It's all in the mouth

The Nation

Beatboxing is the art of vocal percussion,

and while the term is derived from hip-hop,

the genre can also be found in scat and more

mainstream pop. Essentially, it means creat¬

ing drum beats, rhythm and musical sounds

using the mouth, lips, tongue and voice, and

may also involve the simulation of horns,

strings and other musical instruments.

The course, which runs from Sunday to

August 26, is being taught by Kanun

Veeranarong, the second-runner-up in this

year's Chang Draught Journey to

Glastonbury Festival, which sponsored three

up-and-coming musicians to travel to

England with ska band T-Bone.

"You have to learn how to replicate various

percussion sounds with your voice," says

Kanun, 22, a fifth-year classical guitar stu¬

dent at Silpakorn University's Faculty of

Music. "My aim is to open beatbox to this

country."

Kanun, who has been a seri¬

ous guitarist since his early

teens, formed his own band,

Long Fang Doo, at university

and also played with Slot

Machine on their self-titled

debut.

Two years ago, he was

watching a Bobby McFerrin

concert on VCD and found

himself mesmerised by the

singer's beatboxing skills. The

American created his entire hit

"Don't Worry Be Happy" by

dubbing his voice on different

tracks to create different

"instruments".

He surfed the Internet for

more information and started

learning how to beatbox last

year.

"Having to haul your instru¬

ments around from show to

show is always a hassle. My col¬

league has a double bass, so it's

even harder for him. With

beatboxing, it's so much sim¬

pler. All you need is your mouth," he says.

"And musical instruments vary so much in

quality, while beatboxing depends entirely on

yourself."

It also requires a strong constitution and

healthy lungs.

"The basics consist of three main sounds -

bass drum, snare and hi-hat," he explains.

"The snare is particularly difficult to mimic."

Kanun, who no longer has time to per¬

form, has showcased his beatboxing abilities

at several universities. In addition to drums,

he also does guitar and bass.

He also occasionally busks around town,

mainly at Victory Monument and Siam

Square.

"I performed beatbox with a loudspeaker

and microphone at the monument about six

months ago. At first, I just stood there, but

after a while I started moving in time to the

rhythm and the audience really enjoyed it.

Before each show, I'd explain the technique,"

he says.

Earlier this year, he appeared on Channel

3's "Club X" and last month wowed the

crowds at Glastonbury.

"Right now, I can replicate the sounds of

drums, bass and vocals," says the 22-year-

old, whose favourite artist is Rahzel.

"Many foreign beatboxers have come out

with albums. I'd love to record one too, just

to prove that Asians can also do it," he adds,

before going into a brief beatbox rendition of

the traditional Thai tune "Khang Khao Kin

Kluay" to illustrate his point.

His dreams of having an album may well

come true, as Click Radio's managing direc

tor Yuthana Boonorm is planning to bring

together this year's three Chang Draught

contest winners - the other two are a gui¬

tarist and a violinist - for a studio outing.

"My songs blend beatboxing with guitar

and bass," he says. "They are fusion jazz with

a kind of hallucinatory feel."

Kanun will beatbox at Silpakorn's upcom¬

ing "Jazz Her #6" scheduled for the begin¬

ning of August.

Those wishing to sign up for beatbox or

any of the other free music courses should

call (02) 214 1509, (081) 919 2928, (086) 379

3709 or visit MusicNursery.com.