'Nothing is difficult if you try it'

Who would have thought that mastering the art of vocal percussion and performing compositions in innovative sounds would become such a rage?

 Beat-boxer John Niklas, a final-year student of St Joseph’s College of Commerce, was amazed by the innovative performances of other artistes. This urged him to try this entertaining art four years ago.

“I took a few basic lessons from other beat-boxers. Slowly, my interest in this art form grew and I tried out the basics I knew. I performed in front of my friends and they encouraged me to start performing professionally.

A few online videos also helped me increase my knowledge on beat-boxing and it further increased my confidence,” says John.

He adds that all additional knowledge that he has picked up online has allowed him to take the art to the next level.

Ask him what key points every beat-boxer should keep in mind and he lists out, “Stick to the basics, tempo, clarity and the approach towards your performance. Try including the crowd in your performance as it will add entertainment element to your performance. Also, it’s absolutely important to enjoy what you’re doing, yourself.”
He recollects that he was a bundle of nerves at his first performance.

 “It was the most challenging performance of my lifetime. I was performing at an inter-college fest and was very nervous. But after this, my confidence grew and I took it up as a challenge. It was a different experience to be with the other qualified beat-boxers,” says John.

His favourite beat boxers are Kenny Muhammad also known as ‘The Human Or
chestra’ and the Bulgarian artist ‘Skiller’.

   John says that he tries to include a mix of all kinds of music from EDM, Hip-Hop and Dubstep to various sounds in innovative technicality, and a bit of Southern music.

   “I don’t name my self-compositions, but when I compose, I just go with the flow as I perform,” John says with a smile.

Though John’s been beat-boxing from his PUC days, he never thought that he would continue doing this after he learnt the art.

   “But my interest grew and I also got more exposure which motivated me to keep taking myself to the next level,” he says.

John recollects some funny incidents from the past when he used to annoy his friends with different noises.

   “I would wake them up from sleep during class hours and ask them if the sounds I made were nice. They would beg me to leave them alone,” he says.

In these four years, John has taken negative feedback more into
consideration than positive comments.

“I want to be sure to correct my mistakes and perfect my performance next time. I meet other beat-boxers and we correct each other to get the best out of us. And I’ve included EDM, Dubstep and tribal beats, according to the suggestions that I got,” he says.

   “Nothing is difficult if you try it,” says John, adding, “interest and hard work has to be put into anything that one does.”

John has performed at different places like Pebbles, Sutra in Lalit Ashok, and in malls like Orion, Forum and Garuda.

   “The experience was different and fulfilling,” says John.

   Any art requires a lot of patience and skill to perfect it. “I don’t practise everyday. I just beat-box when I feel like it,” he sums up.