From a Whisker to a Scream

“How do you do?” An infamous voice booms down the telephone line, the accent clipped and very British. “When I worked in call centres,” Darren Foreman laughs, “I used to pull all sorts of accents on the customers!” Considering he’s now one of the most respected beatboxers in the world and one of the most YouTube-d people on the continent, I’m finding it difficult to imagine Beardyman at a desk, speaking into a headset.

The spectrum of sounds that come from the young Londoner’s mouth is nothing if not astonishing. It almost makes sense when he tells me that he’s been creating these noises since age three.
“It’s a habit,” he says, “and people didn’t always go for it. For a long time, they told me to stop it; parents, teachers, mates...”
After learning “a bunch of instruments” and writing a symphony for his school orchestra at age 10 (“I had to simplify it so everyone could play it...”), Foreman finally settled on beatboxing as his musical niche, eventually taking the title of UK Beatbox champion... twice.
How did his parents react to the decision to go pro?
“When I won the championships in 2006,” he says. “I think that’s when they realised I was really good. Then they came to the finals in 2007 and I could see them smiling and dancing along, having a good time. I was thinking ‘Wow, my parents are ravers now!’”
It’s a career that’s done the 27-year old remarkably well. Foreman’s multi-faceted act is a firm favourite at all the major festivals, including Oxegen and Electric Picnic, and he’s supported dance Daddies like Fatboy Slim.
“I’ve worked with a lot of my heroes,” he beams. “I’ve toured with Groove Armada, I provided some sounds on their album.”
He’s also recorded a song with Imogen Heap in her studio, which he describes as looking like “a girly spaceship”. Still, somewhat surprisingly, Thom Yorke is top of his collaboration wish list.
“If I met Thom Yorke,” he gushes, “...I’d probably grab his balls for no reason, then start to cry and run away.”
Never one to understate his own talent, Foreman reckons his biggest competition is the Lyrebird of South Australia, a rooster-sized creature that can mimic both natural and artificial sounds from their environment – from camera shutters to crying babies (seriously, if you only YouTube one thing this year...).
“It would be an amazing pet,” he ventures, “though it’d be awful if it turned out to be a fake.”
Funnily enough, Foreman’s vocal power has prompted many an onlooker to question the performer’s authenticity.
“I am a fake,” he jokes. “I’m completely computer generated and I’m actually a Japanese pop star.”
All gags aside, as someone who resides in the outer realm of hip hop, what does Foreman think of Grime Hip Hop crossover acts like Chipmunk and Tinchy Stryder?
“Personally, I wouldn’t choose to listen to either, not because they deal with the majors. I wouldn’t buy any of their music. I love music that comes from the heart and is clever and has a wicked flow.”
Foreman’s favourite hip-hop peddlers include Canadian hip-hop grunge (yes, grunge) outfit Eyedea and Abilities, and Peruvian-born New York rapper Immortal Technique (whose social commentary he likens to that of Bill Hicks) with, of course, some Jay-Z thrown in for good measure.
“I mean, The Saturdays shouldn’t exist,” he spits. “Their band shouldn’t exist, their music should die. Their music should never have been created. It’s the last flailing of this giant squid that is the music industry and it’s fucking sickening.”
I ask what he thinks of Amplified!, the 2009 album by Sussex beatboxer Killa Kela, in which gangsta vocals and Frankmusik-esque production dominates.
“If you’re thinking of buying it, don’t bother. If you’re a fan of the Sex Pistols, if you’re a fan of Hadouken!..” he trails off, listing another half a dozen artists, “...don’t listen to it, ‘cause it will put you off all of them.”
Something Foreman will certainly try to avoid with his upcoming debut album, which he’s currently recording with Pulp and Kylie Minogue producer Tom Middleton.
”We’ve got a live looping set up,” he explains, “we’re trying to make it as intuitive as my live show. We’re trying to explore ideas that really remove all conscious thought, because conscious thought is the enemy of creativity. The best things happen in the moment. I want to make a really alive record.”
Ever the fan of performing on our fair shores, I ask how the beatsman enjoyed his recent appearance on The Late Late Show.
“Ryan Tubridy’s really funny! It’s a really serious show though, I didn’t realise!” This may have something to do with the fact that Foreman’s performance came straight after an interview with three ex-nuns.
“Yeah, I can say that Anna Nolan was my warm up act! But it was awesome. I got to meet Father Dougal as well, which was a lifetime dream.”
Where does Foreman get comedic inspiration from? “I’m not a massive comedy buff,” he admits, “but I think in this part of the world we’ve got a very advanced sense of comedy. America’s still into slapstick but then there’s amazingly weird American shows like Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Superjail. There’s also one called Xavier Renegade Angel and it’s the most bonkers thing, it looks like its been made in Second Life and the sound is really psychedelic. Surrealism in America for some reason has never taken off, I suppose in the same way that dance music never has. The big person in the UK at the moment is Michael McIntyre, who’s so funny. Then someone like Stewart Lee is amazing. He’s an absolute legend... Maybe I am a bit of a comedy buff and I didn’t
realise it!
“Someone I’ve been really impressed by recently is Reggie Watts. I don’t feel any shame in taking inspiration from him, because for me, he’s a teacher. He’s incredible. And, I mean, everybody’s learned from Richard Pryor. It’s always good to know that you’re standing on the shoulders of giants.”