TBK

The Beat Kids were formed after my debut release Soul At The Hands of the Machine (Thirsty Ear 2002). I was looking for a way to have more of a group sound rather than a studio album by me as soloist/drummer/producer. Seven Heads/Uncle Junior Records label head Wes Jackson seemed open to the idea and I got to work composing rhythmic frameworks and soundscapes. Initially The Beat Kids was a way to separate my identity as a drummer, known in more jazz settings with David S. Ware, William Parker and Matthew Shipp and others, with my more hip hop/urban music tendencies. Keith Witty and Latasha Diggs were perfect foils for this new group identity. Soon Yusuke Yamamoto came onboard to handle some of my more idiosyncratic synth, keyboard, percussion and flute parts. The Beat Kids released Open Rhythm System in 2003. I was trying to figure out ways to take a studio album into a live, performance setting. After a number of NYC performances the group was offered a spot in the New York Is Now! Festival in Rome (2004). We succeeded in transforming my studio album into a real-time performance experience. The following year we began work on a follow up recording entitled Sound Magazine (currently in the post production phase). This record marked the beginning of a more collective sound. We began to share the musical responsibilities of the group. In contrast to our first record, Sound Magazine was written and recorded with the entire quartet present for all initial sessions, this continues to be the way that we work and we are committed to achieving compositional strategies that honor ALL of our musical influences. The Beat Kids are constantly searching and finding ways to bring our studio masterpieces to the stage.