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| | Arts Calendar / May 15 / Clubs |
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23:55 | MC Xander & THePETEBOX (UK) |
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 Two British livelooping musicians - MC Xander and THePETEBOX - will perform in "Sixteen Tons" with their own compositions and collaboration program. Citizen of the world, musician and producer, a pioneer of human beatbox, making uplifting dub-infused post-hip-hop music using only his voice and a loop pedal, MC Xander was born in Kenya but grew up in Scotland and Dorset and now he is located in London. Being one of those performers who take the art of multi-vocalism to a new level, he has gained residencies around London at nights like "Chew the fat" at "The End" and "Platform 12" in "Sub Logic". His unique brand of an eclectic mix of singing, beatboxing, rapping and crowdhyping has got him playing the dance tent at Glastonbury and the breaksday tent at Glade Festival. As well as backing DJs, Xander with the help of a looping pedal is now wowing crowds around London with his sets created fully with his mouth. In his debut album Eyeopeness (2010), the listener is greeted by the formula with which Xander makes music. A clearly beatboxed portion is then progressively altered until opener "White Light" glides in with eerie high tones over an increasingly complicated rhythm. Then, Xander greets us with a verse style that dominate the album: hyper groovy, mildly technical, and disgustingly catchy. The entire album follows this theme, resulting in a wonderful little album with a hint of beginner's luck. When asked about his sound, Xander once described it as progressive dancehall. With a laundry list of influences on top of that, his music is surprisingly cohesive. The tracks flow nicely between genres, pausing for little ambient interludes. This sort of liquid tension between tracks allows Xander to explore everything that influences him while avoiding disjointedness. In this exploration, Xander ventures into varying conflicting styles. His style of dubstep can best be described as a slightly more subdued brostep. MC Xander's second album Songs of Agnosia (Hymns of Agnosis) which was released in 2014 is not just about beatbox. With lyrics that explore themes such as spirituality, society and existentialism in the 21st century, like something of a beatbox street-preacher, Xander takes us from big vibes to poetic reflections on life. THePETEBOX is a solo performer, musician, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose pioneering live show has ignited audiences across the world. Breaking out as an award-winning beatboxer he soon redefined the genre through the use of his loop pedal, guitar and an otherworldly, multi-phonic voicebox. Witnessing a THePETEBOX live show is like experiencing a magic trick, reveal on reveal, loop on loop, one man building tracks that are as sonically massive as any full band setup or DJ set. He possesses a primal talent and has transformed it into music that captures the imagination of people from all walks of life and from every corner of the world. Make no mistake though, this is no novelty act, this is a singular artist untouched by trends or fads, someone who is genuinely and fiercely independent who has tapped into an art form of true expression that connects directly with the hearts of a rapidly growing fan base. THePETEBOX's debut album Future Loops, a "live, studio, video" album comprising of original tracks and reworks of his favourite songs has reached over 11 million views on his YouTube channel. THePETEBOX's versatility is reflected in the variety of settings he has performed in, from clubnights world-wide to multiple Grand Prix, the major stages at festivals (Glastonbury, Reading/Leeds, V-Fest, Bestival UK - Lake of Stars, Malawi - Woodstock, Poland to name but a few, private parties for the stars and sold out headline tours around the UK and Europe.
Sixteen Tons  |
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