Cross-continental overlaps: From minyo to cumbia

When it comes to the vast world of music, sometimes I feel like I have seen and heard most of everything. Yet, the world continues to prove me wrong by my discoveries of genre-bending I never would have thought of before. A striking example of this is the Japanese group, Minyo Crusaders.

My introduction to Minyo Crusaders was by casually scrolling through Twitter (as one does) and happening to stop and click on a music video. As I recognized the song to be cumbia as it began, I was taken back by vocals being entirely in Japanese. For all the times I heard cumbia filtering through my grandma’s house growing up and blasting from speakers in my high school peers’ backpacks, I feel as if I am quite familiar with the genre. However, I was dumbfounded by what I would have previously thought to be an unlikely genre-bend. Seeing and hearing cumbia performed by a Japanese group spurred my curiosity and prompted a Google deep-dive into this cross-continental fusion

Hailing from Tokyo, the ten-piece group’s mission is to transform traditional Japanese folk music back to its former glory as popular music by infusing Asian, Latin, and Afro beats and melodies. Minyo, a form of Japanese folk music often unique to regions and districts, has sunk out of the public consciousness in Japan. On their album Echoes of Japan (2019), Minyo Crusaders seek to revitalize the genre by transforming the traditional folk songs through cumbia and Afrobeats. In an interview with Edwin Houghton of Bandcamp, group co-founder and guitarist Katsumi Tanaka described the combination of “old and outdated” minyo with reggae, cumbia, and ska as bringing minyo back to “its own charm as a music for the people.”

On their album Echoes of Japan (2019), Minyo Crusaders entices listeners into (re)discovering traditional folk songs by reimaging and remastering each song’s sound. Take the first track off Echoes of Japan “Kushimoto Bushi (Cumbia),” a new version of the traditional Japanese folk song “Kushimoto Bushi” with a twist of cumbia. Beginning with a slow-scraping rhythmic hook, focused percussion synced with signature brass horns, “Kushimoto Bushi (Cumbia)” incorporates the key elements of Colombian cumbia to accentuate the melody and match the high pitched vocals of the traditional “Kushimoto Bushi.” 

The cross-continental fusion of music does not stop at cumbia. On “Otemoyan (Reggae),” Minyo Crusaders effectively creates a sound of complementary Asian and Carribean rhythms — a feat that seems unlikely due to the contrast focused and syncopated rhythms of minyo and reggae. On “Tanko Bushi (Boogaloo),” R&B and soul music inspired boogaloo music further inspires the upbeat classical “Tanko Bushi” into a loose, catchy rendition utilizing key horns and a synchronized, cheering chorus.

The partnership of world music does not stop with Minyo Crusaders’ work. The Japanese group’s collaboration with Colombian cumbia group, Frente Cumbiero on their EP Minyo Cumbiero (From Tokyo to Bogota) (2020) allows the collaboration of genres across the world to be recognized in a physical form. The lead single, “Cumbia del Monte Fuji” was the iconic music video that hooked me on that fateful Twitter scroll. Beginning with the slow and accumulating beat of drums and slow drawl of horns, the hook transitions into a blast of brass and into the vocals of Minyo Crusaders that could be mistaken for traditional Colombian cumbia.

Though not inspired by a Japanese folk song, “Cumbia del Monte Fuji” represents the triumphs of collaboration between contrasting genres of worldly music. Minyo Crusaders’ mission to revive minyo into Japanese consciousness as a form of popular music may not have been realized without inspiration by Latin and Afrobeats. As the globalization of music has caused borders between musical genres to fall, artists and audiences alike are introduced to flavorful melodies and rhythms that sharpen the reimagination of their own cultural music. 

While many questions today are raised on the foreign incorporation of key elements and features unique to cultures, cross-continental genre-bending such as Japanese cumbia can be recognized as a form of cultural appreciation. The collaboration between Minyo Crusaders and Frente Cumbiero allows their respective audiences to become introduced to genres they may not otherwise be familiar with, allowing them and listeners across the globe to broaden their horizons and bond through their mutual appreciation and respect of Asian, Latin, and Afrobeats.

Article by Maya Banuelos