IAN SCOVILLE
FEATURES EDITOR
For Milo Rechler (’15) making “weird noises” has always been something of a habit. But when his dad brought him to the Human Beatbox Convention, Rechler transformed this hobby into a full-fledged passion. His love for the art of beatboxing, a mixture of beats and vocal sounds, has led him to an uncommon yet enjoyable pursuit.
Though the artform of beatboxing appeals to Rechler, its uniqueness and flexibility is what consistently keeps him interested. “It’s a unique thing to do,” he said. “It’s also especially fun to do if you’re bored or instead of having to learn to play the drums or buy a drum kit, you have your mouth and your voice. With that you can do a lot of cool things, and also you can show off your talents.”
The ability to beatbox on-the-go enables Rechler to practice his talent whenever and wherever he wants, allowing him to constantly work on and improve his sounds. Rechler finds the majority of his sounds through experimentation while practicing his beatboxing. If he “experiences” a worthy sound, he’ll add it to his skill set.
More and more though, Rechler’s focus is on using a loop station, in which Rechler can perform one thing while the machine plays another. “[I’d like to do] another performance with a loop station. It’s not as cool because I’m not doing everything at the same time, but I can do one thing and lay down other things at the same time so it becomes more musical and intricate,” he said.
Rechler is heavily influenced by artists such as Rahzel and Shlohmo, as well as artists who publish their music on YouTube. Even so, Rechler has his own techniques to remain unique. “I don’t really have a signature sound, but what I will do is make my taking in of air less obvious and my breathing more seamless,” Rechler said. “[For example] when I make the snare drum sound I breathe in at the same time. It gives my snare drum sound a really cool effect.”
When Rechler performs, he doesn’t have an idea of what he wants to perform. “When I performed at Creative Spotlight, I didn’t have any plan; I knew some things I wanted to do and showcase, but I didn’t have an order, so as I was doing one thing I would think of what to do next,” he said.
Even though Rechler performs without a plan, he’s still thinking about the audience’s reaction. “The only real challenge I have when I am performing is trying to make the performance interesting enough that it holds the audience’s attention,” he said.
Looking to the future though, Rechler does not believe beatboxing is something he can professionally pursue – though it is a hobby he believes he can “maintain.” “I’d love to do it in the future but the thing is beatboxing is something that hasn’t got a huge fanbase at the moment,” Rechler said. “It’s a growing art form, but I wouldn’t say too many people would listen to a guy beatboxing on their iPod, which isn’t a problem, but it does leave a lot of room for interest.”
ian_scoville@asl.org
