The Folk Hop Experiment
DJ Spooky has said that “electronic music is, in a way, the folk music of the 21st century.”
Folkies have a tradition of recycling songs and melodies that is similar to the way DJs
sample songs. And both folk and rap have a history of documenting poverty and social
issues that pop musicians would never dare touch. But rather than just drawing
comparisons between folk and hip-hop , a bold new band, aptly named The Folk-Hop
Experiment, have combined them into one new genre called folk-hop.
The Folk-Hop Experiment made it’s debut, oddly enough, at a punk show. The
punkers were packed into the warehouse, expecting a Propaghandi rip-off band, when
they see a DJ set up being dragged on to the stage. The punkers get restless, but they
think that maybe a rap-core band is coming on. But then, before anyone knows what’s
happening, two guys, both wearing ski masks and pink ballet slippers, step onto the six
inch high stage and launch into a bizarre rendition of the already bizarre Alice’s
Restaurant. For those of you not familiar with the piece, Alice’s Restaurant, by Arlo
Guthrie (son of late folk great Woody Guthrie), begins and ends with a shot refrain, and
in-between features a twenty minute monologue while the guitar part is repeated over and
over. The Folk Hop Experiment began and ended by sampling Arlo’s singing, but rather
than an acoustic guitar under the variation on the monologue, there was a barrage of
sampling and scratching of old folk records.
The masked folk-hopper altered and delivered the monologue wonderfully.
Though I have only seen them perform Alice’s Restaurant, I have heard from friends that
in their other songs he mainly does a sort of cross between rap and Woody Guthrie’s old
talking blues. His masked DJ sidekick also does an excellent job, not only in how he
handles the turntables, but in his choice of samples. It’s not often that you hear a DJ
spinning Leadbelly’s distinctive twelve string. I look forward to hearing more from The
Folk Hop Experiment, or any other bands in this grand new genre. However, I would
like to know what’s up with the ski masks and ballet slippers.
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