Kid Beyond: Beat Boxing at Another Level
I saw Imogen Heap on Tuesday and thought she put on a great show, I was completely blown away by one of her openers, Kid Beyond, who may be the world's second best beat boxer (I've been told that Rhazell of The Roots is the best).
Kid Beyond was just up on stage with a mic, a loop machine, and his own amazing beat boxing skills. I've never seen anything like it, you could literally see him architecting his sounds. He'd start by getting a little bass rhythym sound, tape it and loop it so that it played as he moved on to the next sound or beat. And so it went, layer by layer of his own original sounds on top of one another co create this entire orchestra of music. I've never heard such diverse sounds before, let alone from a single person on stage without any machine assistance. He was almost like Fatboy Slim, ranging from thumping, head-bobbing electronica to more mellow, expansive songs where he displayed his swinging capabilities.
If you get a chance, check him out live or listen to his music, you'll be amazed.
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