Dropping Beats in the IMP Labs

U of R's Dr. Charity Marsh wrote her thesis on rave culture (how cool is she?) and her project, the Interactive Media and Performance lab, is a real hit with the school and the community. The labs include 2 rooms at the University of Regina: one with beat making machines, and the other with turntables for people to scratch records. The machines create beat loops, which can be far more intricate and automated than an actual drum set. Record scratching has of course been around since the invention of vinyl, and, needless to say, it's kind of awesome.

Dr. Marsh's lab centres around the creation of hip hop music. Her research and art explores the following areas: Canadian (Indigenous) hip hop culture, DJ culture, and Isolation, Identity, and Space: production and performance of popular music in Western and Northern Canada. If you want to read more about Dr. Marsh and her research, check out the IMP website. 

What kind of impact do the IMP labs have? I think the biggest one would be granting all kinds of people the access to high quality equipment. Hip hop music is a specific genre that has the potential to reach lots of people and help them shape their identity through music, breakdance, rap, and graffiti.  However, things like serious beatmaking and record scratching require expensive technology that would be out of reach for most people, especially if it's a hobby. The access to the labs provide opportunities for people to foster musical talent that they might not have utilized otherwise. Being a musician does not necessarily require a classical teacher and a cello or piano; this contemporary style could be more appealing to high school and university students.

The IMP labs are yet another marriage of music and technology. The best thing about this? It's accessible for everyone, so there is no excuse not to try it!