The Rootsman
Encyclopedia
The Rootsman is a musician and DJ based in Bradford, England.

Biography

His musical career began when he was living in Edinburgh, Scotland and taught himself to play guitar in 1978 at the age of 13 and formed his first punk band. With his group "State Oppression" he made his debut gig in 1981, supporting the Angelic Upstarts. After 3 concerts, he decided that being a guitarist in a band was not for him and he retired from that aspect of the music business.

Bolloten moved to Bradford in 1983 and quickly immersed himself into the local reggae scene. He worked for over two years in the local Roots Record Shop, where he began to be known as "Rootsman". In 1985 he started selecting on local sound systems and the following year began to play on university radio and local pirate radio stations. This continued for a number of years until he founded his own club night "Dub Me Crazy" at the end of 1991.

"Dub Me Crazy" promoted roots and dub music in the north of England and also giving a platform for up and coming artists to play their own material. A residency with the innovative Soundclash club in Leeds followed a couple of years later, and Rootsman began playing alongside leading DJs like Dr Alex Patterson from The Orb
The Orb
Throughout 1989, the Orb, along with Martin Glover, developed the musical genre of ambient house through the use of a diverse array of samples and recordings. The culmination of its musical work came toward the end of the year when the group recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1...

, Andrew Weatherall
Andrew Weatherall
Andrew Weatherall is a DJ, producer, and remixer.Andrew, Terry Farley, Cymon Eckel and Steve Mayes started Boy's Own initially as a fanzine commenting on fashion, records, football, and other issues...

, Justin Robertson
Justin Robertson
Justin Robertson is a British DJ, remixer and electronic music producer from Manchester, England. He has remixed dozens of high-profile music artists as himself or as The Prankster, fronted the group Lionrock and has released albums and singles of original music under his own name and the name...

 (Lionrock) and others. In this period, Rootsman also founded the Third Eye Music label and released the debut album from Dayjah and The Disciples
The Disciples
The Disciples is a 1993 spy thriller by Joe Andrew, who was chairman of the 2000 Democratic National Convention.-External links:*...

, entitled "Storm Clouds".

The Soundclash club led The Rootsman to think about releasing his own records. The Rootsman's debut EP "Koyaanisqatsi" was released in May 1994. This track, although released on a 10" white label.

The Rootsman's second release was the "Soundclash City Rockers EP" in October 1994. This again was a cult club hit and was one of the first releases to match classic 70s dub samples to a new school dub style. After this release, Rootsman left the Soundclash label to continue his career on his own Third Eye Music label.

After producing a 5 track session for Andy Kershaw's programme on BBC Radio One in February 1995, Rootsman released his first release on Third Eye Music, the "Natural Born Thrillers EP", which was the first UK roots release to successfully marry the steppers and jungle styles.

Rootsman's debut CD "In Dub We Trust" was released in July 1995 and followed on from these earlier experiments and contained dub reggae like never heard before. A myriad of diverse samples and beats all tied to a heavyweight rhythm section made this CD one of the most original to be released that year. Not only was dub mixed with the furious beats of jungle, the album also brought African, Arabian and Asian sounds into the mix. It was a truly groundbreaking collection that set a new blueprint for dub-influenced music, and Rootsman began to label his own sound as "experimental global dub fusion". "In Dub We Trust" was a big success, especially in Europe, and continues to sell to this day.

A selection of remixes from his debut album entitled "International Language Of Dub" was unleashed in January 1996, and contained a wildly eclectic number of tracks that never failed to surprise with their originality and flavour. This CD entered the UK independent album chart at number 26 and was declared one of the all-time top 100 dub albums in the UK's DJ magazine.

Rootsman released two new EPs in quick succession - the "Pass The Chalice EP" (April 1996) and the storming "Roadblock EP" (August 1996), the first fruits of a long-standing relationship and collaboration with The Disciples. The Rootsman's second solo album proper "Into The Light" was then released in September 1996 and included tracks recorded in Marrakech, Morocco and Luxor in Egypt. This set further developed the ideas contained on "In Dub We Trust" and was a deeper, more spiritual and meditative collection. This was followed by the remix set "Out Of The Darkness" a few months later.

1997 also saw the release of Rootsman's seventh EP "Mother Of Nature EP", which was his most experimental to date with downtempo beats and mixed with an Arabic vocal. A special Third Eye Music compilation featuring many alternative and unreleased mixes of Rootsman tracks entitled "Third Eye Dimensions" was released by German label Echo Beach soon after. Then, "Rebirth", the long-awaited collaboration set with The Disciples was released in September 1997 and contained nu-skool digital dubs alongside vintage dub loops and samples. This set was the biggest selling UK roots album of 1997. The end of the year saw Rootsman also releasing a special collectors edition remix CD from Muslimgauze called "City Of Djinn". This contained 21 extra heavy industrial and tribalistic reworkings but limited to only 500 copies, and sold out immediately on its release. It is now one of the most in-demand releases from the Third Eye Music catalogue, and copies of this CD are now being sold on ebay for £100 each.

In March 1998 Rootsman released his third official solo set "52 Days To Timbuktu". This set was another ambitious and experimental album and further established him as the UK's leading experimental dub artist. Dubwise vibes were fused with drum and bass, blues, and Middle Eastern and Asian music influences, and this set was again a successful release. A next EP, "A Matter Of Time (featuring Jamaican singer Patrick Irie)/Sounds Of Freedom" was released the same month by new French label Hammerbass. This EP saw Rootsman returning to his traditional reggae roots.

The same year saw a large number of Rootsman releases. He collaborated with the medieval folk group Celtarabia on the unique collection "Union Of Souls", an album widely critically acclaimed - mixing dub and jungle with medieval melodies from ancient Europe and Arabia played on archaic instruments. Then a second special Third Eye compilation by Sweden's Lush Records entitled "The Rootsman presents Futurapocalyptic Dub" appeared. This contained dubplate mixes and rare unreleased versions. A ninth EP was released in September 1998, composed of two new heavy tracks "We Come Rough" and "Dub Oriental", and then a third Rootsman remix set called "The Final Frontier" hit the streets, composed of remixes from the "52 Days To Timbuktu" set. Finally, a special compilation for the Polish market entitled "The 12" Mixes" was released that contained a selection from the previous Rootsman EPs.

1999 saw Rootsman release another Muslimgauze remix collection called "Return To The City Of Djinn", which was more widely available than its predecessor due to its limited edition pressing of 1000 copies.

Rootsman's fourth official solo set "Realms Of The Unseen", released in the summer of 1999, proved to be his biggest seller to date. Rootsman harnessed techno, jungle and hip hop loops alongside global influences and, of course, the usual reggae/dub/ragga foundation in a more aggressive style but with still imbued with a deep spirituality. After this set he once again began to slowly change direction and take his unique sound into more uncharted waters.

A 12" consisting of the track "Imitator" from the "Realms Of The Unseen" set coupled with a wild DJ version from Jamaican raggamuffin veteran Daddy Freddy
Daddy Freddy
S. Frederick Small , better known as Daddy Freddy is a ragga vocalist.-Early life:Small was born in Kingston, Jamaica and grew up in the city's Trenchtown district. His house was a few minutes walk from Coxsone Dodd's influential record studio Studio One.His neighbours were Jacob Miller and...

, and a DJ Super Clash 12" (featuring Daddy Freddy and He-Man) were also released in 1999. BSI Records in America put out a special six-track CD entitled "Versions Of The Unseen", featuring unreleased cuts and remixes from Rootsman's last album, and Third Eye Music released the official remix collection "Global Meltdown" (which actually appeared in 2001).

In May 2000, Rootsman released his collaboration with Daddy Freddy, "Old School New School". This album was the first vocal collection produced by Rootsman and featured a mix of his dancehall, roots and jungle style rhythms being toasted over by the world's fastest rapper.

The start of the new millennium saw Rootsman slowing down his production line somewhat as he has been continually in demand as a DJ across Europe. His only release in 2001 was the compilation album "Roots Bloody Rootsman", which comprised a number of his unreleased productions from 1996-2001 that were only featured on his sound system. Although this album marked the end of the "experimental global dub fusion" era, behind the scenes Rootsman was actually busy developing his new sound.

The first fruits of this new style came in early 2002 with the release of 2 new 10" vinyl EPs. These tunes featured more hip hop influenced rhythms with vocal contributions from Jamaican stars Jah Mason
Jah Mason
Andre Johnson , better known by his stage name Jah Mason, also known as Iron Mason and Fire Mason, is a reggae singer/deejay from Jamaica, active as a recording artist since 1991.-Biography:...

, Mike Brooks
Mike Brooks (singer)
Mike Brooks aka Mikey Brooks, Prince Michael is a reggae singer whose career stretches back to the early 1970s.-Biography:...

, Winston McAnuff, Chronicle and King David. These tunes were designed to whet the appetite for Rootsman's "New Testament" set which finally saw release in the autumn of 2002 on Germany's Meteosound label. Featuring legends such as Earl 16, U Brown
U Brown
U Brown aka New Roy, Hugh Brown, Nuroy is a reggae deejay who released eleven albums between 1976 and 1984.-Biography:...

 and Daddy Freddy alongside new stars like Determine and Jah Mason as well as some new discoveries.

A collaborative mini-CD from Rootsman with the late Muslimgauze called "Al Aqsa Intifada" was also released in 2002 as a limited edition taster for their forthcoming "Amahar" album.

In 2003, Rootsman released 3 new EPs. He unveiled his Italian-styled "Altamura" rhythm with cuts from King David, Bongo Chilli and Dayjah's searing "Terrorist" anthem. Then a tough combination with DJ legend Ranking Joe
Ranking Joe
Ranking Joe aka Little Joe is a reggae deejay who rose to prominence in the 1970s and had continuing success in the 1980s.-Biography:...

 called "Walk With Jah" that also included an incredible jungle mix. Rootsman's third EP of 2003 contained collaborations with the singers Horace Andy and Bobby Blue, and is available on the Meteosound label. Rootsman's next album "Tales From The Hood" will be out on Third Eye Music in autumn 2006.

Labels

In 2000 Rootsman joined forces with The Bug to set up a brand new label called Razor X. This label features hardcore dancehall tunes presented in a very heavy, industrial uncompromising style. Aphex Twin's Rephlex Records
Rephlex Records
Rephlex Records is a record label started in 1991 by electronic musician Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge. Rephlex coined the term braindance to describe the otherwise uncategorisable output of Aphex Twin and Rephlex Records...

 has now released a full album of these collaborations called "Killing Sound".

Live performances

Rootsman has played 3 big sound system clashes - against Kaly Weed (Italy), Downbeat (USA) and Heartical (France). As a DJ, Rootsman works with his main MC D.Bo General. In May 2006, Rootsman joined forces with Eugene Hutz of Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello for two shows in Kiev, Ukraine.

As well as playing as a DJ all over the UK, Rootsman has also played in Tofo
Tofo
Praia do Tofo or simply Tofo is a small town in southeastern Mozambique. The town lies on the Indian Ocean coast, on Ponto do Barra peninsula in Inhambane Province, 22 km drive from Inhambane city...

 (Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...

); Kiev (Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

 - 2 times); Tel Aviv (Israel); Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

 (Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

); Paris (13), Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...

, Rennes, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....

, Toulon, Orléans, Périgueux, Troyes, Montpelier
Montpelier
Montpelier or Montpellier is the name of several places:in Canada:* Montpellier, Quebec* Montpellier , a train station in Montreal, Canadain France:* Montpellier, a city in southern France** The University of Montpellierin Ireland:...

, Le Mans, Morlaix and Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...

 (France); Rome (4), Milan (5), Bologna, Pescara, Salento, Jesi (2), Lecce
Lecce
Lecce is a historic city of 95,200 inhabitants in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Lecce, the second province in the region by population, as well as one of the most important cities of Puglia...

 (2), Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...

, Grosseto, Bergamo, Grosseto, Osoppo and Bari (4) (Italy); Berlin (10), Hamburg (5), Frankfurt (5), Koln (3), Flensburg (3), Wuppertal (3), Greifswald (4), Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....

 (2), Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

 (3), Stuttgart (2), Chiemsee (3), Nurnberg (2), Tübingen (3), Dresden (3), Leipzig (2), Ingolstadt, Muritz (3), Jena, Bremen, Augsburg (3), Reutlingen, Herzberg, Saarbrücken and Oberhausen (Germany); Brussels, Liege, Gierle, Kortrijk and Gent (Belgium); Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

 (6), Poznań (6), Wrocław (4), Szczecin (2), Gdańsk, Łódź, Katowice, Kraków, Sopot, Białystok, Opole (3), Knurów, Cieszyn, Zielona Gora, Pila and Zgorzelec (2) (Poland); Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

 (Portugal) (2); Zagreb (3) (Croatia); Tallinn (Estonia), Ljubljana (2) (Slovenia); Belgrade, Novi Sad (2), Subotica (Yugoslavia); Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 (Austria); Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

 (2), Leiden, Arnhem (Netherlands); La Chaux-De-Fonds (Switzerland); Helsinki (Finland); and Prague (2) and Litomerice (Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

). In April 1999, Rootsman supported Max Cavalera's tribal metal band Soulfly
Soulfly
Soulfly is a heavy metal band formed in 1997 based in Phoenix, Arizona. The original lyrical content revolved around spirituality and religious themes, with later albums encompassing other themes including war, violence, aggression, hatred and anger. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max...

 in Paris, where 2500 people witnessed history in the making.

Other projects

Rootsman has provided remixes for Soulfly
Soulfly
Soulfly is a heavy metal band formed in 1997 based in Phoenix, Arizona. The original lyrical content revolved around spirituality and religious themes, with later albums encompassing other themes including war, violence, aggression, hatred and anger. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max...

 (ex-Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...

), Glen Brown, Blue, The Woodshed, Treponem Pal, Dub War
Dub War
Dub War was a four piece metal band from Newport, South Wales, UK. Formed in 1993, the band offered an innovative mix of metal, punk, and ragga influenced by bands like The Clash and Bad Brains...

, Black Star Liner, Dub Syndicate
Dub Syndicate
Dub Syndicate is a dub band, formed by Adrian Sherwood, and it became a showcase for Adrian Sherwood's collaboration with Style Scott, former ace drummer with the Roots Radics and Creation Rebel....

, Muslimgauze
Muslimgauze
Muslimgauze was a music project of Bryn Jones , a prolific British ethnic electronica and experimental musician, influenced by conflicts in the Muslim world with an emphasis on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...

, Grounation, Celtarabia, Primitive, G2, Systemwide, Banned X, Rosapaeda, Submission, Rasboras Inc, Dubblestandart, Lion's Den Dub Shower, Banned-X, Strongpoint and Oochi.

Rootsman has also had his music released on a variety of multi-media formats such as the soundtracks to "Surfing in Indonesia", "Kranked 3: Ride Against The Machine", "Deviant Rhythms" and "Fashion World", a French CD-Rom fashion encyclopedia.

Discography

  • City Rockers EP - 1994
  • Koyaanisqatsi - 1994
  • In Dub We Trust - 1995
  • International Language Of Dub: The Rootsman Remixed - 1995
  • Natural Born Thrillers EP - 1995
  • Authorised Versions - 1996
  • Mother Of Nature EP - 1996
  • Pass The Chalice EP - 1996
  • City Of Djinn
    City of Djinn
    City of Djinn is a collaborative album credited to "The Rootsman vs Muslimgauze". The album was released in CD format in a limited edition of 500 copies...

     (with Muslimgauze
    Muslimgauze
    Muslimgauze was a music project of Bryn Jones , a prolific British ethnic electronica and experimental musician, influenced by conflicts in the Muslim world with an emphasis on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...

    ) - 1997
  • Out Of The Darkness: The Rootsman Remixed - 1997
  • Rebirth - 1997
  • Third Eye Dimensions - 1997
  • 52 Days To Timbuktu - 1998
  • The Final Frontier - The Rootsman Remixed - 1998
  • Union Of Souls - 1998
  • We Come Rough EP - 1998
  • Imitator EP - 1999
  • Realms Of The Unseen - 1999
  • Return To The City Of Djinn
    Return to the City of Djinn
    Return to the City of Djinn is a collaborative album credited to "The Rootsman vs Muslimgauze". The album was pressed as a CD and released in an edition of 1,000 copies.-Track listing:#"Srebrenica" - 3:18#"Rawalpindi" - 3:30#"Kabul" - 2:40#"Cairo" - 3:00...

     (with Muslimgauze
    Muslimgauze
    Muslimgauze was a music project of Bryn Jones , a prolific British ethnic electronica and experimental musician, influenced by conflicts in the Muslim world with an emphasis on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...

    ) - 1999
  • Versions Of The Unseen EP - 1999
  • Old School New School
    Old School New School
    Old School New School is an album with vocals by Daddy Freddy and production by The Rootsman, credited to "Daddy Freddy Meets The Rootsman".-Track listing:#"Keepin A Session" – 3:15#"No Carbon" – 4:07#"Back Pon Dem Case" – 3:28...

    (with Daddy Freddy
    Daddy Freddy
    S. Frederick Small , better known as Daddy Freddy is a ragga vocalist.-Early life:Small was born in Kingston, Jamaica and grew up in the city's Trenchtown district. His house was a few minutes walk from Coxsone Dodd's influential record studio Studio One.His neighbours were Jacob Miller and...

    ) - 2000
  • Roots Bloody Rootsman - 2001
  • Al Aqsa Intifada - 2002
  • New Testament - 2002
  • Joy And Sorrow EP - 2003
  • Showcase EP - 2003
  • Walk With Jah - 2003

External links

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