The Beatbox Collective

The Beatbox Collective are a group of top UK beatbox talent, many of them award winners in their respective styles, who all came together to form one high impact and energetic collective!  Originally formed in 2011 when they were commissioned by the Shambala Festival to create an exclusive main stage performance, they’ve since gained members, doing the rounds at UK festivals, including Glastonbury, Bestival and Lovebox to name a few.  With the group, never are two shows the same and often the line-up of beatboxers is different.  For this recording session we had the pleasure of filming four of them…

First up was compere and founding member Bass6, the incredibly energetic beatboxer whose non-stop enthusiasm and vocal dynamics is a constant winner. From battling at top level competitions to collaborating with a massively wide range of international artists and brands, Bass6 has gained a reputation as a pivotal element for a great event with his positive and skilled approach to every performance.

Then it was MC Zani’s turn!  From starting out on pirate radio in the late 90’s, Zani is now an institution on the beatboxing scene.  Traveling the globe to perform alongside acts like Lupe Fiasco and 50 Cent, he’s also part of the London hip-hop collective FULLeBLUNT.  He was the winner of the UK Beatbox Championship 2008, and is currently the lead tutor with Battersea Arts Centre’s Beatbox Academy.

Next up was Hobbit, who grew up in a musical family and whose more than 10 years of experience has given him household name status in the beatbox world.  Performing around the globe and winner of a number of first place titles in major international and UK championship competitions have assured Hobbit’s credibility as an artist.  He’s been a judge for the UK Beatbox Championships and, for the past several years, host for the International Beatbox Convention in both London and New York.

And lastly, describing himself as vocal whizzkid, beatbox gypsy and a cappella traveller, we recorded Tobias Hug.  A former bass & vocal percussionist with five-times Grammy Award Winning a cappella legends The Swingle Singers, he sung with them for over a decade, recorded six studio albums, and performed more than 700 concerts in some of the world’s greatest concert halls.  He joined the group, under the artist name The BFG (‘Black Forest Ghetto’) – taken from the Black Forest in Germany where he was born.

And if you’re wondering how to beatbox yourself, Bass6 explains it all in this short video…!

2020 UPDATE NOTETragically in January 2020, after a two-year battle with cancer, Tobias Hug very sadly passed away – more here.