where life is not sweet is demonstrated, but you can still achieve your goal. Some guys go in for sports, some use illegal substances.

However, gradually the theme “for peace” begins to crowd out other lines of narration. The turning point is the reconstruction of a famous photograph (armored personnel carriers and a sidecar) taken in 1992 during the Ossetian-Ingush armed conflict. Then, against the backdrop of interethnic strife, about 600 people died in clashes between Ossetians and Ingush.

A strong message lies in the frames from 2:56 to 3:36 minutes. There, the conflicting parties find the strength to reconcile and move forward together. The authors made a strong and subtle reference, showing the origin of the conflict. They showed how outsiders fueled the debate and urged the participants in the dispute to a more radical solution to the problem. This is a strong hint that a third party may always be interested in a conflict.

The pacifist attitude resonated with the audience. Many transfer the message of the clip to the events in Karabakh, where Armenians and Azerbaijanis cannot come to an agreement. Obviously, Azamat and Soslan did not focus on a specific conflict. They are against any inter-ethnic and inter-ethnic strife, although they demonstrate this on the example of the Caucasus.

Who starred in Yamakashi by Miyagi & Andy Panda

A lot of people took part in the filming of the short film. Most of them have never been professional actors. These are local residents of the mountainous regions of North Ossetia. But there are several clearly non-random “artists”.

At 40 seconds, a young beatmaker Amiran Kudzaev enters the frame. This is Miyagi’s nephew. He was directly involved in creating the music for the YAMAKASI album.

In the debut of the clip on the balcony of a five-story building, you can see an old man practicing blows on a “doll”. This is a well-known coach and martial artist in Vladikavkaz Yuri Tibilov.

On the floor below, the clip makers settled a young father with a little daughter. This is Arnella Persaeva with her dad. Miyagi and Andy Panda raised funds (160 million rubles) for the treatment of this particular girl. The good deed was crowned with success, and after Arnell’s rehabilitation, he will be able to live a full life.

Where was Miyagi’s “YAMAKASI” video filmed?

The location for filming is beyond doubt – the beautiful mountainous regions of North Ossetia. Presumably, the village of Dargavs and its environs became the epicenter of the filming. If you have more accurate data about locations, then feel free to write about them in the comments.