The Beatnigs

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The Beatnigs
The Beatnigs (Group).jpg
From the top: Henry, Michael, Andre, Kevin
Background information
Origin San Francisco, United States
Genres Industrial hip hop, political hip hop, avant-garde, spoken word poetry, punk
Years active1986–1990
Spinoffs The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Broun Fellinis, The Crack Emcee, Consolidated (band), Little White Radio, U.A.F., HEADBOLT, Until December
Past members Michael Franti
Kevin Carnes
Rono Tse
Henry Flood
Andre Flores
Louis 'Troy' Dixon

The Beatnigs were a San Francisco-based band active between 1986 and 1990, influenced by industrial music, hip hop and hardcore punk.

Contents

Biography

Kevin Carnes and Adam Sherburne knew each other from playing in Houston, TX. Michael Franti and Rono Tse met each other clubbing in San Francisco. In 1986, Franti and Tse formed the band with Carnes, Andre Flores and Henry Flood. Louis 'Troy' Dixon (AKA The Crack Emcee) joined later as a touring member. [1] [2] [3] [4]

In 1988, The Beatnigs released a self-titled studio album and a 12" EP of their most famous song, [5] [6] "Television". Both on the record label Alternative Tentacles. [7] That same year they played their New York City debut at the New Music Seminar, [8] and recorded for the BBC's Peel Sessions . [9] The band toured with Billy Bragg and Michelle Shocked in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Other groups they performed with include D.O.A., MDC, Fugazi, Living Colour and Einstürzende Neubauten. [10] [11]

Post breakup

Franti and Tse would later form The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. They reworked the Beatnigs song "Television" to become "Television, The Drug of the Nation" for the new group. Kevin Carnes would later form Broun Fellinis (with The Crack Emcee, again, as a touring member). Adam Sherburne would later form Until December and Consolidated. Louis 'Troy' Dixon would later form The Crack Emcee and Little White Radio (with Kevin Carnes on drums). The Crack Emcee would also be featured on the Consolidated release "Play More Music".

Style

The band's stage performance could include nudity, and the use of power tools such as a rotary saw and grinder on a metal bar to create industrial noise and pyrotechnics. [12] Their sound included poetry and elements of african drumming. [13] They were described in The Rough Guide to Rock as "a kind of avant-garde industrial jazz poets collective". [14]

Discography

Albums

Singles

Legacy

The single "Television" was reissued by Alternative Tentacles in 2002, and the album was planned for a CD re-release while made available on iTunes and other digital retailers.[ citation needed ]

According to KQED, Beatnigs' and Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy's influence can be heard in artists such as JPEGMAFIA and Death Grips. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 "In the '90s, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy Defied Homophobia and Changed Hip-Hop". KQED. June 2, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  2. ↑ "The Beatnigs". Discogs.
  3. ↑ "A Funky Epiphany". LA Weekly. February 17, 1999. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  4. ↑ "The Bristling Activism Behind Kevin Carnes' Relentless Beat". Houston Press. July 8, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  5. ↑ Friskics-Warren, W. (2005) I'll Take You There: Pop Music And the Urge for Transcendence Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN   0-8264-1700-0
  6. ↑ Goodwin, A. (1991). Popular music and postmodern theory Cultural studies5:174-198
  7. ↑ Robbins, IA (1991) The Trouser Press Record Guide, 4th ed. Maxwell Macmillan International, ISBN   0-02-036361-3
  8. ↑ Watrous, P. (1998) Rock by Any Other Name Is "Alternative" New York Times July 15, 1988
  9. ↑ "BBC - Radio 1 - Keeping It Peel - 04/12/1988 Beatnigs". BBC Radio 1 .
  10. ↑ Fletcher, Tony (February 1989). "Beat Revolution". SPIN . p. 20. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  11. ↑ Ensminger, Kevin (July 8, 2015). "The Bristling Activism Behind Kevin Carnes' Relentless Beat". Houston Press . Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  12. ↑ Watrous, P. (1998) Rock From the Beatnigs, New York Times November 13, 1988
  13. ↑ Columnist, John Zelazny, Time Out Music (November 8, 2018). "Michael Franti stays human". Aspen Daily News. Retrieved December 15, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ The Rough Guide to Rock, Peter Buckle, ed. Rough Guides (2003) ISBN   1-84353-105-4


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