In the spirit of hip-hop, Beat Kangz Electronics has developed a new music production system and a virtual software package for music lovers and beat makers.
The Nashville-based independently owned company has created The Beat Thang mobile music production unit and The Beat Thang Virtual software application with a unique set of features designed to fit the needs of the urban music community.
Packed with over 3000 brand new sounds, these products integrate fully functioning Digital FX, a 16-track MIDI sequencer, sampling and waveform editing. Designed with the musician’s ear in mind, the products are loaded with live bass, strings, synthesizers, Latin and African percussion, electric guitar as well as popular chopped and screwed effects.
The Beat ThangFlexible and user-friendly, The Beat Thang touts a sleek, light-weight portable design and a rechargeable lithium ion battery with up to six hours of playing time allowing users to effortlessly move from the studio to the stage. The Beat Thang Virtual software application can be loaded onto a PC or Intel-based Mac.
Crowned as the founders of Beat Kangz Electronics, Luke “Boom BAP” Jackson, Reavis “Rev” Mitchell and Aja “A-J-A” Emmanuel inevitably met as they crossed paths on the music scene. From recording with independent and major artists of every genre to producing promos and jingles for international brands and large networks, the owners of Beat Kangz Electronics wanted to create a line of products that the music community could relate to.
“We asked ourselves what were the things we wished a beat machine could do. As independent artists and producers, we know what it’s like to create on a grassroots level. We wanted to actually make the products we used,” said Emmanuel.
Jackson believes the products can serve producers in all genres of music. “Although our products are mainly influenced by hip-hop, the three of us come from very eclectic musical backgrounds. As musicians, we recognize that hip-hop encompasses many different genres, therefore our products will serve many users,” he said.
During a preview of The Beat Thang at the Winter 2009 National Association of Music Merchants Show (NAMM), the team noticed the demand seemed to be much higher than they had anticipated.
“We’ve gotten such great feedback at NAMM shows. We already knew that the market was being underserved, but our interaction with all the users just confirmed how much of a void there was to be filled,” said Mitchell.
The Beat Thang mobile music production unit and The Beat Thang Virtual software application will be featured at the Summer NAMM convention July 17-19 in Nashville.
The Beat KangzCollectively, the triple threat admits to being techies by nature. Their first design concept, the critically acclaimed Zoom SB-246 Streetboxx released in 2006, has been a trusted favorite of underground and major label artists, producers, and deejays worldwide.
Equally impressed with the Streetboxx was legendary production guru and former Live Nation Recordings head Bob Ezrin. After a meeting with the owners, Ezrin found the revolutionary idea of a mobile music production unit and virtual software application, created by an African American company, and owned by talented musicians to be a movement he could support.
“As musicians, they know what they need to make their music. What they have done with this new product is far more profound than what any technologist can do. And when musicians design an instrument to be responsive to their own artistic and technical needs, you can expect it to be practical as well as innovative,” said Ezrin, co-founder of Nashville-based artist development company Bigger Picture Group and producer of both Jay-Z’s 2004 film documentary “Fade To Black” and Pink Floyd’s legendary album The Wall.
“Putting so much horsepower into the hands of young music makers is bound to produce groundbreaking results,” declared Ezrin, who is now a partner in the company.
Additionally, the company enlisted Commissioner Gordon, a music engineer who has mixed for artists like Kanye West, The Roots, 50-Cent and KRS-ONE, to mix the final sounds for the The Playa Thang, a playback application for the iPhone and iPod Touch platforms featuring 20 production ready Beat Kangz beats.
Finishing touches are now in progress for The Playa Thang. Plans to make the application available for download from the Apple iStore are underway.
By July 17, The Beat Thang Virtual software system ($149.00) will be available for purchase on the company’s website and The Beat Thang mobile music production unit ($999.00) will be available for pre-order to ship in October.
For more information, visit www.beatkangz.com.