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“Without music, life would be a mistake,” wrote Friedrich Nietzsche, in his book “Twilight of the Idols”. The statement shows that music plays a pivotal role in lifestyles. Beats or lyrics, if taken seriously, can change lives.
It seems organisers of Battle of Beats had this in mind when they came up with the contest. The show is scheduled to take place during Shoko Festival on September 26 in Chitungwiza. Speaking to this reporter, show organiser Tashinga Joseph Gariwe said so far the participants have confirmed participation with rehearsals underway in studios.
“BOB is an event for beat makers, producers and samplers (mainly upcoming) using original instrumentals who will go one on one by showcasing their creations. The competition was put together by Silver Rock Media as a platform for young and upcoming producers and beat makers to showcase their skills, familiarise with the industry, network with other individuals in the same field and also receive mentorship from professional musicians and established music producers. So far participants are still registering,” he said.
“Aspirants have to submit a 30-second to a minute sample of their original productions and pay a required entry fee before given deadline. On the day, beat makers are required to bring a minimum of five original instrumentals or more on disc or flash and these will be their weapons for the battle. A series of knock out rounds will be conducted until we have one man standing,” said Gariwe, a music producer.
Gariwe said there is a line-up of judges who will focus on different music dynamics.
“To help us reach this point a panel of three judges is put in place. The judges are from different musical backgrounds. They will judge basing on quality of the production (mixing and mastering), creativity (arrangement and progression) and crowd response. Two contestants are picked at random and they go head to head after the traditional flip of the coin and each has 10 seconds to pick an instrumental and it is played for a minute and a half. After both have dropped their beats the judges score and brake down what both did right or wrong and one gets knocked out and one proceeds to the next round,” he explained.
The competition will see one winner walking away with prizes consisting of $200 cash prize, contracts (recording, promotion, branding, marketing and distribution), fashion accessories and musical gear to fully equip the beat makers for the industry with all necessary tools. Runners up will receive some consolation prizes courtesy of show sponsors.
Online Reporter