Presence Switzerland
Nino G and the Human Beat Box
His father is Italian, his mother is a beatbox.
Nino.G travels light. No heavy drum cases for him, no cymbals, tom-toms or congas to carry around. Nino is his own drum set. He is a human beatbox. Using just his mouth and a loop pedal, he conjures up a whirlpool of rhythm as complex as any his more conventional colleagues who are travelling with a lorry's worth of equipment might come up with.
Nino.G was always aware of his extraordinary talent. "My father is an Italian, my mother is a beatbox," he quips. Antonino Fontana was born in 1972 in the lake-side city of Biel on the edge of the Jura hills. Aged 14, he was already walking in the footsteps of Biz Markie and Doug E. Fresh, travelling the length and width of the country to demonstrate his art at a variety of Hip-Hop shows. It wasn't long before he began taking part in Beatbox competitions. When in 2003 the first International Human Beatbox Convention was held in London, Nino. G was there, easily holding his own amongst the elite of global beatboxing. He performed so well he was automatically invited to take part in the following year's New York Beatbox Convention. Apart from appearing at the London convention for four more years to continuing great acclaim, he has appeared in countless television and radio shows and acted as a jury member at many beatboxing events around Europe.
At present, Nino.G is touring and performing with the band of renowned Jazz percussionist Reto Weber, Reto Weber's Squeezeband. He is also presenting his own new show with Romano Carrara, “The Box”. In recent years he has performed all over the world, including New York, London, Dakar, Kinshasa, Yaounde, Timisoara, Shizuoka, Tokio, Santa Cruz, La Paz, Buenos Aires, Innsbruck, Berlin and Frankfurt.
Despite his success, Nino. G has never forgotten his roots. He is a popular and regular guest in schools throughout Switzerland where he tries to encourage the students to create their own style of beatboxing and their own way of expressing themselves. More than 80'000 pupils have enjoyed his workshops and lessons so far. An enthusiastic performer with an impish sense of humour, his shows are enthralling, baffling and exhilarating. And all from just one man, his mouth, his loops and his wit.
Walking Acts between 07 and 12 August.
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