his business of mixing musics—making music about music—is curious. This kind of music-making transparently relies on editing technology to create mixes of sound that never existed as live performance. The pleasure of the blended music, however, rests on our beliefs about authenticity and hybridity: we are pleased when we recognize the original “ingredients,” but the artfulness Page 119 →of combining these ingredients often takes center stage. The existence of mixed musics has not eclipsed the old-fashioned experience of authenticity. Rather, it playfully engages that experience, letting us experience both difference and assimilation at the same time. As listeners, we do not have trouble accepting these musics-about-music as real: they are just part of our mix.
Cultural fusion happens organically all the time. From a culinary standpoint, Bahn Mi and Tacos Al Pastor are delicious examples of hybridization. The article seems a little jaded here about mixing musical styles that didn't combine in the wild. I think it's fair to experiment as long as you've done your homework around cultural significance.