Roots Manuva + Jimmi Screech + Beat Bandits feat. Yezza
Plug welcomes one of the most talented and hard working individuals in the music industry down for a concert in their venue with the confirmation of British Hip Hop icon Roots Manuva. One of the most respected figures within British music, Manuva has forged his own career within the genre on account of embracing ingenuity and defining his own unique personality upon
Rodney Smith doesn't just stake a claim to the title of finest British emcee, he grapples it with both hands. No rapper currently residing in the British Isles comes close in terms of distinctive genius, recorded or achievements or international clout. The Huge ‘Witness', Manuva's totem anthem, remains a stone cold classic in hip-hop circles regardless of your geographical location. Whilst Estelle may currently be courting American acclaim, ‘Witness' was the first track that made the US stand up and take note of Britain's burgeoning scene, a track that still pokes out of battle torn sleeves in every hip-hop, reggae or funk DJ worth their salt.
But there's much more to Mr. Manuva than that riddim. His debut album Brand New Second hand was one of the incendiary releases of 1999, a weed smoke stained vision of paranoia that fused the melancholy effect of resplendent strings from fully flanked orchestras atop paranoid visions of the horrors of urban living. Sophomore effort Run Come Save Me boasted laconic single ‘Dreamy Days' as well as 'Witness', plus a bevy of skanking tracks that further profiled his burgeoning distinctive traits. A dub version of Run Come Save Me allowed for him to express his love for the sonic expression of the likes of Lee Scratch Perry, an approach he mirrored again when responding with an alternate set of takes to 2005's ‘Awfully Deep'
Manuva's culturally welded patois, a blurry mixture of west Indian slang and Brixton drawl, perfectly summed up the nation's mongrel heritage, and assigned him more to great British eccentrics of other musical genres than hip hop's own, forging similarities with Syd Barrett, Arthur Russell and even Morrissey as well as the obvious Rakim and KRS One. His distinctiveness has means he's collaborated with everyone from acid house heroes Coldcut right through to J5's butter voiced Chali 2na, plus folky songstress Beth Orton and cartoon funksters Gorillaz.
Live Roots is as enigmatic as everything he lays down on wax. Often touring with string quartets, he always manages to project his gravely baritone just as authentically as his spoken recordings, ushering in his musical palette on stage in equally vivid strokes. With this tour promoting the imminent album Slime & reason, it also gives Roots the chance to spotlight his new material. Don't pass on the opportunity to see it for the first time.
