Rodney Smith aka Roots Manuva

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Rodney Smith, better known as Roots Manuva has been producing breakthrough tracks since the 90s, and is famously known for the timeless classic ‘Witness the Fitness.’ Not only has Rodders been awarded a MOBO for Best Hip Hop Act – his unmistakable voice can be heard on collaborative tracks alongside The Gorillaz, Mr Scruff, DJ Shadow, U.N.K.L.E and Leftfield to mention but a few.

Roots Manuva is a man of wise British words – but let’s just say he isn’t going to give up his secrets to create the ultimate cheese on toast any time soon.

Good evening from Sydney, or should I say good morning to you Rodney; how’s things back in the UK?

Yeah all good. Are you calling from Australia? You definitely don’t sound Australian! Yeah it’s cold here… just getting ready to kick off the tour. It’s the usual nightmare, but we have managed to get a coach and some merchandising so yeah. The next seven weeks of going live should be good.

You’ve been producing urban music since the early 90s; who would you say was your greatest influence for your debut album?

A whole range of people and cultures you know like from America, all the way to Jamaica, then from the UK you’ve got bands like Massive Attack.

Mixing hip hop, reggae, dub, electronica and gospel into your tracks makes your sound so distinct; was this sound a direction you had planned from the start of your music career? Or was this a natural route? How would you describe your style?

It was all a bit of an accident really. I wanted to blend anything and everything. So yeah it’s a fusion of all genres. The first studio I ever went into it started as dance and reggae, but I found that when I played my stuff to reggae fans they wanted hip-hip too so it’s a mix.

After your release of the first album in 1998 you were rewarded for your breakthrough with a MOBO as Best Hip Hop Act. Was this a definite highlight for you as an act? Has anything ever topped this?

That was definitely a surprise. I was making that record not thinking of who would be listening. It was for a very small record label. I didn’t expect it to do so well, maybe a couple of thousand records. For me to be reviewed by a national broadsheet- it was quite disturbing at the time ha-ha! I couldn’t understand it. It was a massive surprise. It was supposed to be a kind of personal, small music project, but I guess the wide media coverage helped.

Do you have a venue or a city that always seems to have the best energy when you play a gig?

I’ve had some great experiences. The first place I ever toured ever, around Scotland in 1997 was a very emotional thing. It was very different, a kind of revelation. Wherever I tour though is great.

Back in 2001 the epic ‘Run Come Save Me’ was released, followed the next year by ‘Dub Come Save Me.’ What was the process to create the follow up album of remixes?

I was always messing about and trying different things. I’m always straying away from what I am really supposed to be doing. It’s what I would call an album of off-cuts and remixes. I just took bits and stuck them together.

From ‘Awfully Deep’ in 2005 to ‘Alternately Deep’ in 2006, the later album seems to have a more relaxed flow. Was there a lot of pressure for it to be better than the first?

Whenever you try to make any record there’s always some excessive pressure, there’s always a journey from A to B, that’s the main priority. For performance reasons it can make it quite difficult. With this new record there will be no sister records that I will be involved with, ha-ha. I’ve had enough of them [laughing again]. For performance reasons it does get quite confusing. It does make it hard after you have worked with a band when you are trying to recreate a track.

In tracks such as ‘Dreamy Days’ and ‘Witness the Fitness’, which are personal favourites of mine; you tell everyday life as it is. Do you think this is this why you have such a lot of respect from such a wide audience?

It’s always been a tradition for me to create an honest and true story; it is original and basic elements, which make the guidelines of making hip-hop. I always wanted to be an everyday-man’s hip-hopper. I just always make an effort to communicate on day-to-day terms.

‘4EverEvolution’ has had nothing but rave reviews. Which track was your favourite to produce or perform from the album?

In rehearsal there is so much coming up. Some tracks are so much more complex, harder to perfect and intricate. Tracks like track ‘3-Skid Valley’ are great, but if they go flat- they go really flat.

So from now for the next couple of months you have got the UK and Australia tour- this tour is going to be massive! How do you feel about the upcoming tours?

Yeah we have got the UK tour and then coming over to Australia and then Europe and the Festivals. It’s pretty full on.

Yeah it is going to be HUGE! Back in 2003, the Guardian described your breakthrough as “opening doors for The Streets, Dizzee Rascal et al.” How do you feel about such a prestigious comment?

Yeah it’s cool, I guess getting the MOBO helped urban music push forward. It’s only really now when I look back that I understand why we did so well.

What else is on the cards for Roots Manuva?

I bought a sound system last year so I want to work on my DJ skills and now the idea of a record company has gone, I want to incorporate my brand ‘Banana Klan’ into a micro media arts project that encompasses some kind of production workshops, and maybe some outreach work and film.

Sweet. Ok, a good friend of mine back in the UK wanted to know how you make your perfect cheese on toast? Do you actually sit around drinking ten pints of bitter?

Ha-ha that’s not true…maybe I used to; not so much anymore ha-ha.

Thanks so much for your time Rodney, really looking forward to seeing you play in Sydney and Good Luck for the tour.

By Frankie Salt

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