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I have been enormously interested in traditional percussion music from all over the world. They touch me very deep and are great source of inspiration for my life-time project "Ancestral Modernism (previous name: So New-So Old; So Far- So Near)."

I am not that interested putting traditional and contempoorary music together, named as fusion music. It is usally done too commercially and quickly. I only like it when I can sense that both traditional player and/or contepmorary player have a thorough understanding of each other's essence, then it can be extremely interesting and enjoyable. But it is rare when that happens.

I think it is a very valueable question to ask ourselves: where does the great tradition come from?

There are really many answers, and my version is as follows:

Great traditions actually came from ancesters' enourmous creativity and spiritual endeavour. The creation is so much in sync of, yet still transcend, that very particular period of time (therefore contemporary). The vibration of such creation is so contemporary and universal that people who have heard the music have the strong wish to pass it down to generations. 

Great traditions are contemporary.


Second question: what is the purpose of contemporary music?

It is the same purposeless purpose like what our ancester couldn't help to do: human's innate desire to create and connect with universal self, and in sync of yet still transcend the very time era. 

The great contemporary music will one day be tradition. We can already see that happening:  Steve Reich and Xenakis' music  is rather recent, but his music is already in a sense, a tradition. Many contemporary composer's originality penetrates time, therefore it becomes tradition.

Just think: Hip hop was invented not that long time ago, Moon Walk was invented not that long ago, but they have already become tradition in such short time.




01.01.2017 in Copenhagen.





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