Ever wanted to make music and felt you never had the right platform? The Beat Making Lab (BML) is going to change all that. An electronic music studio small enough to fit in a backpack, the BML brings together collaborations with communities across the world. Now in India, the BML donates laptops, microphones and software to community centres and conducts two-week residencies with talented youth. The workshops and music videos form part of a weekly web-series with PBS Digital Studios on YouTube.
Bringing BML to India in collaboration with Jiyo – a wellness platform – are Jiyo’s co-founders Deepak Chopra, a physician and bestselling author, and Poonacha Machaiah, entrepreneur and technology expert. Collaborating with local artistes and youth to create global music, hip-hop music producer and drummer Stephen Levitin, the founder of BML and his team, hosted BML in the city recently.
Poonacha says he saw the show on beat making on PBS and wondered when it has been done in Congo and Ethiopia, why not Bengaluru? “I believe in connecting communities globally through music and I think BML is an interesting concept. The goal is to look at hip-hop as a voice for the youth by bringing traditional art forms such as Kathak, story telling and classical music and fusing them with hip-hop across India.”
Stephen Levitin aka DJ Apple Juice Kid says, “I’ve been a musician all my life and started producing music recently. About three years ago I took my skills in entrepreneurship, beat making and music and co–created a class at the University of California to enable learning music for youth who are passionate since beat making requires a different skill set.”
Elaborating, he says that he took the concept to the Democratic Republic of Congo as an experiment. “That got picked up by PBS and kicked it off. From making beats to touring different countries every two months, encouraging communities, donating studios and making music taking from local traditions – it is a great trip so far. We have finished almost 40 episodes with music that people can use to express the issues in their community. We took a break and that is when Poonacha came in and we are here in India. This has made our efforts bigger and connected on whole new levels of using music to better lives.”
Author and team-mate Adam Mansbach adds his two bits on what got him hooked onto the project. “We met in ’97and spent time together touring Eastern Europe rapping and playing drums in street corners. Local hip-hop communities took us in and we made a connection forged through hip-hop back when it was underground. The genre reflected my thinking of activism, politics, and social problems. It was revolutionary and promoted a set of aesthetics that has given skills to define me. Through the lab, regardless of becoming a musician, everyone will lead a fuller and expansive life. Hip-hop at its purest is a deeply democratic form since it draws from everywhere and has no hierarchy.”
I’m here to help create that narrative. I’m interested in seeing how art can improve and expand people’s lives. We hope people emerge dramatically transformed in ways that are sustainable.”
Stephen says they are here with a very open mind. “I want to engage with the youth and make amazing music – it is as simple as that. We are now committed to India in a deeper way, especially with our tie-up with Poonacha who has proved to be a dreamer like me.” Poonacha quickly adds: “Imagine taking Tamil poetry and combining it with hip-hop.”
Stephen further says that he will go as a blank slate artiste. “The way I equate it – this is a portable electronic studio programme that has the whole setup compacted into one laptop. It’s a portable new art form. Hip hop and electronic music are also viable today. I come from a classical jazz background so I’m familiar with both worlds. It’s the most beautiful way to engage and exchange.”
Adam adds that they finally got to experience the infamous Bengaluru traffic. “That gave us time to tune into the radio. Every single song I hear on the radio has the DNA of hip-hop. So it is easy to connect.”
Stephen hopes people will take away a higher level of music and have meaning attached to it. “This is the voice of the youth. That was my goal when I set out on this direction and it is the most fun scenario for me.” He also hopes people watch the videos and attend the interactions and realise that anyone can do it. “If you have something to make a beat, you are part of the movement.”
