Until Sunday, a Beatboxmaton is set up on the Promenade du Paillon. The concept is simple: create your own musical production! Report.
12:30 PM, scorching sun. Tourists and locals enjoy the mist projected by the Miroir d’eau. Just a few steps away, an installation that successfully grabs the attention of passersby. The Beatboxmaton, set up on the Coulée Verte during the four days of the Nice Jazz Fest 2025 (from July 24 to 27 inclusive), invites the boldest among us to test their musical talents.
A photo booth… to express oneself
Visitors have two options: create a sound or invent (and then sing!) a phrase related to the theme of the sea. Before entering the Beatboxmaton, there is a preliminary step: register your email address on a dedicated tablet. All participants can access the final production, featuring about twenty sounds and phrases, for free.
Thanks to a QR Code provided by Carolina and Chiara, who are responsible for ensuring the smooth running of operations, they can also watch images of their moment spent in the black box.
While the first attempts to lure in passersby, the second explains the Beatboxmaton process: “Once you’ve chosen between the sound and the phrase, you’ll enter the designated spot. Don’t worry, an artificial intelligence will guide you.” To relax the interested parties, it begins by asking them mundane questions. “Are you from Nice? What is your profession?”…
Sum of sound effects
Meowing to imitate, syllables to repeat… The AI challenges its interlocutors. Microphone in hand, Latya and Nicole, from Belarus, join in the fun. Many stop around the Beatboxmaton to watch their performance on the right screen.
“Try to reproduce this sound after me: boom,” asks the AI. A countdown of four seconds, then they carry it out: “boom“. Headphones on, the duo hastens to discover their work on the left screen.
A light exercise, accessible to everyone. “The advantage is that you don’t have to be a beatboxer to participate!“, Carolina enthuses.
