After piloting Beats Diversity at Cube media in 2001 to wide critical acclaim, we were all very pleased and excited to be working with the young people from York and the staff at Cube again. As always the outcome of Beats Diversity is shaped and driven by the young people involved, their skills and interests and this group had quite a lot to add to the mix. Of the group aged from 11 – 19, six played guitar bass and/or lead, one played trombone, several participant with experience of play both African and Latin percussion, a keen kit drummer, two rappers, one singer and a DJ, all with varying levels of ability.

As Beats Diversity is an accredited project those participants aged over 14 were first asked to choice which of the two units they wished to take. After accessing what each participant wanted from the workshop the first two day were spent either giving introductory sessions to the group in Dj'ing, drumming and in the studio. Whilst those with previous experience were able to practice new drum rhythms, learn more about studio recording and experiment with new ideas taught on the turntables.


The Percussion workshops are dedicated to West African drumming rhythms and percussion music from Mali, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, & rhythms associated with Djembe, Sabar, and talking drums.


Beats Diversity is an exciting and inventive workshop project aimed at young people of all ages, designed to express the significance of rhythm in all forms of music.
   

The main aims of Beats Diversity are for participants to experience and experiment with rhythms both traditional and contemporary, and to perform and record their own work.

Although the groups musical interest were varied ranging from rock through break beats, all the way to straight charts hit, we had to definite camps those that were into Red Hot Chilli Peppers style rock and those whose main interests were funky, reggae percussion based. The only answer was to produce several recording.

Whilst working in the studio one group that already had their own band, with a very keen and talented singer began recording the guitars for a cover of Californication by the Chilli Peppers. At the same time another group was using the turntables and a tape deck to plan a recording using turntables, samples, a trombone and rapping. The youngest group were working with Keith on a track called Blah Blah Blah, a rap that was developed from something that happened in one of the daily Jam sessions.

Needless to say the last day was a frenzy of recording and studio work. But even though time was running short in the best tradition of many a famous band that's recording schedule is tight we managed to fit in just one more track, an acoustic version of Californication.