Boxcon08 review continued

Sunday, April 20

The final day of the convention was certainly the most hyped and anticipated; it was a day that would be jam-packed with open mics, a short film, a workshop, and a final beatbox concert. Despite the lack of sleep, heavy drinking, and massive jamming that most of the beatboxers had experienced, it didn’t stop them from wanting to be part of Sunday’s extraordinary event.

The open mics, short film, and workshop took place in the same open space as Saturday’s event. After a welcoming message from Archangel and Hobbit, the day was kicked off with an awesome set from Hobbit and the Austin Francis Connection; they combined Hobbit’s beatboxing with some guitar playing and singing, creating a lovely fusion of human and acoustic sounds. After these guys, another impressive group performance was done by Ommm; this group was comprised of Waxybox and some of his friends from France. This male and female group was strictly a cappella, and they produced beautiful harmonized music that was carried by Waxybox’s smooth beats. After these group performances, there a bunch of showcases, many of which were done by the beatboxers from Friday’s and Saturday’s event. There were some new faces as well, particularly Minimus and Skiller, who did some of the most technical and fast beatboxing I had ever heard! Some surprise guests came through, like Bee Low from Germany—for those who don’t already know, this guy is one dedicated organizer of beatboxing and is extremely passionate about it. I had the honor of jamming onstage with Bee Low and Nino G, who are two very talented and veteran beatboxers. There were other jaw-dropping collaborations, like the one with Dainjamouth and Effected, and YasSon and D-Rop, who both beatboxed into their panpipe instruments! Now that was truly awesome!

After some open mics and showcases, a mini documentary called Science of Beatbox was shown; this documentary examined the effects that beatboxing has on the human throat and if it causes any damage. It was produced by Shlomo and was very well done. There weren’t any scientists or doctors present, as originally intended, but it was still very cool to learn something new about beatboxing; most of the beatboxers in that room, including myself, had no idea what our throats do when we beatbox!

The highlight of the afternoon event was a live looping workshop done by Kid Beyond. Kid Beyond is a veteran beatboxer, who’s been beatboxing for ever twenty years. He uses an advanced setup that involved a custom-programmed foot pedal, a laptop, and Ableton Software that allows him to loop himself onstage in real time. He demonstrated how he loops his beats, and he performed a few songs. One of the most entertaining parts of the day was when he brought Jude Law’s son Rudy on stage and beatboxed with him. Little Rudy seemed to be having a blast with Kid Beyond, and the two exchanged beats. The afternoon ended with a MASSIVE beatbox jam that was incredible. Seeing five or six guys alone is impressive enough to watch, but when there are at least twenty guys passing around the microphone and others beatboxing in the background, it really is amazing.

Main Concert

After the day time event, there were a few hours until the final concert. The anticipation for it was very high, and everyone was hoping for the three-day event to end with a bang. And it did. The final concert took place on the main stage of Queen Elizabeth Hall, and the room was HUMONGOUS. It isn’t your average club- or bar-like venue; this place is the real deal, it and seats several hundred.

The first to perform was Nino G, who was the perfect opener. Anyone who’s seen this guy knows how talented of a beatboxer he is. I got the chance to meet and hang out with him throughout the weekend, and I had no idea he’s in his thirties! When he stepped foot on stage, wearing his custom made white Nino G outfit, he slowly looked into the audience with a small grin. Then, all of a sudden, he unleashed a crescendo of sounds that were all rhythmically in synch. His energy was constant for the ten minutes he performed, and he integrated many theatrical elements into his set, such as pretending to wind himself up and down like a toy, and spray painting his name to a beat. He ended his set with his signature baby cry and trumpet tune that the audience just loved.

Up next was the female group The Boxettes from the UK. These lovely ladies were one of my favorites of the night because they were far different than any other female a cappella group I had ever heard. The beatboxer of the group, Bellatrix, led the group with her beats while the other ladies sang an amazing range of beautiful vocals; their style was reminiscent of nu-jazz with the broken rhythms that they would do. At one moment, they would be soft and gentle; at another, they would be loud and powerful. The Boxettes clearly have a strong understanding of rhythm and harmony, and this was reflected in their amazing performance.

And then there was Beatsick JP. Beatsick what? Beatsick JP! (You know, the duo from Japan?). Well okay, maybe you don’t know. So allow me to fill you in. These guys are undoubtedly one of the best beatbox duos in the world, if not the best. I’ve seen and heard a lot of beatboxing, but I felt like I was a first-time listener of beatboxing when I heard these guys. They started beatboxing before they came on stage, and each guy came in from a different side of the stage. For nearly twenty minutes, these guys impressed everyone with their solo smooth interweaving of solo material and beatboxing together. Their wide repertoire included popular radio jams, sound effects, heavy hip-hop beats, scratching, and so much more. Not only were these guys extremely talented, but they were very down-to-earth too; they were so happy and honoured to be part of the convention, and that made them all that more admirable.

After the buzzing energy from the previous acts, Nathan “Flutebox” Lee came on stage and rejuvenated the audience for the second part of the show. He first did some solo beatboxing and played the flute simultaneously! Not only was it at the same time, but it was executed very smoothly too. After doing some solo material, he brought a guitarist on stage, and the two jammed out and produced very zen-like, lovely music. The guitarist was a very nice touch to Nathan's performance, but it didn't end there. He then brought kick-ass beatboxer, WanDan to the stage, and the two jammed out to some heavy beats. It was a really cool to see a flutist collaborating with a super-hyped, energy-driven beatboxer like WanDan. There aren’t many beatboxers who play the flute, let alone who are good at it; but Nathan is certainly a very talented musician, and it was great to see someone—other than my good friend Tim Barsky—who can beatbox and play the flute simultaneously.

After a short intermission, it was my turn to perform. I was nervous, excited, and honoured to share the stage with such extraordinary talent; it truly was a humbling feeling. When I first started beatboxing seven years ago, I had a recurring vision of one day beatboxing at a large venue in front of people who I hoped would connect with and appreciate my music. As I stepped foot onto the main stage that evening, I felt like I was fulfilling my recurring vision. There was something in particular about BoxCon that was electrifying; perhaps it was the fact that the show was so well produced, or perhaps it was simply the fact that the range of talent in the room was something I had never seen before. For my performance, I did some of my routine material, fusing percussive rhythms with fast beats where I’d manipulate my breath control. After that, I used my vocal effects processor and incorporated some delay and pitch shift in my routine.

The star of the night was Beardyman. Even though he wasn’t the main featured performer, he stole the show with his absolutely incredible use of his Kaos Pads (Korg’s performance sampler). This man is truly unsurpassed in his craft; he loops himself live onstage but does so in a manner that makes him seem like a DJ—literally a f***ing DJ!!! His fifteen minute set was comprised of improvised, hard-hitting, head-nodding beats that had everyone yelling and throwing their arms up constantly. Every single beat this man produced was something new, something fresh, and he was very calm & collective about it. The audience certainly didn’t know what was in store for them, and most likely, the beatboxers didn’t as well. I know I didn’t. Beardyman did a lot of trance-like rhythms where he would morph his sounds and smoothly transition into a new beat. Thinking about right now it gives me goosebumps.

After Beardyman performed, Shlomo stepped onstage and introduced the final and feature performer: Kid Beyond. Many know Kid Beyond as the guy who did the Ableton video on YouTube; yes, he did that video. But he’s also done so much more, like inspire most beatboxers to loop themselves and experiment with digital effects. Kid Beyond started his set by first doing some raw solo beatboxing to which the audience responded with strong enthusiasm. After that, he did several songs from his album Amplivate, and he also did some new ones as well. Among the songs he performed were “Wandering Star,” “Cathedrals,” “Deep Inside,” “Alive,” and more. By the time Kid Beyond was well into his set, the audience seemed tired, and some even started to leave. Perhaps two loopers were too much too handle, but nonetheless, those who stuck around greatly appreciated his music. It was interesting to see two different loopers that evening; Beardyman created more dance beats, whereas Kid Beyond made music that connected with the soul and was very spiritual.

To wrap up…..

Being part of this convention was such a great experience for me. It’s not often that I get to travel abroad and connect with other beatboxers; now that I’m a full-time student, it’s difficult to pursue certain opportunities and do my beatboxing full-force. But it’s events like BoxCon that make me remember why I started beatboxing in the first place—it’s a form of expression, and it simply makes me and others feel good.

I have to give a very special thanks to Jim Wilde aka Archangel for graciously giving me the opportunity to write this review. This man puts in so much time and effort into beatboxing, it’s unbelievable. He would rather give someone else stage time instead of himself because he believes that much in providing an outlet for beatboxers to be heard.

Best,
Mike aka Eachbox