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.
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This is not a traditional list of music to meditate to. Neither is it a list of monk-chanting, Andean pan-pipe albums for the practice of Tai Chi. It is an exploration of how sound and vision can fuse genres and give birth to new styles in order to ensure culture remains relevant and contemporary in the 21st century. In short, it is about how tradition enables us to create new things, rather than merely reproduce that which has gone before. That's why you'll find people like Bruce Lee, Alan watts and others here.
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THE TOP 10 PLAYLIST: NUMBERS 1-5
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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.
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MUSIC FOR MOVEMENT
Bruce Lee
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 - to remind us that it is in the reinvention of the old that these principles and ideas still resonate with each new generation.
1. Enter the Dragon by Mato
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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 |
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2. Surely Not Everyone was Kung Fu Fighting?
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Without the legacy of Lee (and perhaps the Kung Fu TV series featuring David Carradine), we may 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 |
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3. Tai Chi Legend Yang Chen Fu's 10 Tips
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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.
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