Midnight's Beats Prove the Pen Is Mightier than the MPC

Some people have beats in their blood. They don't need turntables, records, or an MPC to bring the noise. Just give Midnight two pens and a table, then step back and let the magic happen. You're about to witness the phenomenon of Pen Beats, or BangMusic as Midnight calls it.

About as pure as hip-hop gets, Midnight (real name Julius Wright) is a Philly MC who is making killer tracks by banging on his kitchen bench. Put down that pencil, drop whatever else you're doing right now, and check the raw power that is "My Heart Hurt".

Here's another track from Wright, "Round Here", from when he was known as Lyrical God.

It looks like Julius' skills are paying off nicely, with him recently starring in slick ads for Swedish music tech company Propellerheads and French watchmakers Sismeek. If you are keen to see more of him in action, check this criminally-underwatched mini-doco on him cruising Philly and working in the studio.

Now, if Midnight has you hyped to make some pen beats yourself, why not take a quick tutorial? Let's lighten the mood and spend the next four minutes with Kevin, your new YouTube friend and pen-beats guru. He's made a video explaining all the basics that will transform you into a biro beatmaker. Enjoy!

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Find out more about the world of pen beats here