MUSIC FOR TAI CHI, MOVEMENT & MARTIAL ARTS

10 BEST VIDEO-MUSIC TRACKS THAT TRACE THE HISTORY AND MOVEMENT OF THE MARTIAL ARTS AND EASTERN PHILOSOPHY INTO POPULAR CULTURE.

music and the martial arts with teapotmonk dancing

This is not a traditional list of music to meditate to. Neither is it a list of monk-chanting, Andean pan-pipe albums for an airport-lounge practice of Tai Chi. It is an exploration of how sound and vision as part of culture and tradition, can fuse genres and give birth to new styles in the 21st century.

In short, it is about how we create new things, rather than reproduce that which has gone before.

That's not to say that all things old are bad and new are good - far from it! But it is to say that where something evolves rather than stagnates, it gets a thumbs up. Thats why you'll find people like Bruce Lee and Alan watts appearing here.

Music and the martial arts are rarely discussed, yet, when you start investigating, there are many fine examples of combining movement and music, philosophy and parody, toe-tapping Taoist tunes or sing-a-long spiritual songs. To that end I present this top 10 playlist. Free your hips (and your mind) from stagnancy with this fabulous list of the teapotmonk's top 10 music-videos of all time.

the persuasive power of MUSIC

It was Bruce Lee that taught us to break with tradition, to break up old rhythms and fuse new movements from the old. These ideas are still debated in martial circles 50 years on, as instructors either prohibit or welcome other rhythms in the teaching of their arts. Yet, in music there is a healthy precedent for fusion and the creation of new styles. So we begin the first section of this playlist with three versions of classic songs, that have redefined their origins. They remind us that it is in the reinvention of the old that these principles and ideas still resonate with each new generation.

THE TOP 10 PLAYLIST: NUMBERS 1-5

1. Enter the Dragon by Mato

The famous sound track by Lalo Shiffrin for the film Enter the Dragon is given a reggae-dub beat to accompany the beatings lashed out by Lee on his adversaries in the classic underground fight scenes. This short instrumental video sets the tone for our series of 3 musical mash-ups on music and movement: Watch and wiggle.

Released by MATO and on 7 Apr 2016 from "Hollywoo Dub" Album

2. Surely Not Everyone was Kung Fu Fighting?

Without the legacy of Lee (and perhaps the Kung Fu TV series featuring David Carradine), we would never have had the unforgettable Carl Douglas' Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting.

Rather than reproduce the now dated video from the 70's, I have chosen the updated Deadpool version - once again to show that you can reinterpret the classics and still pay homage when doing so. A track that works on all levels of movement, action and humour. Prefer the original? Watch original Carl Douglas video here or read this analysis of the song

3. Tai Chi Legend Yang Chen Fu's 10 Tips

Relax! Said Yang Chen Fu (Grandson of the creator of the Yang Tai Chi Style) and it has since become the mantra for every Tai Chi instructor. Easily said, but difficult to achieve. The command is given a new lease of life in this irreverent video in which the mOnk juxtaposes the original 10 Principles of Tai Chi with other movements altogether. Rarely have the classical writings from Tai Chi history been mashed up with Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Hopefully, it won't be the last. Yang Chen Fu gets meshed with Winnie the Pooh's in the Historical mash-up One Last Thing.

CULTURE AND MUSIC

Our second section is all about culture: the transporting, transposing and transforming of ideas. But not the stagnancy of old philosophical debates (see East versus West video below), but rather the fluidity of thought and its application to life. As Bruce Lee said: Don't concentrate on the finger or you'll miss all the heavenly glory. And so it is with Lee that we begin this section - 3 musical tracks that will broaden our culture, entertain us and hopefully inspire reflexion.

4. Bruce Lee and Be Like Water My Friend

Although everything thing about Bruce Lee has been copied, quoted and repackaged for decades, I have chosen this tribute as it draws heavily on our cultural perspectives. It is in part taken from an interview that Lee gave to a local TV Channel in Hong Kong in the 60's. In this funky remix, Lee's voice has been digitalised to roam with freedom between the current waves of social and political instability by Melody sheep

5. Eastern Philosophers versus Western Philosophers

There are few examples on the net that reach the quality of editing, lyricism and sheer bold in-your-face-philosophy as this wonderful battle of ideology from ERB. Originally published in July 2015 it remains the rap reference to East-v-West with lyrics as:"Dont make Nietzsche (pronounced Knee-chi) come over and put a knee up in your chi". But listen to all the words yourself, every sentence is packed full of philosophical references and comic twists on culture, attitude and perspective.

MOVE ON TO PART 2