Manipulating Hip Hop Beats: Collaborative improvisation and composition

Robert Burke (Composer), Paul Grabowsky (Composer), Nasaki Nakamura (Performer), Aaron Choulai (Performer)

Research output: Non-textual formRecorded/ Rendered PerformanceResearch

Abstract

This project was a collaboration between Australian and Japanese hip hop artists, Australian jazz musicians and traditional Japanese performers. The project included a Japanese released CD recording a 10-day tour of Japan and performances at the Melbourne and Tokyo International Jazz Monash
Arts Festivals (2018). A key aim of this performative research was hip hop musicians exploring the manipulation of beats/loops and rapping. This included alternating between conventional roles of fixed time/pulse beat creation and a flexible and improvised manipulation of pulse, rhythms and tone. Further, the
improvising jazz ensemble and traditional Japanese musicians interacted in these unfamiliar and new sonic environments by taking on more of a gestural role instead of playing pre-learnt knowledge (clichés) whilst adapting to the atypical ephemeral moment. How can the rhythmic manipulation of hip hop beats create new sonic environments in composition and improvisation?
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationTokyo Japan
Publisherbandcamp
Publication statusPublished - 2018

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