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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Bruce Lee
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THE TOP 10 PLAYLISTMusic 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
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. |
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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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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
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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. http://www.youtube.com/melodysheep
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5. Eastern Philosophers versus Western Philosophers
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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.
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6. The Ballad of Marshall McLuhan
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The influence of McLuhan (the Global Village, the Medium is the Message etc) on popular culture - has largely been ignored by both artists and musicians over the decades, even though his work has influenced so much of our present day culture . So I was very happy to stumble across this wonderful video by FS 17 . The Vestibules, formerly known as Radio Free Vestibule, is a Canadian surrealist comedy troupe composed of Terence Bowman, Paul Paré, and Bernard Deniger. For more on McLuhan visit this site or read about his extraordinary travels and appearances in One Last thing.
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MUSIC FOR DANCE AND THOUGHT
For Alan Watts, dancing was an important activity that served to remind us to find joy in the moment. You don't dance in order to get things done or even get anywhere. You dance because it makes you feel good. Watts appears all over the universe in One Last Thing - in court defending Taoism against a plagiarism claim, in the dojo learning Jeet Kune Do with Bruce Lee and in the Shaolin temple lecturing the priests on training methods. But it will be his ideas on beats and rhythms we will explore here - messages and ideas from two videos that combine pace and pondering, rhythm and reason. Music you can listen to, move to and ponder over as you shuffle and shimmy around the kitchen.
7. The Tao Te Ching by Apollo Brown
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You can't go back much further for inspirational words than the Tao Te Ching - but Apollo Brown takes us there with this classic track as he adds great horns and a hypnotic chill beat to the ideas of Lao Tzu. This was my preferred backing track when writing the scene in which Lao Tzu discloses his techniques for living a more productive life during an interview on the Digital Taoist Radio program (One Last Thing). Apollo Brown was published by Mello Music Group on 30 Jun 2011
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8. Face the Facts by Alan Watts and Jas Walton
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Search Youtube for Alan Watts and you will find a plethora or recordings badly pasted onto a dull and uninspiring beat. Jas Walton's music is different. It forms part of an EP (digital and vinyl) that combines Watts sharp tongue with a jazzy mixed upbeat that echoes the evolution of Jazz: whether it is fused with hip-hop, flamenco or grunge, Jazz flourishes the more it opens itself to the world. Watts, embodies this spirit when he opens up the mystical East with his gentle and memorable interpretations. Find out about the Alan Watts Organisation here and the role of his son Mark, in keeping his original recordings alive. Jas Walton's Ep is also available on Spotify and Soundcloud.
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MUSIC TO FIND FREEDOM
The fusion of ideas and practice goes to the heart of all the arts we have mentioned in this article. The search for how to bridge good intention with good practice is at the heart of all our efforts, but it is, at the same time, the most elusive of ends. So to conclude this list of 10 Best Music Tracks, I'm leaving you with something special to watch and something very special to listen to.
9. Here's to the Crazy Ones: Steve Jobs and the mOnk
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From where do we get meaning? It is an interesting question when you remove words, people of ideas from one context and place them in another. Meaning is rewritten from this juxtaposition. In this video, the infamous Steve Jobs speech is extracted and placed alongside the history of others in order to create another fusion of sound and image.
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10. The Philosopher's Mixtape Vol. 1 Chillstep by Terrestrial Exitium
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To complete this list of 10, I have chosen a superb compilation of different philosophers by Terrestrial_Exitium who has added a range of famous voices to some excellent chill beats - a compilation that has become one of my all time fave videos to listen to whilst sharpening my sword.
Featuring the voice of Charlie Chaplin, Alan Watts, Sadhguru, John F. Kennedy, Eckhart Tolle, Sam Harris, Elliot Alderson (Mr. Robot), Terence McKenna, Stefan Molyneux, Adyashanti, Manly P. Hall, Ram Dass Published on 18 Oct 2017 |
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There was not enough room here to list all the tracks I had compiled - there are yet more albums of Alan Watts chill mixes, Black Eyed Peas, Enter the Dragon remixes, and even tracks featuring Krishnamurti and Carl Jung put to music. All characters that I researched and appeared in my time-travel history of eastern/western thought, One Last Thing. For all those great videos that never made the final list, I'll create another playlist and send it out to subscribers. Not a subscriber yet? Join us and once a month, you'll get an email with curiosities, early-bird video-views, course discounts and articles like the way of ignorance.
FINAL BONUS TRACK
As a bonus - I shall leave you with a final song - In a Hurry - from an EP by Pearl Viper fusing instruments and vocal backing tracks inspired by Taoist philosophers. No video has yet to be produced for this song, but it remains a smooth rendition that I'm sure you will enjoy. Find out more about this Taoist Album here.
Any other tracks I have missed that you think I should include? Leave a comment...
