Breaking Genres

Genres have existed nearly as long as music itself. Labeling. Categorizing. These are deeply human activities, rooted in behavioral evolution and survival, so it is no surprise that people have been instinctually compelled to do it to what they hear. There have been benefits: Labeling music has made it easier to talk about, and to sell. But dividing music has also divided people. And while it may be human nature to categorize, it is also human nature to combine, to merge, to collaborate, and ad…