Breath Control is a documentary about making music with nothing but the
human voice. The human beat box is one of the key elements in the develop-
ment of Hip Hop culture, alongside Dj-ing, Graffiti, Breakdancing, and
MC-ing. Unfortunately, its contri-
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bution has been largely overlooked, as
has the fun, expressive, human, and spontaneous dimension of Hip Hop that it
represents. As the first documentary of its kind, Breath Control: The
History of the Human Beat Box uses interviews, live performances, archi- val
footage, and animation to bring to light this impor- tant and neglected
ingredient of Hip Hop’s identity.
With the help of Beat Box pioneers DOUG E. FRESH, BIZ MARKIE, and THE FAT
BOYS, Breath Control traces this art form from it’s basic beat beginnings in
the Eighties to it’s present day multi-layered, poly- rhythmatic
figurehead’s RAHZEL and SCRATCH of the Hip Hop group THE ROOTS. But Breath
Control isn’t limited to Hip Hop. Musician ZAP MAMA posits that human beat
boxing is an artform practiced all over the world and has been refined by
many differ- ent cultures. Breath Control is a half historical, half
tutorial look at humans as actual instruments.
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