Beat Repeat

. - Nashville Listener

One group of guys is taking take the reigns on some of Murfreesboro’s best entertainment through a grassroots company based between here and Nashville, Big Kid Productions.

On a whim, this group of ecstatic music fans decided it wanted to throw a concert for Halloween 2009. Instead of booking a venue and a mere three or four bands, these guys found a field and two dozen musical and visual artists. This was going to be more than a concert; this was to become a festival. After a frenzy of planning and promoting, these guys put together their first “Jammen” event. Given that this event was to be held on Halloween, the guys presented their festival under the name “Jammenstein.”

A huge success, “Jammenstein” fostered a great turnout. Attendees spent Oct. 30 and 31 camping out, fighting the rain, dancing to live music and witnessing the creation of some incredible live art. Once everyone made it home alive and in one piece, the guys knew they couldn’t stop there. Pooling together their collaborative talents, the Big Kid Productions company was formed.

Big Kid does everything from production and promotion to management. The goal of Big Kid is “to put Murfreesboro’s mecca of talent in the spotlight with an exceptional outlet for their musical and artistic expression.” Big Kid proudly boasts that it does everything in its power to provide the best venues, lights and sound available for some of Murfreesboro’s most inspiring groups.

Among these groups are Deep Machine, a psychedelic experimental rock group, and the dub/electronic duo Beat Repeat (Clint Chapman, Tim Dugger). Big Kid’s plan is to start small with these groups and “polish their image while gaining them the recognition they deserve.” It is very apparent that this strategy is to be implemented through having the groups play as many shows as possible. Big Kid has been running Chapman, Dugger and the Deep Machine boys through a jam-packed schedule. Check out one of these shows, however, and it becomes very clear that these musicians have no problem playing as often as Big Kid asks them to.

Jan. 16 I was able to witness this fireball of energy myself when I attended my first Big Kid Productions showcase. This was to be the “Back to School” show. The lineup was DJ Schtompa (Jason Huber), Boroughs, Beat Repeat and Noise Organization.

Schtompa, as always, put on a set jam-packed with energy. Being more accustomed to seeing this longhaired dancing machine DJ’ing shows in dark and dancy basements, it was nice to see Schtompa emerge and do a real live instrument venue set. Given the responsibility of getting the night started as the opening act, Schtompa laid it on thick for this performance. Fortunately, he was a perfect act for the job. Huber was running his computer and controlling it like a DJ set while adding live guitar and drums (Jared Rauso).

For his last three tracks, a few special guests joined the Schtompa crew in an unexpected surprise visit. Jecorei Lyons and two of his dancers (Mindy and T.O.) stormed the stage and did an entire choreographed dance set to the breakbeat sounds blaring through 527.

Featuring Lyons rapping on the track, Schtompa did “We Party” as its next to final jam. The energy in the place was unmatched. The crowd went wild dancing.

Boroughs was the next act to take the stage. This group always puts on a great performance due to its wide variety of sounds and contributions from each different member of the band. Mixed somewhere between psychedelic rock and show tunes, group members can throw a different feel on every song they play and somehow tie it all together into a solid performance. Keyboardist Matt Jeffrey and lead guitarist Jason Huber (Schtompa) swapped back and forth on vocals as they brawled through the show.

Performing a 12-song set, Boroughs kept people captivated from start to finish. Whether that is due to the fact that Boroughs features the rare sounds of a trombone or the fact that one Boroughs song can be a 15-minute psychedelic pedal-driven jam session and then the next be a clever sing-a-long about the “itsy bitsy spider.” Whatever the reason may have been, as the dark faded in and out, pierced by a smoke-enhanced laser show, this crowd never stopped swaying to the insightful sounds of Boroughs.

After Boroughs came the two DJs that have been killing Murfreesboro dance parties since June 2009. With Big Kid Productions recently picking up their managing duties, these guys have blown up in a mere seven months. Comparable to acts like MSTRKRFT and Bass Nectar, the show is this: two guys, two laptops, an intricate set of synthesizers, a fully equipped light show and a room full of raging kids. As Chapman and Dugger took stage, the dance floor packed out and suddenly glow sticks began cracking and flying through this mess of people. Everyone screamed and then Beat Repeat dropped the start to its seamless jam of body-moving tracks that had to have gone on for over an hour.

The main factor that sets this duo apart from a lot of similar performing acts is their strangely eclectic choice of music that gets thrown into the mix. At times this really helps the show and then at times can cause a slight damper in momentum. Mixing reggae, Dr. Dre, The Beatles and Dead Prez all into one big party provides for a thoroughly entertaining mix. However, the occasional abrupt change in pace of beats can throw off this ecstatic crowd’s groove. Nevertheless, Beat Repeat knows how to party. The DJ duo never stopped dancing, oftentimes just as hard or harder than the audience. Their energy seemed to flow off the stage and sneak into listeners.

Beat Repeat soon ended its set but not before fogging out the stage out with a smoke machine and then being joined with a whole entourage of dancing girls. This was a fun show guys.

The final act of the evening was Noise Organization. This was a fitting final act because the group seemed to take all of the prior shows of the night and mesh them into one sound. Mixing rock, dub, experimental and trip hop, these guys define where the computer meets the rock band. An entirely instrumental show, this group displayed incredible musicianship as it belted through its set. The band seemed to glow through smoky silhouettes by backing its setup with a light show that was less elaborate but comparable to something you might find at an STS9 show. Even after hours of dancing and sweating, Noise Organization suffered little loss of crowd. The audience paid to see a full show and never lost an ounce of energy as it was given just that.

If this is what the Middle Tennessee area should expect from Big Kid Productions, then let us welcome it with open arms. Currently working on its second “Jammen” event, Big Kid now spends its time working with its current acts and continuing to book shows all around the area.

The guys made sure to tell me to pass on the word: “Expect big things from Big Kid in the coming months.” - Murfreesboro Pulse

For the past eight years, the town of Manchester has witnessed a bizarre spectacle during the second week of June – specifically on the night before the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival kicks off on a 700-acre farm a few miles away.
Tens of thousands of music fans from across the globe flock to this rural community for a weekend of good vibes and outdoor recreation, and several hundred of them start the party one night early under the fluorescent glow of Wal-Mart's 24-hour public parking lot.
On June 10, amid the din of clanking beer bottles, acoustic guitars and excited cross-chatter arose a sonic blast of electronic dance music.
Heads spun to see two young men standing atop of a car wielding laptops in front of a portable PA system.
As hundreds of people surrounded the vehicle to dance into the morning, Clint Chapman and Tim Dugger didn't let on that it was their second-ever public performance as a dubstep duo. In that moment, trying to keep their balance as their audience shook their car and climbed on top to join them, they were no longer two casual festival-going musicians testing the waters. They were Beat Repeat.
The group's Web site says, "Beat Repeat is a LivePA music project also integrating other aspects of art such as live visuals and performed live canvas art. Beat Repeat's music consists of sampling anything under the sun, including reggae, classic rock, hip-hop, indie, etc. Those samples are then converted into a highly danceable and heavy bassy mesh."
"We'll call it ‘dubclectro,'" Chapman says when asked to describe Beat Repeat on the spot. "It's dubstep and electro-house with an eclectic topping."
Five months after that pre-Bonnaroo performance, Beat Repeat finds itself at the center of Murfreesboro's dance and house show scene. The duo has played more than 50 shows since June.
Their MySpace page has more than half a million page views. On Halloween night, they headlined Jammenstein, a small festival in Christiana, to round out the evening after seasoned local acts such The Homegrown Band, Boroughs, DJ Scrabble and others wrapped up their sets.
They are asked to play no fewer than two shows every week, though until recently, most shows have happened in friends' houses around campus. Relying on the student populace and a healthy community enthusiasm for weekend dance parties, Beat Repeat has become a college-household name by providing the soundscape for packed parties every weekend.
"House parties are where all of our hype came from - that's what gives us energy to work for bigger things," Dugger says. "I like the energy of that, [the fact] that everybody knows everybody—They go for 3-4 hours...if they don't get busted."
Despite their popularity, Beat Repeat may be literally outgrowing the ability to play house shows. More often than not, their free shows are stopped by local police before they are finished performing.
"The cops know us by name," Dugger says. "They said the robot-themed house show we played was the biggest party that's been busted in four years."
It should come as no surprise that Beat Repeat has experienced its share of noise complaints, when considering the amount of equipment they bring to every performance.
Chapman and Dugger function as their own mobile production unit, packing with them seven subwoofers and a slew of visual effects including five LEDs, three fog machines and a projector.
Having their own equipment allows them to play for as long as the audience can keep up, which in Murfreesboro often means playing straight through dawn. This kind of self-dependency has offered Beat Repeat the flexibility to pack up and play shows without relying on extraneous gear and the cooperation of local venues, which the group sees as a valuable contribution to their success.
"Beat Repeat isn't just me and Tim bringing our stands and laptops," Chapman explains. "We're basically a mobile venue. We could plug up right here [outside of Starbucks] and play a show,"
"And get arrested," Dugger adds, grinning as though the idea had crossed his mind before.
After playing more shows in five months than most local acts hope to play in a year, Beat Repeat recently broke onto the Nashville music scene with a highly anticipated performance at 12th and Porter, a well-known venue that can fit over 300 bodies on a good night.
Opening for DJ Bowie, Bitch Please and Ana Sia, the floor was nearly full by the end of Beat Repeat's set. A healthy following of Murfreesboro fans carpooled to Nashville and canvassed the dance floor as Beat Repeat proved their worth to Nashville's dubstep crowd. The high-energy performance set a high note for Beat Repeat's influence outside of Murfreesboro.
"It was nuts," Tim Hiehle, junior recording industry major and veteran Beat Repeat fan, expresses. "It was very high energy, thanks to the huge crowd, and there was amazing intensity between Beat Repeat and the audience."
"Never in my life did I think I would get this far playing music," Chapman says about the show, sounding very pleased with the outcome. "I've been really surprised by people's reactions, I've been shocked by how many people have told me about how we've opened up a whole new door of music in their life."
The fans' enthusiasm surrounding Beat Repeat has been paramount to Chapman in his mission to reach as many people as possible with his art. Lorin Ashton, the one-man-machine behind Bassnectar, was largely responsible for his inspiration to start making electronic music.
As a experimental dubstep artist, Ashton's mission to supersede genre and style in a densely technical yet danceable art form offered Chapman the inspiration and confidence to make his own music that is intrinsically unique, thus laying the foundation for Beat Repeat. Now Chapman finds himself reflecting on his experience and paying it forward. "So many new people and opportunities have been introduced to me just because of Bassnectar. I want to be able to do that for other people."
Even throughout the whirlwind year that Beat Repeat has experienced, the endearing and genuine enthusiasm for connecting with people is an unwavering characteristic that Chapman and Dugger share. For Beat Repeat, it's clearly not all about the money; the group has played many more free gigs than paid ones. To date, the group has spent all of its earnings on production gear and travel expenses.
"Right now I really just want to travel with Beat Repeat. We're looking at getting a camper," Chapman says when asked about his goals for the act as they continue to receive compensation for their craft. "I think it would contribute to my character to do this, and travel is where I get my soul food - my brain fuel. To put that with music is euphoric."
While Chapman and Dugger aspire to eventually take their show on the road, they are also keeping the potential to play summer music festivals on their horizon. The two travelers bonded over a summer of festival hopping, finding inspiration to make music together with the help of a special kind of communal energy that can only be found at events like Bonnaroo and Chicago's Lollapalooza Festival. Now that music festivals are beginning to cater to electronic artists by providing specialty stages for dance music, Beat Repeat sees opportunity.
"Playing festivals is definitely becoming a goal, and Bonnaroo is very much within our reach," Chapman asserts.
With a wildly successful dive onto Nashville's electronic scene and a steady performance schedule to maintain in Murfreesboro, the boys behind Beat Repeat will have their hands full through the winter so long as there is a music-loving student body at MTSU to entertain. The addition of equipment and mobility gear and a steady increase of fans will bring the duo's aspiration to travel and potentially play festivals next summer closer to a reality, but it seems that Beat Repeat's true recipe for success has already been established - as so succinctly, yet unintentionally, described by Dugger:
"It's so much fun to see people dance and have a good time and know that you're the cause of it," Dugger says. "It's just for the love of the music first and foremost."
Local musicians could take a tip from Beat Repeat. In the often stormy cloud of self-awareness known to all creative artists, the most basic purpose of delivering a feeling through original expression can get lost when ego, fame and any number of high expectations enter the equation. For Chapman and Dugger, it's always simply been about making their own fun - with their own equipment - and sharing a feeling with their audience. Humility and self-reliance constitute the foundation upon which Beat Repeat stands, and from this has come a huge potential for growth that will make the duo one to watch in the coming months. - MTSU Sidelines