Clapham Grand in Battersea is set to host the UK Beatbox Championships on November 7, with reigning champions the Beatbox Collective taking charge of the mammoth day's events.

Starting at 12pm, there will be six hours of competitions between under-18s before the evening, from 7pm, sees battles between some of the country's best beatboxers. 

Ahead of the event, I was invited to try to mould my voice at Relentless no 5 based in Denmark Street near Charing Cross.

Hobbit, from the Beatbox Collective, and winner of several UK and international competitions put me through my paces.

We started off simply, repeating 'Boots' and 'Cats' with emphasis on the first sound in each word. From there, we dropped the middle vowels and just focused on the sounds themselves.

It was harder than it seemed, and the sounds I made definitely did not sound like those Hobbit made, but it gave me a flavour for keeping the baseline. 

After watching the guys showcase their full range in a group piece, I took the baseline for Billie Jean, probably not the best version the team has ever done. 

Rupert, whose stage name is Bass 6, said: "It is something, that just like anything you are passionate about, you work at.

"It is the confidence of the friends or people around you who go 'woah, that is amazing', so you get a buzz out of being a performer.

"Everyone can do sound effects."

Hobbit said that a musical background does help when getting into beatboxing.

"We have all picked it up through music in some way but we all have different paths, then we met through battles and the beatbox championships.

"We would meet up and do battles or jams. We entered the champiosnhips last year after one rehearsal and won," he said.

MC Zani, who has toured with the likes of Lupe Fiasco and Justin Timberlake, said the group's promximity to each other has helped them develop over the last few years.

"We all live in London now, so we can meet up and work together.

"We started doing the festival circuit too, like Boomtown and Glastonbury. 

"One of the guys from Battersea Arts Centre who went through the beatbox academy which was set up about seven years ago, called Maverick, has qualified for the UK championships.

"He did not know anything but now he has developed a craft and can represent in the nationals. It is proof you can achieve when you are dedicated."

The UK Beatbox Championships will be held from 12pm until 6pm then 7pm to 3am at Clapham Grand, Battersea. Tickets cost £6 for the day, £12 for the evening or £15 for all day.