MC Xander
Encyclopedia
MC Xander is a British musician and producer, known for creating his music using only his voice and a loopstation, which layers up his vocal sounds. His music references dancehall
, reggae
, dubstep
, drum and bass
and hip hop
but more broadly fits into the electronica
and IDM
genres. In 2010 he described his sound as ‘progressive dancehall’. At his shows all the songs, including the bass, beat, backing vocals, lyrics and all sounds, are created live using his voice. In recent years he has started using an effects box which processes his voice and increases the variety of textures and sounds he can add to his tracks. He introduced the combination of using a Kaoss pad and a loopstation with all vocal performances, inspiring other beatbox artists such as Beardyman
to experiment with this technology.
. There he became known for his human beatbox skills and energetic live performances. He then joined the breakbeat act Atomic Hooligan as their MC. He also performed with breakbeat DJs such as Rennie Pilgim and Eddie Temple Morris and is featured on the track, We Control, by DJ Hyper.
After breaking into the dance scene MC Xander started working as a solo artist, moving away from breakbeat towards a more cross-genre sound. Using only his voice (a combination of beatbox, rapping and singing) he creates intricate tracks using a loopstation to layer his vocals, and more recently a Korg Kaoss pad 3.
He is a member of the London-based music and spoken-word collective One Taste. He performs at a variety of venues and events, from more intimate arts showcases to festivals, street performances and club nights.
His debut album Eyeopeness, which he is currently releasing without a label, is available from February 2011.
and whistle register
which can add an ‘ethereal’ choral quality to his sound. He also uses throat singing
techniques to create some of his bass sounds. Using song structures whilst working within electronic music genres is also one of the definitive aspects of his style.
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
, drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
but more broadly fits into the electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
and IDM
Intelligent dance music
Intelligent dance music is a term that describes an electronic music genre that emerged in the early 1990s. The genre is influenced by a wide range of musical styles particularly electronic dance music such as Detroit Techno...
genres. In 2010 he described his sound as ‘progressive dancehall’. At his shows all the songs, including the bass, beat, backing vocals, lyrics and all sounds, are created live using his voice. In recent years he has started using an effects box which processes his voice and increases the variety of textures and sounds he can add to his tracks. He introduced the combination of using a Kaoss pad and a loopstation with all vocal performances, inspiring other beatbox artists such as Beardyman
BeardyMan
Darren Foreman , better known as Beardyman, is a musician from London renowned for his beatboxing skills and use of live looping technology, and according to the BBC "King of Sound and Ruler of Beats".-Stage name and musical style:...
to experiment with this technology.
Biography
MC Xander was born in Kenya in 1983 but grew up in Scotland and Dorset. Having always had a strong inclination to music he studied for his BA in ‘Commercial Music’ at the University of Westminster. Moving to London to study on the course he was exposed to the ever-growing variety of electronic music which has emerged in recent years. He went straight into the music scene as a resident MC for the London dance night Chew the Fat! at the club The EndThe End (club)
The End was a nightclub in the West End of London, England. Started in December 1995 by DJs Layo Paskin and Mr C, The End was world-renowned. It was also responsible for the label End Recordings....
. There he became known for his human beatbox skills and energetic live performances. He then joined the breakbeat act Atomic Hooligan as their MC. He also performed with breakbeat DJs such as Rennie Pilgim and Eddie Temple Morris and is featured on the track, We Control, by DJ Hyper.
After breaking into the dance scene MC Xander started working as a solo artist, moving away from breakbeat towards a more cross-genre sound. Using only his voice (a combination of beatbox, rapping and singing) he creates intricate tracks using a loopstation to layer his vocals, and more recently a Korg Kaoss pad 3.
He is a member of the London-based music and spoken-word collective One Taste. He performs at a variety of venues and events, from more intimate arts showcases to festivals, street performances and club nights.
His debut album Eyeopeness, which he is currently releasing without a label, is available from February 2011.
Style
MC Xander’s lyrics frequently talk about the modern personal existential journey and spirituality. The thought provoking intention of his lyrics has in some sense more in common with spoken-word and poetry than dance music. Apart from his beatboxing, MC Xander is known for the range of high vocals he uses in his work; particularly the high singing in falsettoFalsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
and whistle register
Whistle register
The whistle register is the highest register of the human voice, lying above the modal register and falsetto register...
which can add an ‘ethereal’ choral quality to his sound. He also uses throat singing
Overtone singing
Overtone singing, also known as overtone chanting, or harmonic singing, is a type of singing in which the singer manipulates the resonances created as air travels from the lungs, past the vocal folds, and out the lips to produce a melody.The partials of a sound wave made by the human voice can be...
techniques to create some of his bass sounds. Using song structures whilst working within electronic music genres is also one of the definitive aspects of his style.