Beatboxing is an art form that has gone through some serious phases over its 30+ year history.  At times mocked, at times revered, the singular drive to create beats and music using nothing but one's vocal power and a microphone is seemingly alive and well in the world today.  This makes sense, of course, due to the huge upsurgence of beat and groove oriented EDM tracks that are all the rage today.  This makes the case for the intrinsic link between the popularity of beatboxing and the popularity of 'beat' music, be that hip hop or house....

Who am I kidding?  Beatboxing always has been and always will be awesome.  Kid Lucky, legendary beat musician and curator of this year's American Human Beatbox Festival, has been at it for almost thirty years now, a testament to its timeless nature.  This year's festival features some of the brightest young stars in the beatboxing world as well as a bunch of the older stalwarts(Kid Lucky included).

Growing out of the burgeoning hip hop scene of the late 70's and early 80's, beatboxing saw its initial heyday with the likes of Doug E Fresh, quite possibly the most influential and best known beatboxer that has ever lived.  Fresh, who was also a rapper and collaborator with the likes of Slick Rick (and even Janet Jackson), instilled the concept of a human beatbox into the heads of thousands of aspiring musicians, paving the way for more than a generation.

Check out this video of Doug E Fresh from 1983.  Pretty bizarre and goofy, but also very real. 

The full lineup for this weekend's beatboxing events:

BEAT POETICS OF NYC + OPEN MIC

Thursday, May 3 @ 10PM, $10

Spoken word artists, whistlers, beatboxers, and other vocalists combine beatboxing with words and vocal sound effects for a provocative and inspiring night!

with…
Adrienne Mack Davis
Adammatta
Akim Funk Buddah
Duv
Kid Lucky
Menyu Rabbi D
Tah Phrum Da Bush
…and more!

UNIFIED BEATS

Friday, May 4 @ 10PM, $10
Beatboxers team up to create improvisational mash-up masterpieces!

with…
Dres Tha Beatnik
Yakko440
Kid Lucky
Lethal FX
YanCarlos Sanchez
Akim Funk Buddah
Amit
MC Beats
…and more!

NU VOICES

Saturday, May 5^th @ 3PM, $10

The first vocal orchestra of beatboxers perform a Hip Hop symphony with opera singers, spoken word artists, scatters, singers, and whistlers will blow your mind!  Conducted by Terry Kid Lucky Lewis
Special Appearance by The East Village Community School Beat Box Club featuring 2^nd and 1st grade Beatboxers, Psyence and Amza!

VOCALISM AND TURNTABLISM

Saturday, May 5^th @ 10PM, $10
Beatboxers team up with DJs to bring the raw energy of groove!

With…
Jase Mason and DJ Synapse
Kid Lucky and CX Kidtronik
DJ Rabbi D and
…more!

HIP HOP SUBWAY SERIES

Sunday, May 6 at 5PM
A traveling performance that starts at Bryant Park and ends up at La MaMa

 

For more info, head here.