A UK Beatboxing Champion will be taking part in Warrington Arts Festival to show his multi-award-winning skill to his hometown and inspire a new generation of performers.
Luis Mosquera, who performs under the name Bass Ventura, is a former Croft Primary and Culcheth High School student that now has more than 125,000 followers on Instagram.
He started playing the drums at six but had to stop after he lost a part of his finger in an accident when he was 12.
The injury required surgery and time to heal, during which time he discovered beatboxing – a musical technique where an artist mimics the sound and rhythm of drums using their voice.
Luis has played Glastonbury and toured across the world as Bass Ventura (Image: Supplied)
“I was learning all these patterns in my head with this idea that when I returned to drumming, I’d be better than I ever was,” said Luis.
“I started making all these sounds out loud and I didn’t realise it was beatboxing at first.”
The self-taught performer used YouTube videos to keep exploring beatboxing before he eventually took a ‘leap of faith’ and used his life savings to attend the first World Beatbox Camp in Krakow.
“I just went there to learn and meet some people from the industry,” he said.
“But because I’d been in this cocoon for so long, I’d created this style that no one else had.
“I went from this point of people not really understanding what I do to being treated like a star.”
Luis played Glastonbury at just 21 and has since toured around the world – visiting 76 countries in the past four years.
In February, the 26-year-old participated in the UK Beatboxing Championships in Bristol, where he competed against 100 other performers and became the first person from the north west to win it.
Luis was crowned the UK Beatboxing Champion in February (Image: Supplied)
Now, Luis wants to give back to his hometown and help inspire young performers by heading up a youth-focussed music programme as part of Warrington Arts Festival at Old Market Place on Saturday, July 20.
“Beatboxing is a fantastic way for people to express themselves and it’s a real confidence booster,” said Luis.
“The young people I work with don’t believe what they’re hearing at first. It kind of blows their mind because it’s so punchy and raw.
“But I tend to take it slow and break it down, get them to try various things and they find it is something they can learn and gives them this new sense of expression.”
Beatboxing workshops with Bass Ventura and Renegrade are currently underway and are open to 7-18-year-olds.
For more information about the workshops, email Sophie New at snew@culturewarrington.org.
“Just being around your peers and jamming and having other beatboxers around you in the biggest catalyst for improving your skills,” he said.
“That’s why I enjoy teaching. There is no better instrument than your own voice.
“Most instruments can be only used for a certain kind of sound, whereas with your voice you can manipulate it in a million different ways.”
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