Last night a Latin fusion band’s gig in Bogota taught me something about fusion music.  They shall remain nameless, but they were not Colombian.

The Lesson

My lesson was that maybe, the ultimate difference between fusion music I like and don’t like, is the way that the different musical styles are blended, rather than the particular styles themselves that are combined.  It’s all about the quality of the blend.  Is it done tastefully?  Is it subtle?  Is it done skilfully?  Does the blending of styles sound seamless?

The band I saw last night did not do it subtly, or tastefully.   It was a bit like being hit with a hammer when the change of genre came within each song.  A verse of rock, a chorus of ska, a verse of rock, etc etc. It confused my body, and my ears, and it just bored me really.

Was it just that I didn’t like the sound of that particular band?  I don’t think so.

Manu Chao Too?

Because when I thought about going home after only two songs, it made me think about Manu Chao, and two concerts of his I went to in Australia in 2012 and 2013.  I didn’t enjoy those concerts after having loved his music for a long time. One of those concerts I actually left the gig before it finished – almost unheard of for me. What happened with Manu?

Well what happened was that his band, an awesome band, played a verse of Latin/reggae styles , then a chorus of intense rock, punk or ska, then went back to a verse of Latin/ reggae styles (and all without the horns and keys).   My body and my ears hated it. The dramatic change of styles between verse and chorus felt harsh and confusing.  I might love the sound of the verse on its own – and I did with Manu.  I might also enjoy the sound of the chorus on its own – and I did with Manu.  But that chorus and those verses next to each other, supposedly connecting one another (abruptly I think), I don’t enjoy.

The creation of that type of fusion music doesn’t seem to me to be very challenging. It seems lazy.  And either way, the point for me is that my ears and body simply just don’t like it.

Decided

So, for now I’ve decided that it’s all about the quality, the subtleties and the overall sweetness of HOW the different styles are blended together within the music – one effect of which would be that I probably wouldn’t notice the changes in styles in a song.

Disagree with me?  Think I am speaking crap? Think I am unfairly denigrating Manu’s holy name?  Bring it on – leave a comment to let me know.  Just remember I am still a big fan of Manu too.P.S. I have been called to task about my decision NOT to name the band in this post:

¨Name and shame them! If you’re going to mention them, you may as well MENTION them.¨

          So then, the band’s name is Hormigas Negras.