Hip Hop Night – Free Open Air
Musik Pavillon, Friday 23rd March 2012
“Banana Klan presents Roots Manuva, Ricky Ranking, Seanie T and DJ MK”
Since MethodMag used „Witness“ for a video edit about the Ä-Jam at Gerlitzen in 2002 many Ästhetikers feel an almost intimate relation with this fella. Representing his posse, The Banana Klan, Mr Rodney Smith aka Roots Manuva enters the crew contestiväl on Friday´s main stage at the Music Pavillion Mayrhofen.
Smith debuted as Roots Manuva in 1994 on Blak Twang’s “Queen’s Head” single, before releasing his own single, “Next Type of Motion”. Releasing for Coldcut’s renowned experimental/hip hop label Ninja Tune in 1998, some of his music may be seen as a predecessor of grime. The following year he released his groundbreaking debut album, Brand New Second Hand. A reference to his family’s modest lifestyle, the title refers to a phrase his mother used for presents he often got as a youngster that were pre-used.
He had such an impact on the UK rap scene that The Times declared that “his is the voice of urban Britain, encompassing dub, ragga, funk and hip hop as it sweeps from crumbling street corners to ganja-filled dancehalls, setting gritty narratives against all manner of warped beats.” Manuva was rewarded for his breakthrough with a MOBO as Best Hip Hop Act that year.
A quote from Smith himself sums up his early discovery of music:
“It was as a kid. Before I even knew what a soundsystem was. I was walking past Stockwell skateboard park and there was this sound being set up. They were probably just trying out their speakers. I was with my mum, holding my mum’s hand. And I remember my mum being quite intimidated by the whole affair. Such a barrage of bass coming from it! And these dodgy-looking blokes standing beside it just admiring the sound of their bass. It’s just a bass thing. A volume thing. I don’t know if I rose-tint the memories, but I remember it sounded so good, so rich. It’s not like today when we go to clubs and it hurts. It was more of a life-giving bass.“
www.rootsmanuva.co.uk

Roots Manuva