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  Faith SFX Interview
interview 0380 added
08.03.06 words:
Ben Tat
technical:
QED
Faith SFX is undoubtedly one of the hottest properties in the UK scene right now, he’s taking the art of beat boxing to a new level, with a true gift to create not just a beat but an entire piece of music using just his mouth. It's a mix of a whole range of genres and styles that make his live set stand out from the crowd, so much so that he won the first ever UK Beatbox Championships in 2005. UKHH.com’s Ben Tat caught a word with the UK’s current number one.
Faith grew up in North London and started beat boxing just 3 years ago, he’s had several high profile appearance around the country since, and recently starred in 1Xtra’s Urban Classic alongside the 36 piece BBC concert orchestra where he stole the show with a rendition of Ginuwine's Pony.
Q. Do think having a UK Championship has boosted the profile of beat boxing? What’s life been like for you since you won the Championships in 2005?
 Good but to be honest it didn’t make much difference for some reason. I guess it makes the standards higher but it hasn’t actually done much for my profile at all. I didn’t get any extra attention I wasn’t getting before but I guess it made it look better now when promoters put ‘UK Beatbox Champion’ next to my name on the flyer.
Q. What was it like representing the UK in the World Beatbox Championships in Germany? How did you do?
Scary! I was ill with food poisoning coz I had been eating too much Sam’s Chicken. ITV was up there trying to film me and I felt like shit, really didn’t want to be there at that time. Watch the DVD and you’ll see.
Q. How did the show with the BBC orchestra come about and do you think it worked?
I was brought in to this project by the BBC, and it’s worked very well for me. It was a good opportunity which could have gone both ways and because of the six months preparation it went well.
Q. You’ve only been beat boxing since 2003, have you always been into Hip Hop and making music?
I used to mc and produced before I found out I can beatbox. I’ve grown up listening to a wide range of music genres but hip hop, garage, soul and r’n’b is what I loved the most.
“...My album will be very different to what you’ve heard, I just hope other beatboxers don’t copy my shit and come fresh like I am doing right now...”
Q. Do you think independent labels and agencies like ‘All from the Mouth’ are the best way to promote UK Hip Hop or can major labels play a part? Do you plan to go the independent route?
I think the fact that the majority of artists have been trying to take the independent route has left he UK in a bit of a stand still but I guess there’s more to it than just that.
I have been working independently, so far I’ve only got one manager and I’m doing well for now. But I am pretty open minded towards the whole thing.
Q. Pharrell Williams reportedly wanted to sign Killa Kela to Star Trax, do you think a British beatboxer could make an impression in the US, do you have any plans to go there?
Yeah of course I wanna go all over the world I might be looking at Europe first before crossing the Atlantic.
Q. It’s notoriously hard to transfer the talent of beat boxing into a full album, do think performing with a full band like Kela currently is, is a good way forward?
I think it depends on the individual beatboxer and his style. A live band can make a beatboxer sound good or it can make a beatboxer sound bad. Kela’s doing well with it but I don’t think everyone can just go and do that. My album will be very different to what you’ve heard of Kela I just hope other beatboxers don’t copy my shit and come fresh like I am doing right now.
“...A live band can make a beatboxer sound good or it can make a beatboxer sound bad. Kela’s doing well with it but I don’t think everyone can just go and do that...”
Q. What other projects do you have planned for the future?
 I’m concentrating on my first release right now which is gonna be mad so let me break it down. It’s me on the beat so basically the beat is all mouth recorded with no special effects at Ghetto Platinum studios (big ups to Tee Total). The MCs I chose to be on this track are a few of my favourites in the grime scene. I got four crews on the track, two MCs from each crew who go back to back into each others lines on the 16 bars that they have. The MC’s are HypaFen, Marciphonix, Jammer, Earz, FlirtaD, Big Mighty Joe, Young1 and
Narstie.
Q. Who else are you feeling on the UK scene, any shout outs?
These are all artists from the scene that have been supporting me so shouts to Flirta and the whole of SLK, big up Narstie, Doctor, Tee Total, Lady Ny, Pro Green, the whole of NdoubleA, DJ Cameo and Semtex and yeah theres too many … Big up Vash, Pete, Junior, Matt from Lovedough, TeeTotal, Jade, Alisha, Shinobi from So Effective, BiggaFish, Martel from Serious … there’s many more …
Faith SFX’s first single ‘Bubbles’ is soon.
“...I think the fact that the majority of artists have been trying to take the independent route has left he UK in a bit of a stand still...”
- Ben Tat
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