Onyx Ashanti is of a generation of musician/artist born into a world samplers, hip hop, internet, cell phones and personal computers. Although his formative musical education was traditional (learning to play saxophone in a primary school music program), he has since transferred this aestetic into the present world of 21st century music performance. An amalgam of tradition and futurism he calls Beatjazz.

BeatJazz is equal parts live looping and jazz improvisation, done in the aesthetic of a DJ set.  it is an exercise in creating funky nasty music, IN the moment, FOR, the moment, using banks of sound designs created and played from computer software.  the music is constructed and artistically deconstructed by layering slivers of sound and singing, all controlled by a horn-like instrument called an EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) with narrative being directed by the vibe of the audience.  The sound is evocative of many forms of modern electronic music, but in very subtle ways. there is the syncopated rhythmic influences of hip hop, afrobeat, broken beat, house, and jungle, with melodic influences steming from pop, gospel, contemporary jazz, funk and RnB, all improvisationally reinterpreted in new and evolving ways that can only be termed "Beat"  "Jazz".

The concept is born of the blending onyx's childhood influences, growing up in Mississippi with roots in the church, as well as marching in high school and college marching bands, and his later, adulthood adventures as a street busker, being part of LA's Southern California rave scene in the late nineties, all the way up to the life altering time he spent in London UK. While there, he toured extensively with the Legendary Soul II Soul Sound System, as well as performing with The Basement Jaxx, playing on 3 songs from their Grammy Award  winning "Kish Kash" Album, and even having them name the song, "Onyx" after him on their 2005 Greatest Hits Album.

Onyx Has performed at a selection of some of the most reknown nightclubs in the world, including, but not exclusive to;
Cargo, UK
Turnmills, UK
FABRIC ,UK
MANGO [Stockholm, Sweden]
Glastonbury 2004 [Dance Tent]
Pacha (NYC and London)
CIELO NYC
Tongue and Groove[Brixton],UK
Plan B, UK
THE END, UK
Southport Soul Weekender[may 2003, 2004, 2005],Southport, UK
Ministry of Sound,UK
The End Up-SF
Temple, SF
Oasis, Oakland
Lovelite, Berlin
ZMF, Berlin

Onyx has also appeared on Ministry of sound Radio, and recently completely a project withone of the Architects of House Music, Marshall Jefferson.

At present, Onyx has recently moved to Berlin Germany where he will continue to work on the evolution of BeatJazz by developing his ongoing multiple online releases as a publishing concept he calls a "Music Blog". instead of waiting until there are a number tracks for an album release, each project is an ongoing artistic concept that evolves over time. so far, these collections listed below, are the fruits of that concept.

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onyxashanti@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/onyxashantisinterstellarribhsack