Beardyman

Under the name Beardyman, Darren Foreman has developed since the mid-2000s a practice that sits between beatbox, hip‑hop, bass music and improvised performance. Born in Stanmore in north London and spending time in Brighton in the early 2000s, Beardyman first made his mark on the British human beatbox scene by winning the UK Beatbox Championships in 2006 and again in 2007. His work soon moved beyond mere vocal demonstration: Beardyman constructs live pieces from his voice, layering rhythms, melodic lines, rap, singing and imitations of sonic textures, drawing on references from dubstep and drum and bass to breakbeat and offbeat pop. This improvisational approach has taken him to music festivals as well as more hybrid stages that blend club, comedy and audiovisual performance. Over his career Beardyman has collaborated notably with JFB on the Battlejam nights, formed the duo The Gobfathers with MC Klumzy Tung and appeared alongside Fatboy Slim. His discography includes the albums I Done a Album (2011) and Distractions (2014), plus the live release Beardyman presents The Dream Team, Live at Electric Brixton (2016).