By Douglas D. Sebamala
Posted
Saturday, May 28
2016 at
01:00
As Geofrey Mugerwa, alias Spin, tests the mic, he makes sounds with his tongue giving off hard knocks of drums. He creates the illusion of a Dj’s mixer producing music with each beat, coming from just his mouth.
He is joined by Eric Naganzwa, aka Sama, and both create a percussion equivalent to tracks spinning from the Club Dj’s box.
Rythm and ryhme
Mugerwa and Naganzwa are the Spin Beats dual, and have performed at Buzz Teenies Awards 2011 and 2012, twice were acts at Break Fast Jam 2014/2015 (a hip-hop dance platform) and PHATFEST.
They have visited Gayaza High School, Budo, Mariam High, St Lawrence, Kibuli ss, Rubaga Girls and Hannah Mixed for performances with Hip-Hop For Society.
Spin Beats came to life around 2010 but only took the art form seriously in 2013 when Beat boxer Moze gained his success. They were introduced to beat boxing around 2008 by a visiting American Hip Hop artiste who gave them basics which they built with tutorials over the internet. Gradually, they found their own style. Internationally, popular beat boxers include Beatbox Collective UK, Sternberg Clarke (a 5 piece group), Pentatonix, Bloxed Beats and Duke.
What they have in common with Uganda’s Spin Beats is a fusion of live vocals with beatboxing harmonies but these boys fuse cultural and urban sound together to keep it Ugandan. They have influences of Kiganda ngalabi sounds and kadoddi blended with hip hop, techno- electric beats.
How it works
“It is a musical thing that plays about with beats using one’s mouth. The lips and tongue are very important to the vocals you produce, with the ease of mastery,” Mugerwa says. Their trade is however a rare one, only a few have the Beat Boxing ability, yet there is quite a minimal fan base for their art.
Naganzwa agrees that it is quite hard gathering people who understand/appreciate beat boxing. “It is not easy to be the best.
You can take four years to master one thing,” Mugerwa explains resounding Naganzwa who argued that “the TS-TK (hiss-Tick like) sound may be harder for a person who excellently makes the base drum” and vice versa, implying that you may learn one technique and not the other.
It all takes time. Eleven year old Patience Mulelengi is a budding female beat boxer who has learnt this art form under guidance of Dream House Uganda, Mbale. “It is about the gas you are able to hold from within and produce a sound of it with your mouth. I take water and hold it in my mouth to fasten the tongue as it rolls. It makes the lips slippery,” she says. Mulelengi hopes to make it big in future.
Sprouting art form
“Some people say we cannot do it. But beat boxing sounds can be twisted to become music. Everyone can beat box and produce any sound depending on how they twist it” and optimistic Naganzwa notes. Despite their optimism, Mugerwa observes that it is hard especially in Uganda, to survive on one art form. Therefore he has four other jobs; videography, photography, sound technician and dance tutor. Naganzwa is also a hip hop dancer and coach at Vizuri.
He recently won the Bonny & Clide dance battle at Hip Hop for Society 2016. Gilbert Okot alias Scooter a beat boxer who since 2014 has been making tours with his art in Masaka, Gulu and Jinja says he practices five days each week.
He is no different from Mugerwa who commented on how it takes resilience to reach the goals for anything one wants out of life.
editorial@ug.nationmedia.com
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