Eachbox vs Cubik & Origami

The Beat Within

The skinny

Hailing from San Jose in California, Eachbox brings this independently released 5-track EP

Vibe and peoples

Mike "Eachbox" Tinoco hooks up with producers Matt "Cubik" Kent-Stoll and George "Origami" Cochrane. Elements of hip hop, electronica, future funk, trip hop, soul, jazz, dance and acid combine to make an EP that integrates beatbox into a diverse yet complimentary range of music. Even as I sit under ill tempered European skies, this carries the vibe of a sweet Californian sunset.

Sonic boom

The first two tracks, "Big Bang" and "Sky Rhodes" are produced entirely using sounds from Each's versatile mouth. He displays an astonishing diversity of synth and pad style sounds, topped off with some great beats and some wonderfully resonant vocal brass. Chilled in vibe, "Big Bang" features an energetic switch up that doesn't compromise its soulful ambience. "Sky Rhodes" is darker in vibe, like Air with had a foot in the shadows. The washes of harmonised vocal synth, the effected snare rushes and haunting whistle give this a driving, hypnotic vibe.

The rest of the album features keyboards, synth, guitar, bass, and percussion supplementing the beatbox. The standout title track, "The Beat Within", features some wonderfully warm synth playing, like a benevolent Aphex Twin after years of therapy. "Tangent Syndrome" features extremely prominent beatbox with the occasional mild dash of glitchcore style sample retriggering, once again recalling the more ambient stylings of the legendary Cornish eccentric.

Production throughout is impressive, with warm bass and crisp treble. Eachbox has found in Cubik and Origami men who can do his impressive array of talents justice.

Final track "Behind Your Thoughts" sees Eachbox step away from total reliance on beatbox as Origami lays down some beats on a kit, integrating with Tinoco's vocals.

Who will be feeling this most?

With beatboxing CDs, we often ask; is a crossover record? Would non-beatboxers get this? The answer his is a resounding HELL YEAH - most people probably won't notice that the album is beatbox oriented. There are some awesome technical skills on display here, but not of the "hey look mum, no hands" school - Tinoco knows the value of a note and understands groove and suggestion.

The whole CD has a uniform vibe - it hangs together as a well orchestrated, well performed, well engineered piece of work. It has soul, creativity and vibe. It suggests at even greater things to come for this young West Coaster as his songwriting craft continues to grow...

Fans of music as diverse as Air, Massive Attack, Fischerspooner, Global Goon, Bauchklang, The Beastie Boys and 13 and God will find plenty to get excited about here. If you're not sure if this is you, check out Eachbox's myspace and have a listen - this comes strongly recommended, peoples!

Sources/references/links

myspace.com/eachbox

myspace.com/cubikandorigami

Available as an MP3 download from