Described as a ‘human beat box orchestra’, Afra & The Incredible Beatbox Band will be returning to Australia this month, touring the country as part of the Big Day Out. If you thought beatboxing was an art form reserved for hip-hop clubs, think again, as Afra and his band have a solid history of rocking it in front of festival crowds, having performed at Summer Sonic in Japan, Sonar in Barcelona, and more. ITM got the lowdown via email.
Have you always had a love for hip-hop, even before you got into beat boxing?
Yes.
Do you take part in any other elements of hip-hop, like breaking, graf, DJng..?
DJing and rapping.
After graduating from high school you moved to New York, why the urge to go to the US?
I wanted to see where hip-hop was born.
You lived in NYC for 4 years. What kind of work did you do to get by? I heard one of your jobs was working in a karaoke bar!
Yes I had been working at karaoke bar and many customers asked me to beatbox every night. Besides that job, I gripped a mic at an open mic amateur night at Apollo Theater, at college parties, and Broadway musicals…
Is karaoke one of your secret passions?
I don’t sing, but the karaoke bar Tokyo One Seven gave me a place to practice beat boxing.
Having made a name for yourself in the US, how did the chance to feature on the documentary Breath Control come about?
I had a group called MB2000. There were five of us, and we all were beat boxers – Emannon, D.O.A., Baba, Kenny Muhamad and me. D.O.A. introduced me to Joey Garfield, the director of the Breath Control.
I interviewed Rahzel last year and he was referred to as “the man with the most gifted mouth outside the porn industry.” I have to say that Afra and the Incredible Beatbox Band definitely also fall into the category, what do you think?
I’m the one who grew up from porno industry!
I.B.B. was released earlier this year, did you find there was there a good response to the album and DVD?
Yes, there are parts where people can enjoy the music with visuals, [which is good] when it comes to beatboxing. That’s the reason people enjoyed that DVD so much, I guess. The DVD can be described as our personal documentary, so people can enjoy who we are. I actually laughed a lot [when watching it].
Where are you at the moment?
Tokyo!
What’s up and coming before you head on the Big Day Out tour?
Just chillin’.
Do you enjoy spending time in Australia?
Yes, yes, yes. I love the sunshine and air in Australia. It’s so clean!
Do you think beat boxing has become a respected art form?
For sure. If it wasn’t, then this interview wouldn’t exist.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Listen to records and watch movies.
Afra & The Incredible Beatbox Band tour Australia over the coming weeks:
Jan 21 – Big Day Out, Gold Coast
Jan 25 – Big Day Out, Sydney
Jan 26 – Beck’s Festival Bar, Sydney
Jan 27 – The Espy, Melbourne
Jan 28 – Big Day Out, Melbourne
Feb 2 – Big Day Out, Adelaide
Feb 4 – Big Day Out, Perth
