‘Drum’ming to the beat of his heart

USING the mouth, lips, tongue and voice to mimic or generate sounds that one never expects from a human body is the speciality of beatboxer, Ntuthuko ‘Drumkit’ Majola. For some time now the human voice has long been used to generate sounds or percussion effects in many cultures, like Mongolian throat singing or the North American scat signing or the Indian form of konnakol. Like those art forms, beatboxing is a more contemporary style and while it is a relatively young vocal art, it is by no means an easy one.

Northglen News recently caught up with Drum, or the ‘one man rock band’ as he is known to his fans to find out more about the art and how it all started for the 27-year-old.

“I come from a music background. In school I was part of the choir from Grade 6 and I was privileged enough to perform with the Durban Philharmonic Orchestra playing the trumpet and trombone. I think playing the trombone and being able to change the shape of my mouth to produce different sounds definitely helped me develop my beats.

“My older brother was also an inspiration, he was a big fan of the hip-hop scene and we’d often sit in his room and he’d rap and I’d be his hype-man or throw down beats for him, at the time it was all about fun. I guess I never took the art form that seriously or hadn’t developed as a beatboxer to appreciate it. People would often tell me how good I was. It wasn’t until my neighbour gave me a CD by an American beatboxer called Rahzel that I began learning the technical aspects of it and began creating my own beats,” he said.

Majola’s impressive vocal qualities lead to many comparing him to a drum kit which inspired his stage name, a half-man, half-machine hybrid. While he is a well-known figure on Durban’s urban street scene, the former Northwood School pupil has also graced the stages of some international musical festivals including New York Monaco, Italy and Germany.

“It’s been amazing using an art I’m so passionate about and being able to travel the world and sharing beatboxing but also learning from other artists. My hope is to inspire young artists as well as create a vibrant hip-hop scene and funding a music hub in Durban,” he said.

At the moment, Drum is recording his first 12 track EP in which he collaborates with local producers and rappers.

“As a beatboxer, it’s not only about paying tribute to a lot of artists but also putting a lot of my own ideas into the mix and make my own tunes and people will still dance and smile. As long as I’m able to grow the appreciation for beatboxing and everyone’s smiling, I’m happy,” he said.