Hey, let's talk about Jewish music and remixes today, because why not?
That is to say– taking some classic songs and setting them to more contemporary beats. Does it work? Does it not? When does it work? When not?
I'm not presuming that you necessarily know all the originals–I think you can get a sense of what these artists are doing even if you don't. In a couple of cases I've linked to other versions so that you can access them.
(I strive to make my work as accessible as possible and every once in a while I try to mix up genres, which raises challenges– I know that this post won't be as useful for my Deaf/HoH peeps, and I promise that next week's will be more your speed.)
So some of you might know that there's a serious EDM (electronic dance music culture among the Breslover Hasidim. Yes, actually. Rebbe Nahman of Breslov (1772-1810) was a DJ seems to have struggled with depression or perhaps some other mental health issue, and as a result, he wrote a lot about the importance of being happy, and music's role in that.
Which, by the time you get to the 21st century, looks like this (watch at least a minute or a minute and a half in to get a sense of the vibe):
Listen, music and dance, the somatic, the embodied, the ecstatic, has always been an important part of helping us to access something powerful and often truly joyful beyond ourselves. The above video just uses 21st c. music for a Jewish traditional form that's been going on for centuries. Here, below, is what this kind of Jewish musical joy looks like during a Sukkot gathering at Isabella Freedman retreat center:
But remixing looks like so many things.
