![Stevie Soul](https://cdn.hourdetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/03/WEB.Stevie-Soul-HOUR-3.cx_.jpg)
A boy named Steven Ansara sat alone in his room, trying to force the rough, staccato sounds escaping his throat into words. He wrestled with his own vocal cords to choke out his brotherβs name β Billy. But his stutter would only allow the first beat: βB-b-b-b-bβ.β It was the sound of a drum, he realized. And he did it again.
The nickname wouldnβt be bestowed upon Ansara until high school, but by the time he emerged from that room, he had become Stevie Soul. Eventually, he overcame what most would consider a flaw, not by fighting it, but by leaning into it. βI started creating beats and patterns with it, just as a technique to work through my stutter,β he says. βAnd I discovered that I really enjoyed it.β
Now 32, Soul is best known around metro Detroit as a beatboxer with the ability to uncannily recreate the sounds of numerous instruments, such as trumpets, saxophones, and guitars, using only his mouth. Beatboxing may have been his first artistic talent to emerge, but it was far from the last. The multimedia artist writes and performs his own music while also producing films through his company, Woodward Originals.
Soulβs latest project is a summation of the various skills heβs built throughout his career. Soul is partnering with Detroitβs finest in fields from athletics to culinary arts to produce a series of videos inspired by the sounds of everyday life. Each installment will combine the sights and sounds of his collaboratorsβ trades with Soulβs beats and videography in an iconic Detroit setting. The results will be individual multilayered, audio-visual experiences.
Soul says heβs been practicing the concept in his head for years. βIf I hear a car alarm or something beeping, I start adding a little backbeat to it,β he says. βIβm realizing there are sounds all around us that create unique kinds of beats and melodies.β The first episode in this project, for instance, features the rapidly succeeding sounds of cable smacking concrete, as competitive jump roper Eli Lindauer executes a perfectly timed routine.
For Soulβs next video, which debuted this month, he partnered with longtime friend Sadelle Moore. Though heβs best known as StockXβs βsneaker guyβ (aka lead footwear authenticator), itβs Mooreβs basketball skills that make an appearance in his musical debut. But when Soul first proposed the idea, Moore was hesitant. βI thought, βHow is this going to turn out? Is this a good idea?β because Iβd never seen it before,β he says. So, Moore started watching Soulβs past collaborations for reference. βOnce I saw a couple of his videos with other people, it automatically clicked, and I was all for it.β
The piece was to be filmed at St. Ceciliaβs gym β an intentional decision meant to pay homage to Detroitβs past. Sacred to local hoops fanatics, the historic West Side church saw Pistons greats such as Earl Cureton, Dave Bing, and Joe Dumars grace its hardwood. βMy goal is to film each video at a unique or iconic Detroit location so thereβs this element of connectivity to it all,β Soul says.
The collaborative nature of his current project is no novelty for Soul. He has worked with a plethora of multidisciplinary artists, including fellow Detroit musicians Nicole New and Omar AragonΓ©s. Itβs this human connection, he says, that has always been the foundation of his artistry.
βSometimes, you click right off the bat. It happens far and few between, but when it happens, itβs magical,β he says. βItβs that lightning in a bottle Iβm chasing every time.β
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