Monday Music - Crossover Styles : Cooking With Many Ingredients
I think I've mentioned my love for crossover music numerous times before. In fact, I'd even go as far as saying, crossover is the BEST style... or at least it has the most potential. When two distinct styles are combined, or a well-known piece of music is played in a different rhythm, or on instruments considered atypical to that piece, it raises it all to a whole new level of listening experience. Of course, whether it is a successful crossover depends on the musicians, their performance, and ultimately on the listener.
Combining Tastes, Just Like in the Kitchen
I like to compare crossover music to cooking. Apply the technique of mashed potatoes to cauliflower, and you'll have given a well-known vegetable a familiar texture, which in turn is so new that it can completely revolutionize your kitchen. Don't believe me, go ahead and try it yourself! The same thing goes for putting jam on your Brie cheese, or spicy sauce on your mango. YUM!
Crossover All Around Us
Sure, at this moment you could say: "But wait, I already eat my mango with chili sauce." or "I always put jam on my Brie." How is that a crossover? And you are absolutely right! These examples only work for people who are not used to the given combinations. Same thing goes for music. By now we are so saturated with crossover between rock and pop, blues and country music, or hip-hop and electronic, that we don't even notice. In fact, I'd even argue that musicians have enjoyed mixing styles for as long as music has been around! So, just like our genes, everything is a big mix of pre-mixed mixes. And out of this big swirling mixture, occasionally a truly amazing combination emerges.
Famous Combiners: The Grateful Dead
There is one band I have come to enjoy specifically for their crossover style: The Grateful Dead. Ironically, I first heard about them when I first came to the US in 1995, the year their famous vocalist / guitarist Jerry Garcia died. But their music was alive and well. I remember one day enjoying the song Cumberland Blues greatly, when I noticed that it was totally like country music! Of course it was, and quite appropriately so, since its lyrics dealt with Appalachian coal miners! At the same time it had a fast and powerful blues rhythm to it, unlike the whiny tunes you'd hear on the Country station. Later I noticed how most of The Dead's music was a combination of folk, blues, bluegrass, country, rock, with traces of a few other elements.
More Spices to Cook With
Thus I would seek out other artists who were known for combining styles. The obvious next one was Phish, who included a wider range of styles into their list of cooking ingredients. While in theory this sounded super exciting, for some reason Phish didn't have the same impact on me as The Grateful Dead. This just goes to show how important the artists' interpretation is. However, there was one song that struck with me as the most obvious example of crossover: Their bluegrass interpretation of Gin and Juice, made famous by hip-hop artist Snoop Dog. In this example it's the crazy juxtaposition of the hillbilly music with the gangbanger lyrics that I get a kick out of.
Adding an Extra Edge to Classical Music
I grew up with Classical Music. That is, my parents enjoyed listening to it a lot, so there are a huge number of pieces I recognize, even if I don't always know its title or composer. Later, I discovered Heavy Metal, and liked it for its hard sound, fast, overpowering drums and screaming guitars. It was much later, that I came across the occasional gem of a heavy metal artist playing a classical piece, such as Seree Lee performing Eine kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart, or Rossini's Barber of Seville performed by Arachnes. There is so much power in these interpretations!
Of course, the same works the other way too, such as in the case of Apocalyptica, a group of classically trained cellists, playing famous Metal hits on their cellos. They manage to maintain the songs' original impact, but the sound of the cello elevates it into a completely now light. Here is their interpretation of Metallica's Nothing Else Matters:
The List Goes On
At first I was going to mention entire styles that crossover has brought forth, but soon realized that this would open up the proverbial can of worms, wriggling into a psychedelic kaleidoscope that eventually encompasses all music genres. It seems like pop has made its way into almost every other style, while Reggae seems to be the music that every other genre wants to get into, adopting its heartbeat rhythm to give their known songs new feel.
What About You?
So instead, I would like to ask you guys: What's your favorite crossover song? And in case the styles are unfamiliar to some, what are the genres it combines? I'd be quite curious to hear. Oh, and should you be a musician yourself, and feel like presenting a personal interpretation of a famous tune in your own style, I'd love to hear it! Right now I'm thinking of @mipiano, who once alluded to playing Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash on her harpsichoard. (Okay, I just looked at that post I had in mind, and I guess it was just me who imagined it.) Still, would you be up for it, @mipiano? 😉 Let me know, and my vote is yours! The same thing goes for any other musicians, of course.
Take a Look at the Previous Posts in my Monday Music Series:
The Sound of the Hungarian Zither
Obligatory Line-Dance at Mexican Parties - El Payaso del Rodeo
Floating Into the Night by Julee Cruise
Classic Canadiana - Stan Rogers
Party Like There's No Tomorrow, Cry Like Everything Is Lost - Hungarian Gypsy Music
The Harder Sound of the Middle Ages - Corvus Corax
The First Hip-Hop I Actually Liked - Things Fall Apart by The Roots
No Prophets in Their Own Land - Rodrigo y Gabriela
Beyond the Boundries of Styles and Genres - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Accordion-Rock You May Not Know (But Really Should) - Los Tabascos
Songs of the Mexican Revolution - La Adelita
Memorable Weirdness - What Do You Want A Japanese To Do Again?
Gloomy Sunday - The Hungarian Suicide Song
Party Tunes from the Wild East - The "Russendisko" Experience
Folk Songs from Your Home Village - Hungarian Regional Sound Archives
Polynesian Salt Water Music
Images Conjured up by Tom Waits' Music
In Country: Folks Songs of Americans in the Vietnam War
Somebody Tell Me - Translating a Hungarian Song Into [EN] and [SP]
Somebody Tell Me - first trial & live performance [HU] [SP] [EN]
Horst Wessel in Mexico
Playing for Change - Old Favorites Played Around the World
Soothing Tunes and Gentle Rhythms of Mali Music
What Is It About Music? [Ecotrain's Question of the Week]
Halász Judit, Memories from my Childhood
Discovering Rocksteady
The New Generation of Banda
Horrible Music From Hungary: Dáridó or Wedding Rock
[ENG - ESP] 3 Songs From My Youth / 3 Canciones De Mi Adolescencia
Surfer Tunes from the 60's: Dick Dale
Tiny Desk Concert with the Kronos Quartet
Ghymes, Palmetta, Deep Forest: The Love-Hate of Hungarian Crossover
Ahh crossover music is the best. It’s almost all I listen to these days as traditional music genres have become almost “boring” to me at this point in my life. Too many to list but I’m a big fan of the trend in underground folk punk music of adopting elements of jazz/horns into typically punk/ska music that has been going on over the last few decades.
Interesting you related the lyrics to gin and juice to gangbanging haha. That song, the way I remember it, is mostly about going to a party and drinking/smoking. Fun fact- my (very much older) sister used to horse sit for phish’s manager. As a kid I would go over there and put my grubby little paws all over the instruments in their band room- or at the least the one they had at his house. I don’t know if it was where they typically practiced I just remember a loft area with a couple drumsets and a whole mess of instruments that I kept getting yelled at for touching haha. They lived in my area and my sisters first job was serving coffee and was somehow propositioned for the horse-sitting job through there. It’s all a little blurry...
Hahaha, you're right, Gin and Juice is in fact more about banging than it is about gangs. But how cool is it to be growing up in such close proximity to Phish? I'm sure in that light their music must be much more relatable to you, whereas for me they're just another band. Oh, and I can just imagine jazz horns adding a certain extra to punk music. (Though hearing trumpets and other brass instrument in ska doesn't sound nearly as unusual.) Do you have a group or a song you can recommend? Thanks for stopping by!
Yeah! Well, ska and punk are heavily intertwined; although ska doesn't reach all aspects of punk. So I guess it's somewhat inherent to have horns in punk; even without the direct ska connection. And a lot of them certainly drift into ska once in awhile. But I guess genre-mixing is in the nature of punk.
Hmm examples. Streetlight Manifesto comes to mind. They certainly drift more towards traditional ska/punk at times; depending on the album/time period. The album "Everything Goes Numb" by them has a good mix of that nature. The Taxpayers, Harley Poe, Days n Daze, Defiance OH, Bomb! the Music Industry... I could go on and on about some of my more recent punk-crossover favorite artists.. not all the jazz-fusion I was talking about but a lot of them are pretty experimental.
As for Phish, to be honest, I can't listen to them. I grew up in Vermont with two heavy dead-head/phish-head siblings that were much older and lived out of the house, and would do nothing but throw burned concert CD's at me every time they came to visit. And then the environment too. It was everywhere here growing up. Despite it's intentions, that was ironically the most mainstream scene in the whole area. It was constantly forced upon you and it was one of those things that is automatically assumed you're into wherever you go. I became involved with more underground music scenes from a pretty young age because I didn't feel very comfortable with what everyone else was doing.
Funnily enough, my siblings constantly pressuring me to listen to the dead/phish couldn't have pushed me farther away from it. I can tolerate the dead; hell I even like their music, I won't lie- but not the scene that comes with it. It's something that I'm very used to hearing people talk about- and maybe that's why I can't. I respect those bands. But, growing up here, listening to them is almost more excruciating than listening to the Top 40 radio charts
Cool, thanx, I'll go ahead and check them out. As for too much Dead & Phish, I can certainly understand. Plus, there is also a huge difference between a band and their followers, even if they tend to influence one another. Still, I had to laugh how you find the top 40 radio charts are more bearable.
Hahahha that was a bad example. That's not an accurate statement. Although, to be honest, I'm not sure which I'd rather suffer through. Yes, there is a difference between a band and their followers- but it's hard to separate the two in your mind when there are literal piles of them everywhere you go, talking about the GD as if their the only band in the world and asking strangers who are usually struggling more than them financially for cigarettes, beers, cash, clothes, drugs; anything. Which I'd gladly shell out but not to someone living off mom and dad.
And plus, I'm a punk by nature. I guess maybe that's influenced my viewpoints as well. Punk wouldn't be punk without activists being frustrated by the passive activism methods of the hippies haha. So, it's a love/hate relationship.
Sorry for the rants. Been offline for awhile now; so you're catching the annoying end of all my cooped up interactions flowing out.
Hahaha, no worries whatsoever, as long as the interaction is authentic!
I guess that could be the difference: Though I was aware of the Deadheads, it was the music itself that got me interested in the Grateful Dead. So for me what their music brings to mind is ... well, that weird and colorful Americana fantasy, described in Robert Hunter's lyrics. I guess that deserves its own post... Maybe next Monday?
That, I feel like, is certainly the difference. Like I said before, I liked the music before the culture was continuously shoved in my face :) I still do, it’s just different
I’d certainly enjoy that post!
SO, here comes mipiano :)
Oh, cool article and your personal touch. Lately, I just listen to so many music entries for one event, I completely neglected other users and communities. Though I see sometimes those interesting Mexico murals 👌
But now MUSIC! I remember your post where you shared the rakott krumpli recipe (dont remember in English) and that we said that the best is when we dont have exact measures of the ingredients. And we can change, depends what we have at home and how the inspiration comes for cooking. So in music, maybe depends also on the musicians who make the arrangement or the cover, yes. I am happy you found the series of #OriginalvsCovers, I know you are reading now while I am reading your post haha. Cross-reading and cross-commenting on crossover music styles. What better? :D
I think you especially like these mixtures (correct me if I am wrong) as both you and I dont live in the mother country of our origin, I was not even born there, and we are so so mixed already with all those languages, cultures, traditions that it is just a must to search in everything for a mixture. You can correct me, of course, it is just my assumption.
Oh, I still haven't arrived to the topic of music. Apocalyptica is well known for me, probably will end up one day in one of my posts if I have a match of songs and hive artist :) Arachnes is a new thing, haven't heard of them before. Classical music, as a basis of all occidental music, is used in other genres, yes. As my profession is strongly connected to classical, I find it unnecessary, for me, BUT, if it is the way to spread the classical melodies in an unconscious way, then they have my green light. Not that anyone would wait for it or need it :D And, let us say a person likes hard rock music, and can listen just to that, at least it can hear some classical based tunes. Or we can speak about any other genre, electronic music, popular, rock...
And vice versa, if a classical musician makes a cover of a popular song, in a classical way, then this is something I can connect to more. Happily played some more modern stuff in my version and really enjoyed making the versions.. Took me some days, but it was enjoyable.
Here in Hive there are great musicians, for example check out @edprivat, he makes covers when he has more time, in different style than the original. Check this
https://peakd.com/hive-193816/@edprivat/gteydxkw
and this was asked by @edje
https://peakd.com/hive-193816/@edprivat/ugzttnxr
Yes, and you remember well something from the Spread the Vibes post, I did really say Should I stay or should I go, but it was just the part of the writing body of the post, as an introduction, and at the harpsichord sound I played Badinerie by Bach (and later on piano too, to compare the sound)
Your question,
Oh, you don't even imagine!!! However, at the moment I have so many pending things, ugh, let us say, if I make the next thing, a cover or anything, alone or with someone, maybe you will get the metion :D
Wow, thanks for this very extensive comment! I knew you would, but it sounds like you really enjoyed it, which I'm more happy about.
No need to correct you, as all your assumptions were spot on. In fact, to me it sounded like you've paid attention to my posts (okay, now I'm the one who's making assumptions)! So yes, I'm a walking mix of cultures myself, so naturally I can relate quite well to anything (and anyone) mixed, blended, or combined. :-)
I kinda expected that the classical pieces played by Metal bands might not be your favorite. I have been told by various connoisseurs of classical music how that kind of interpretation "butchers" the original. While I don't agree, I appreciate their opinion. Apocalyptica, on the other hand, I had a feeling you would like. But I also took Nothing Else Matters, which in itself is a superbly beautiful love song, outstanding even in its original Metallica version.
Oh, and please no worries about time! There is no rush here. Whenever you feel like playing, recording, posting, just let me know so I can cast a vote. (Though now that I'm following you, I hope to see it in my feed.) And yes, I am going to check out the two links you recommended.
No pressure on time, yes I know. But sometimes when too long time passes, it can be felt like a burden and not as an enjoyable thing one wanted to do in the first moment.
Haha, the "following" thing, no problem, I realized you didn't realize before 🤣 it is just a button, but yes, now you can see more often some of my intents to make a bit of music or some other topic.
See, normally I do that, and in your case, I could have sworn I've followed you... until I saw the button showed "follow", meaning I wasn't.
:)
Once something similar happened to me, when I unfollowed someone without realizing it... and I was wondering why I didn't see the new posts of that user 🤣
Well, there may actually be a bug in the system too. I remember there have been several cases where I ended up following a person that I knew for a fact that I'd followed before. And I had no reason to unfollow them. So did the system make me unfollow those people? Can't explain. Maybe this is what has happened here too, but I can't remember either way.