mc zani

MC Zani

Interview with a beatboxer

MC Zani's love for music grew from a young age and has undoubtedly lured him into creating sounds, using tools and a mouth, anything that makes a sound, is a beat to work with… Inspired by life itself, it’s no wonder Zani sees music everywhere.

With a hand on his chest and sporting a Liverpool football t-shirt, he says tells us ‘music’s my form of escapism’…

On stage, verbally vivid and high on energy, the gradual thunder of the crowd spark his inner flow, he gets the crowd buzzing on beats. MC Zani takes it to another level, this firework performance is captivating, almost unbelievable how one person can isolate so many sounds and play a band all at once...

As a talented beatboxer, musician and producer who is at the beginning of his career, he finds the time to tell us where his choices have taken him. A ‘must’ this year, is to catch MC Zani on stage, witness him leave traces of a blaze on the mic and feel the aftermath of a storm.

How did you get into Beatboxing?

I heard the American beatboxer Razhel, a pioneer of beatboxing. He brought beatboxing from the side stage gimmick, to centre stage and make it a main act. I was 14 when I first heard him, I didn’t know people can do that with their mouths, and ever since then I’ve been practising and practising.

What struggles did you face and can you make a career out of it?

You can make a career out of it, that’s what I’m doing and it’s my only source of income at the moment. You have to be good at what you do though. At the beginning my mum, you know how Filipino parents are, would say ‘do your studies first’. She can see now I’m serious about it and can make money out of it. She’s eased off a bit, but says now and then ‘you can’t do that forever’.

Is beatboxing something you can study?

No one taught me, I taught myself... But now, I’m working with kids at the Beatbox Academy , in the Battersea Arts Centre, teaching 10-14 year olds. They graduate next week, we had to write a syllabus for it and everything, it’s organised by the Arts Council, so its government funded, they call me their hero.

What does it feel like to perform on stage? Did you see yourself doing this in front of people?

I kinda fell into it. I’ve always liked music, music is always around me. I love the buzz of the crowd, I feed off their energy. If they’re getting hype then I get hype. If the crowds doing nothing then I’ll freeze on stage. I’m not gonna feel it.

What do you think it is that gets the crowd going wild?

Beatboxing is different, people are disillusioned about the amount of noises coming out of my mouth, they think it’s from a track. So many times I’ve come off stage and people are like ‘are you cheating, I don’t believe you?’. That makes me think I’m doing my job even better, they can’t believe it, that means I’m doing my job right.

How much time and commitment goes into beatboxing?

A lot, if I'm not beatboxing I’m rapping, if I’m not rapping I’m producing, if I’m not producing I’m playing guitar, and if I’m not playing guitar I’m doing something else musical.

Beatboxing is actually my side thing, that is what’s getting me my gigs and that’s where people are seeing me. So I’m getting a lot of exposure, because there’s not a lot of beatboxers that are doing it to a certain level in this country. My main passion is writing and producing.

As a British Filipino, what advantages or obstacles have you experienced since starting out?

In some ways it has helped me, because in some gigs they’re looking for an urban look. I hate that pigeon hole and it pisses me off, but I get some work from it. I don’t like doing it sometimes because they’re looking for an urban look with an ethnic guy.

Is everything about beatboxing seen as urban?

Not really, there are so many people that have changed beatboxing, it all started in the hiphop scene in the 80s with Biz Markie and Doug E. Fresh, there are five elements in the hiphop culture and beatboxing is the fifth. And now there’s just been a massive explosion, everybody all around the world are just beatboxing, you’ve got humanbeatbox.com, it’s getting hundreds of thousands of hits a year.

Is it, like everything else that is underground, becoming commercialized?

That’s what I’m afraid of, like break-dancing and hiphop, it’s going to get saturated, it will saturate the scene so much. At the moment I’m seeing it popping up on TV a lot more, hearing it on radio, even TV competitions. In a way it’s good because it’s getting exposure, but in a way it’s bad.

How do you get notice in the industry?

When I first started I was doing a lot of the gigs for free, getting myself out there, performing at any events. Throwing events myself with other people, I was 14 when I done an event for over 18s. I was always rolling with the older crowd, just gaining a lot of experience. Then I was on pirate radio stations, getting my name about. I was in the garage scene before, with a group called AUN, and we were doing a lot of garage events up and down the country from a young age. That’s where the beatboxing came in, I use to incorporate it in different sets and on stage.

How important is it to have an image, how would you describe yours?

I’m not trying to go for any image, I’m just trying to be myself. When they stereotype and say a beatboxer has to look hiphop, there are beatboxers that come from the grunge scene, the techno scene, in Ibiza , whatever. Beatboxing is music, you can make any type of music with your mouth, it doesn’t have to be restricted to a certain genre, or certain look, even though people cliche it as that because it originated from hiphop.

What work is there for beatboxers?

There’s a lot of work, at the moment, this year I have already done so much, there’s workshops, teaching kids, normal club night, showcase events, corporate events. I’ve done Bar Mitzvahs, weddings and not just in this country, I’ve gone abroad as well.

What was it like winning the London Heat this year?

I won the London heat this year and last year, that’s two year running. I had come second in the finals last year. I held the car keys in my hand and everything. This year, we have to start a campaign, I want to win this.

Do the older generation understand what you were doing?

They don’t believe it, all my aunties and uncles couldn’t believe it. I’ve performed in a club in Green Belt , Philippines , they went crazy, they loved it. I was gonna perform at the bigger events but it was too rammed in the place.

I wouldn’t mind performing at barrio, only because I’ve never done it before, they would be like ‘wow, what is that with your mouth?.

Wining the London heat at the UK Beatbox Championships, doing the tours, performing in different countries, what has that done to your confidence or what has changed in your lifestyle and priorities?

I just want this music, I’m hungry for it. I want it to work and to benefit me in the long run, so I can be secure and living comfortable. In 10 years, if I’m not beatboxing, it’s something to do with music, definitely.

What are your future plans?

I don’t want to be famous where you get stopped in the street every 10 seconds. I want to be recognised in the game, if people hear my name, they’ll say that’s that guy who does this, the respected artist.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into the same field?

Practise, be determined, be committed, that’s all it is, practise makes perfect, you’ve got a mouth on you, you can do it everywhere, on the bus, in the shower..

Lastly, what’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?

Jason, my sister’s boyfriend, who I’m also in a group with, Fulle Blunt… I can’t remember his exact words, but he said ‘keep on it and don’t let anyone tell you nothing, follow your dreams, don’t forget your roots, don’t forget the people that helped you… keep on it.’