Now on their seventeenth release the forward thinking
UK Reggae & Dub music label, Reggae Roast are going from strength to
strength with many underground hits under their belt already in 2013. This release
definitely follows suit, having already done the rounds on dubplate for many
months and set alight dances all over the world. They’ve signed up one of the
top up and coming UK producers, Adam Prescott, and one of the top mic men on
the scene, Charlie P. On remix duty they’ve drawn on the vanguard of dub,
Iration Steppas, and digikal stalwart, Tradesman.
With this double A-side release Reggae Roast have
lined up two heavy hitting bubblers built to test any soundsystem. ‘Lazy Man’
is a contemporary steppas reimagining of the stone cold classic ‘My
Conversation’ by the late, great Slim Smith which is accentuated by Charlie P’s
take on the advantages of being Lazy in modern day Britain. ‘Stand Firm’ on the
flipside is a slice of ruff & tuff Rootstep with conscious lyrics from
Charlie P alongside weighty bass assault and a hard rhythm section from Adam
Prescott it’s a stark contrast to ‘Lazy Man’.
Straight outta Nottingham, Adam Prescott has been
mashing up dances for many years now combining a crucial selection of dubplates
and his own varied productions, which are always steeped in Roots music and
Soundsystem culture. Having remixed some of the biggest names in Reggae &
Dub such as Mungo’s Hi-Fi, Iration Steppas, Part2Style, Alpha Steppa, Radikal Guru,
Vibration Lab and many, many more over the course of his career he has been
finally let loose on a Reggae Roast extended player.
Charlie P hardly needs any introduction, however if
you have been living under a rock for the past few years he has worked with
pretty much everyone worth their salt within the modern day Dub circuit, such
as Mungo’s Hi-Fi, Dubateers, Solo Banton, Part2Style to name but a few.
Constantly touring the world and smashing Dancehalls on a regular basis Charlie
shows no sign of slowing down, add to that he has just finished his second LP
produced by none other than Scotland’s finest, Mungo’s Hi-Fi
In the Soundsystem game for over 20 years Mark
Millington, one half of Iration Steppas (with Dennis Rootical), has been
instrumental in the massive resurgence of Dub music over the past few years.
Having set up the legendary Subdub sessions (alongside Outlook Festival’s Simon
Scott) to showcase the mighty Iration Steppas Soundsystem, Mark is one of the
most in-demand selectors on the scene. As a supporter of Adam’s work Mark has
been playing his ‘Year 3000 Dub’ of ‘Lazy Man’ at nuff sessions across the
world to sell out audiences. With another busy year planned hot off the back of
their new LP ‘Iration Steppas Meets Tena Stelin in the Dub Arena’ Mark and the
rest of the crew deserve their place at the top of the Soundsystem league.
Hailing from Leeds, Tradesman has been exposed to a
hot bed of musical activity, more importantly Soundsystem culture, for a number
of years. He is a resident at one of Subdub’s more underground offshoots,
Dancehall Science, and regularly supports some of the most exciting artists in
Dub music today playing sets where the majority of the tunes are his own
productions. This has, in turn, led to Scotch Bonnet (Mungo’s Hi-Fi imprint)
snapping up his debut release with Parly B, ‘Inna Competition’ which gained
support from some of the scene’s top players and took Tradesman’s ruffneck
digital sound international.
Reggae Roast is building a formidable catalogue
featuring some of the most exciting artists in the UK and beyond. Key players
in the resurgence of the UK Roots scene over the past 5 years, they are a
leading light in the new generation of dub music. Setting them apart from the
crowd is their ruff n tuff remixes giving the label a unique cross over appeal.
Look out for plenty more releases in the coming months from the likes of
Dubmatix, Vibration Lab, Ed West, Parly B and many more.
