KISS FM TONIGHT FROM MIDNIGHT - DJ MK & SHORTEE BLITZ - SPECIAL GUEST ROOTS MANUVA

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ROOTS MANUVA - DJ MK 4EVEREVOLUTION TOUR 2012

Catch me on the Roots Manuva tour tearing it down on stage before the gig as well as during.

Roots Manuva 4everevolution UK Tour:

Thursday, 26 Jan - Glasgow @ The Arches
Friday, 27 Jan - Manchester @ The Ritz
Saturday, 28 Jan - Leeds @ Met Uni
Monday 30 Jan - Birmingham @ HMV Institute
Tuesday 31 Jan - Brighton @ Concorde 2
Wednesday 1 Feb - Norwich @ Waterfront
Friday 3 Feb - Bristol @ Anson Rooms
Saturday 4 Feb - London @ Roundhouse

Buy 4EVEREVOLUTION HERE

ROOTS MANUVA UK TOUR DATES

Thu 26th Jan 2012	Roots Manuva	Buy Now The Arches Glasgow
Fri 27th Jan 2012	Roots Manuva	Buy Now HMV Ritz Manchester
Sat 28th Jan 2012	Roots Manuva	Buy Now Leeds Metropolitan University SU (LMUSU) Leeds
Mon 30th Jan 2012	Roots Manuva	Buy Now HMV Institute Birmingham
Tue 31st Jan 2012	Roots Manuva	Buy Now Concorde 2 Brighton
Wed 1st Feb 2012	Roots Manuva	Buy Now The Waterfront Norwich
Fri 3rd Feb 2012	Roots Manuva	Buy Now Anson Rooms & Ar2 (Bristol University SU) Bristol
Sat 4th Feb 2012	Roots Manuva	Buy Now Roundhouse London

ROOTS MANUVA - 4EVEREVOLUTION

I've been talking about this album for the last 6 months on this site, and thankfully it is now out to  buy. Already this is getting a string of 5 out of 5 reviews,  like this review from the BBC. This is Roots Manuva's best album to date!

One of the most agreeable recent developments in the making of long-playing records has been the rediscovery of brevity. Whether the reasons are aesthetic or cynical, the last 10 years or so has seen a gradual return to the short, sharp 40-minute album after all the turgid, filler and skit-filled self-indulgences of the 1990s. So it was cause for concern when one noticed that the fifth album proper by veteran British rapper/producer Rodney Smith, aka Roots Manuva, featured as many as 19 tracks and ran to just under an hour. Especially because its predecessor, 2008’s Slime & Reason, was a somewhat dispiriting affair which sounded like the lugubrious but charming south Londoner had become lost in a world of introspection and self-pity. An hour of dense, low-tempo grumbles about money and disillusion? Not an exciting prospect.

Thankfully, it turns out that 4everevolution is long because Smith seems, since relocating to Sheffield and working occasionally with South Yorkshire neighbour and mischievous dance producer Toddla T, to have hit the richest creative vein of his accomplished career. This outstanding long-player is, by some distance, his best yet, combining the squelchy beats and Brit-Jamaican humour he is known for with a musical eclecticism and experimental joy that is entirely new.

Unlike the traditional hip hop album, 4everevolution sees Smith plus various members of his Banana Klan crew swapping ‘real’ instruments, mixing them with Smith’s trademark, bass-heavy electronics and building tracks that sound spontaneous, completely un-generic and packed with excitement, adventure and optimism. Amongst these tracks, there isn’t one that feels superfluous. And Smith’s refusal to follow any current trend in pop-rap or urban dance production ensures that every one is a sonic surprise.

There are guest spots – including Skin and Cass from Skunk Anansieon Skid Valley’s punchy social commentary, Toddla T on Watch Me Dance, and Australian producers Dizz1 and Monkeymarc on the outstanding Here We Go Again and Who Goes There? respectively – but every collaborator here surrenders to Smith’s freewheeling but entirely focused sonic vision. Highlights are the gothadelic The Throes of It; the loose, almost punk-funkish Noddy; the witty, loved-up G-funk of Much Too Plush; and the mutant dubstep of The Path, which showcases the deliciously weird female vocals of new discovery Elan Tamara. And in the synthetic steel-pan ballad Wha’ Mek? – one of three tunes in which Smith proves that he’s almost as good a singer as rapper – he has a post-Mike Skinner dysfunctional love song that could, perhaps, be the hit single that has proved so elusive to him.

The album also takes in prowling street-rap, upbeat disco throwbacks, reggae and dancehall ragamuffin anthems, Stevie Wonder andGeorge Clinton references a-plenty and a feeling that you’ve been invited to an all-weekend party in a recording studio with several of the most talented people you’ll ever meet. It’s a pure, you’re-only-as-old-as-you-feel joy to hear British hip hop’s most original and inspiring voice hitting his peak as he approaches his 40th year.

BUY 4EVEREVLUTION HERE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ROOTS MANUVA!!

Happy Birthday to the Fada Roots Manuva.
Here's a sick track from 1997 on Armshouse Records called Fever.
DOWNLOAD

NEW ROOTS MANUVA ALBUM " 4EVEREVOLUTION" OUT THIS SEPTEMBER

So the new Roots Manuva album is finished and ready to go, and it's some of Rodney"s best work to date.
Already i'd say this is one of my favorite albums of the year.....
Expect a september release!

NEW ROOTS MANUVA ALBUM!

Exciting news here at Manuva Towers - as you may have already heard, on September 26th (in the UK and Europe, October 11th in the USA) Roots Manuva will release a brand new studio album, '4everevolution,' via Big Dada/Banana Klan. The album is just a few seconds under an hour long, consists of seventeen tracks and covers every style from wonky reggae through pop-funk, street spitting, straight up hip hop, sung ballads and epic death-disco. We think it's his very best work since 'Run Come Save Me.' We're wondering (whisper it) whether it might be his best album... (sshh) ever.

TRACKLIST

You good people are the first to see the tracklist. It runs:

1. First Growth
2. Here We Go Again
3. Skid Valley
4. Who Goes There?
5. Watch Me Dance
6. Revelation
7. Wha' Mek?
8. Takes Time To
9. Beyond This World
10. Go Champ
11. Get The Get
12. Crow Bars
13. In The Throes Of It
14. Noddy
15. Much Too Plush
16. The Path
17. Banana Skank

The album mainly revolves around Roots' own production and voice, with contributions from Banana Klan stalwarts including Ricky Ranking and Daddy Kope. In addition, on three tracks Mr Manuva introduces talented young singer Rokhsan. Other guests include Skin and Cass Lewis from Skunk Anansie. Production, meanwhile, comes from as far afield as Australia, Rodney Smith's travels allowing him to meet beatmakers and producers all over the world.

WATCH ME DANCE

The first taste from this epic is already out and about in the form of "Watch Me Dance". A dirty little funk ditty with its origins in Ricky Ranking's earliest live performances with the Manuva band, Rodney demoed the track 18 months or so ago and then gave the parts to Toddla T to see what he could do with them. They both agreed that the results sounded more like a Toddla T track than a Roots Manuva track, so that version gave Toddla's new album its name, but Rodney's own version is also out and about and picking up plays....

We're excited and we want you to be excited, too. That's why we're offering you a chance to download Roots Manuva's version of "Watch Me Dance" for free. Go to the link below, enter your email address and it's all yours. If you're already on the mailing list with an up-to-date email address, don't worry - you won't start getting double mails! And please - be sure to tell your friends, tweet it, Facebook it and make sure as many other people as possible know this is out there. That's all we ask of you!

Get "Watch Me Dance" for free here.

Is "Watch Me Dance" typical of the album that follows? No, it isn't. This record is so varied that we couldn't really pick a track to represent it. Just treat is as representing one facet of the many facets of a great recording artist... And those of you who look for deep lyrical content from Roots Manuva - don't worry, there's more than enough of that on the record to hold your interest!

BACK ON THE ROAD WITH ROOTS MANUVA

Roots Manuva is back!!!! New album is done and sounds next level.... Rodney smashed it again!! We're back on the road too, with myself on Turntable duties...Harry "the cockney drummer" Hash on guitar, Rick Ranking AND Seanie T on backing vocals. We hit up Lublin in Poland for a gig in there towns square for 10,000 people a few days ago, and we'll be out in Europe this summer!  Here's some photos from the last week. Oh yeah, look out for a tune called "Go Champ" which IS SIIICK!!!!!!!!!!

MC NI, ROOTS MANUVA, BLAK TWANG - FREESTYLE 1995

The year is 1995. Westwood just moved his his show from Capital, to Radio 1. Legendary freestyle session with Mc Ni, Blak Twang, and Roots Manuva. This is probably the 1st time you'll hear Roots Freestyle on Major radio.

Roots Manuva Vs WrongTom "Duppy Writer" Album Launch + WrongTom IV

Interview with DJ WrongTom and footage from the launch party gig to premier "Duppy Writer" his album with Roots Manuva. If you havent got the new album, you sould go kop it, as it's very good... exceedingly good!

DJ MK & ROOTS MANUVA - 20 Years Ninja Tune Anniversary Elysée Montmartre Paris

So on thursday night i was djing in belfast, then with 2 hrs sleep flew back to london, just in time to jump on the euro star to perform at the ninja tunes 20th anniversary party in Paris. It bought back memories of the late 90's when me and Rodney would tour `Europe with artists like Herbaliser and Mr Scruff.After me and Scruff debated serato and how he still playes vinyl and cd's it was show time. Paris is ALWAYS a great place to play, where the audiences seem to listen more, and clap louder. Check some of the footage and some photos of the show below.

Roots Manuva & DJ MK Joined on stage by Charlie 2na

So last thursday and friday me and Roots Manuva, went over to perform at Europes only Hip hop festival "Hip Hop Kemp" which is about a 2 hour drive from Prague. Boot Camp Click, Freeway & Jake One, Talib Kweli, Black TheRipper, Dj Woody, were all in the house. We also bumped into our old friend charlie 2una, whom i always forget how tall he his. Charlie is one of the koolest dudes you could meet, and he and his crew actually fle in a day earlier, just so he could join us on stage to do " Join The dots"

An amazing festival, with a amazing crowd!

FUNHOUSE- ROOTS MANUVA & KILLA KELA

WATCH BACK ANOTHER SMASH SHOW!!! FUNHOUSE BABY :)

Ricky Ranking - Coxone Sound Dance 1986

This was filmed in Clapham Common, summer of 86. A young Ricky Ranking on the mic. Shout to Ranks...Stilll tearing down shows across the world.

Roots Manuva - 'It's On'

We been performing this at our shows for the last year. Sick tune!!!!! Props to Roots Manuva, for killin it again!! Produced by Roots Manuva and toddla T.

Check out the bonus cut of "Snake bite" at the end of this video.....HEAT

DJ MK IN MOSCOW

Had 3 great day's in Moscow with Roots Manuva DJing at a amazing festival. This was my 2nd time in Moscow, and it was their hottest summer since records began!! Here's some photos i took.

DJ MK - ROOTS MANUVA -RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

Wow, what a day. 40,000 rock fans in Finsbury Park going crazy. Rage Against The Machine wanted to thank there fans for getting them to number one over Christmas, so what better way to do so, then have a party. We were the only Hip hop related act on the bill, and what was crazy was that Rage Against The Machine oersonally requested Roots to be on the bill. I also learnt what the wall of death was.......