Metabass & Breath
Andrew Chaikin
Metabass & Breath (or, alternately, just Metabass),
and the album is called "The Life and Times of a
Beatboxer."
From the Web site of Bomb Hip Hop Records, their
label in the US:
> The stage is now set for the beatboxing theatrics
> of Metabass 'n' Breath, a live hip hop band from
> Sydney, Australia (with members from NY, LA,
> Austria, and Sydney). Metabass is a popular and
> well known group in Australia having done major
> tours with Spearhead, Run DMC, Q-Bert, and Mo Wax.
> Their EP "Perfection" is currently getting national
> radio play as well their video which is on high rotation
> on Australian MTV. In the states they have a strong
> underground following nutured by two US tours. They
> have rocked shows in NYC at the 20th Rocksteady
> Anniversary, Tramps, Wetlands, SOB's, and various
> streetcorners. They stole the show at Rocksteady
> suprising the crowd with their group beatboxing style...
> It's the perfect time for a beatbox record, and this
> beatbox album is like no other. It is a diverse journey
> that will prick up the ears of hip hop heads, electronica,
> tribal, and avant garde explorers.
You can check out more at:
http://www.bombhiphop.com/artists_pages/metabass/metabass_page.html
I listened to some excerpts on Amazon (do a search for
"Metabass"), and they seem to be good beatboxers, but
it wasn't the mindblowing experience I was hoping for.
The SF Bay Guardian has a tartly cogent review of the
Metabass album, Rahzel's solo album, and Doug. E.
Fresh's 1984 album "The Original Human Beat Box,"
which was recently rereleased. Some excerpts:
> In 1999 Rahzel, a member of Illadelph's legendary
> Roots crew, released the long-anticipated Make the
> Music 2000 (MCA), which promised to give beatboxing
> the mainstream shine it deserved. But despite guest
> appearances by Q-Tip, Branford Marsalis, Me'Shell
> Ndegéocello, Erkyah Badu, and Slick Rick, the album
> failed to capture the majesty of Rahzel's live performances
> ... Rahzel's ability to imitate a robot, simulate a turntable
> scratch, or recite cheesy kung fu film dialogue works well
> onstage or within the context of a four-minute song. But a
> whole album of sound effects?
[snip]
> Hopes were up when David Paul's Bomb Records
> announced Australian outfit MetaBass 'n' Breath would be
> dropping an all-beatboxing album. ... Yet even with the
> presence of a didgeridoo, semimystical chanting, and help
> from turntablists, The Life and Times of a Beatboxer fails to
> ignite; an album of hip-hop covers by the Bobs would
> probably generate more excitement.
(Ouch! Talk about damning with faint insults! Might be a good
career move for them, though. Note to self: call Richard Bob...)
> To be fair to MetaBass 'n' Breath, their shtick is more
> effective live ... Still, to understand what's missing, check
> out Doug. E. Fresh's recently rereleased 1984 opus, The
> Original Human Beat Box. The album is nothing short of
> amazing; Doug E. channels more breath control than you'd
> find in a ashram full of pilgrims, resulting in an action-packed
> 12-inch, complete with melody, rhythm, and dance-floor
> grooveability...
[snip]
> Make the Music 2000 and The Life and Times indicate
> that without an MC providing a story line or a DJ adding a
> musical counterbalance, the human percussionist has
> trouble standing alone. In 20 years of hip-hop, only a few
> true masters of the supposed fifth element have emerged:
> Will it be another two decades before we hear the ultimate
> beatbox album? Or will it ever be made?
You can read the whole article at:
http://www.sfbg.com/AandE/fullcircle/23.html
Andrew Chaikin
andrew at bigger bread dot com