International Music Bureau

To content | To menu | To search

Entries feed    Comments feed

Tag - Roots Manuva

Speech Debelle - Freedom Of Speech - out on Big Dada Recordings

Monday 06 February 2012, 10:22

Speech Debelle Freedom Of Speech
Speech Debelle - Freedom Of Speech
(CD/LP/Digital) Big Dada Recordings BD193, 2012-02-06

Two years since winning the 2009 Mercury Music Prize for her debut album, Speech Therapy, and having ridden a rollercoaster through life since then, Speech Debelle is ready to drop her second collection of music. Entitled Freedom of Speech, the album sees Speech turning from introspection to stand up, face and engage with the world around her, spitting confident themes of revolution and love. A first taste of the album came in the aftermath of this summer's riots, when Speech reacted immediately, leaking the track Blaze Up A Fire, (also featuring Roots ManuvaRealism), a track about political revolution written months before. Now the build-up begins to the release of Freedom of Speech in early February 2012 with the free download of the track Studio Backpack Rap. From political to musical revolution, Speech describes the track as being "all about virtual instrumentation and an ode to KwesSpeech Therapy, while showcasing just one aspect of her remarkable new album.

Continue reading

Anthony Joseph World People

Anthony Joseph - World People 03 (The Rubber Orchestras Paris DJs Mix Part 2)

Wednesday 21 December 2011, 03:00 1

Anthony Joseph is now one of our 'resident DJs' with this third mix, the second part of his The Rubber Orchestras Paris DJs Mix: From the Plantation to the Revolution (get the part 1 here) and also the third volume of our World People series. We had the chance to meet him last week in Paris, and even if we knew it while listening to his albums and mixes, we can assure you the man has got the vibe! We've put up a few photos from this day up, check them here. And it's still time to rush into a record store and get the just released Rubbers Orchestras album to offer for Christmas, one of our...

Continue reading

Roots Manuva - Here We Go Again feat. Spikey Tee - out on Big Dada

Friday 09 December 2011, 16:10

Roots Manuva Here We Go Again
Roots Manuva - Here We Go Again feat. Spikey Tee
(Promo CD/Digital Single) Banana Klan/Big Dada BD197, 2011-12-05

Roots Manuva returns with a new single and it's one of the standout cuts from the acclaimed 4everevolution, the brooding, magnificent Here We Go Again. Over an intense, thunderous collision of hip hop, techno and dubstep, Rodney Smith aka Roots Manuva drops lyrics about an old friendship gone bad: "something in his life isn't right with him/ He's caught up in the hype and it bites within." A clear-eyed, deadpan exposition of the dangers, temptations and, more cuttingly, childishness of "street life," Smith is keen to emphasise he isn't preaching. Everything he says applies to himself as much as anyone else and a fate he avoided more through luck than judgement. The tune is finished off perfectly by a pure, soulful chorus from Spikey Tee.

Continue reading

Roots Manuva - 4everevolution - out on Big Dada

Monday 26 September 2011, 11:13

Roots Manuva 4everevolution
Roots Manuva - 4everevolution
(2xLP/CD/Download) Banana Klan/Big Dada BD190/BDCD190/BNDNL190, 2011-09-26

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. Big Dada think it's his very best work since Run Come Save Me. They're wondering (whisper it) whether it might be his best album... (sshh) ever. The album mainly revolves around Roots' own production and voice, with contributions from Banana Klan stalwarts including Ricky Ranking, DJ MK 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, Elan Tamara and Spikey T. Production, meanwhile, comes from as far afield as Australia, Rodney Smith's travels allowing him to meet beatmakers and producers all over the world. To get the world at large in the mood for the record to follow, Big Dada are offering the chance to download Roots Manuva's version of Watch Me Dance for free. The download link is here: bigdada.com/rootsmanuva.

Continue reading

Roots Manuva - Get The Get - out 2011 on Big Dada

Monday 26 September 2011, 11:06

Roots Manuva Get The Get
Roots Manuva - Get The Get
(Digital Single) Banana Klan/Big Dada BDDNL188, 2011-09-26

Roots Manuva comes storming out of the blocks with the first full single from his forthcoming album, 4everevolution. Get The Get is a hyped up, clever party tune, which sees Mr Manuva apparently encouraging you to drink Italian wine ("soave") whilst actually telling you to "get suavay" - a new Manuva coinage meaning (very roughly) to cut a rug in on your own personal, ragged style - a kind of "Party Rock Anthem" for nerds, dole-boys, crafts-girls and, well, people with some semblance of taste... Not since the crufatin liveth has Rodney Smith come out with such a hard-hitting dancefloor tune, his rhymes tight and energised and offset by some smokey, fifties-style vocals from up-and-coming young singer Rokhsan.

Continue reading

DELS - Capsize - out Big Dada

Monday 05 September 2011, 10:53

Dels Capsize
DELS - Capsize feat. Joe Goddard + Roots Manuva
(12"/Download) Big Dada BD183/BDDNL183, 2011-06-27

Kieren Dickins aka DELS comes blasting back out of the blocks with the massive Capsize. After the critical acclaim which has met the release of his debut album, Gob, DELS has teamed up with two of his biggest name collaborators for the huge tune, Capsize. Joe Goddard (Hot Chip) has hooked up a beat of such electronic magnitude it sounds like Godzilla marching on Westminster. Over it he drops a chorus of deadpan eloquence which acts as the jump off point for DELS and his labelmate Roots Manuva to rip through verses of such venomous intelligence that if anyone ever again says to you that "rappers haven't got anything to say" you can just grap this CD and slap them round the chops with it. We promise to stand outside court with placards at your trial for common assault. A genuine monster of a tune, as packed with a celebratory spirit of solidarity as it is with anger and defiance, this is a truly important and memorable single from a truly important and memorable album.

Continue reading

Toddla T - Watch Me Dance - out on Ninja Tune

Saturday 20 August 2011, 11:11

Toddla T Watch Me Dance
Toddla T - Watch Me Dance
(2xLP/CD/Download) Ninja Tune ZEN172/ZENCD172/ZENDNL172, 2011-08-22

Toddla T's debut album Skanky Skanky was released in January 2009, this was followed by a Fabric live mix album and a lot of requests for his production skills with everyone from Major Lazer to Grandmaster Flash getting in touch. His second album Watch Me Dance is a bold step forward for Toddla T. Fans of Skanky Skanky will find plenty that will please them but for the countless thousands of clubbers who know Toddla T the DJ but haven't heard his productions this second album may come as a surprise. In Watch Me Dance Toddla has created a dubwise, street-soul masterpiece. In ensuring the album was everything Toddla envisaged it could be, he's carefully selected an impressive line up of friends, peers and musical icons to guest vocal, co-produce, remix, co-write with him on the album. Names including previous collaborator Roots Manuva, fellow DJ, producer and remixer Skream, Ms Dynamite, Ross Orton, Wayne Marshall, Donaeo, Roisin Murphy and Shola Ama. Watch Me Dance is released on Ninja Tune on August 22.

Continue reading

Toddla T and Roots Manuva - Watch Me Dance - out on Ninja Tune

Monday 08 August 2011, 12:00

Toddla T Roots Manuva Watch Me Dance
Toddla T and Roots Manuva - Watch Me Dance
(12"/Download) Ninja Tune ZEN12286/ZENDNLS286, 2011-08-08

As Toddla T prepares to release his second artist album of the same name, Watch Me Dance, is the follow up single to the brilliant Take It Back feat. Shola Ama. This release does not simply feature Roots Manuva on vocals but is more a collaboration between the two producers. In fact, it was Rodney's original demo that inspired Toddla to mould it into this very version for his album, naturally with Rodney's stamp of approval. Continuing work on the demo resulted in Rodney's own version which will also appear as track two on the single package along with a wealth of remixes including one from Sebastian and the legend that is Andrew Weatherall. The Roots Manuva version will also feature on his fifth studio album, 4everevolution later in the year. This unique release displays the different interpretations borne from the same demo and displays the mutual appreciation between these two highly respected and innovative UK artists. Toddla T's new album Watch Me Dance is released on August 22.

Continue reading

Lotek - International Rudeboy - out on First Word Records

Monday 25 July 2011, 12:11

Lotek International Rudeboy
Lotek - International Rudeboy
(CD/LP/Download) First Word Records FW60, 2011-07-25

The International Rudeboy is back! Since leaving home at the age of 15 to become a sound engineer, Wayne 'Lotek' Bennett has been on a quest to hone his interpretation of the sounds that he grew up with - a journey that has taken him to all corners of the globe. From festivals in Czech Republic to clubs in Japan and all points in between Lotek has forged his own path as a ska revivalist, culminating in his debut album on First Word, International Rudeboy. Whilst some may know Lotek from his early hip hop with Roots Manuva, (both as a producer and as musical director of his now legendary live show), his Lotek Hifi project on Big Dada or even his recent work as the creative force behind the acoustic soul of Speech Debelle's Mercury Prize winning album, it is reggae music that has always been the foundation of his sound.

Continue reading

DELS - GOB (album) - out on Big Dada

Monday 02 May 2011, 20:00

Dels GOB album
DELS - GOB
(CD/2xLP/Download) Big Dada BD179/BDCD179/BDDNL179 , 2011-05-02

Kieren Dickins aka DELS is a new type of rapper (which is another way of saying that he’s more than just a rapper). Applying the kind of attention to detail, micro-management and macro-vision which Jay-Z used to build a business empire, DELS makes art. Popular art mind you, but art all the same, an album of emotional peaks, musical innovation and surreal, brilliant lyrics, held together by such a unique, such a strong vision that it sounds almost silly to suggest it’s just a debut. Already causing a stir with the tasters Shapeshift and Trumpalump (and the videos he masterminded for them), everything is now ready to show how these pieces fit into the bigger picture…

Continue reading

We'd like to thank the following key labels for their long-time support :