One of the fathers of Ska, the first Jamaican reggae artist to ever top the charts and composer of the Jamaican national anthem, Rototom Sunsplash is happy to announce the first confirmed artist for the 19th edition of the festival is one of the living legends of the history of reggae, Derrick Morgan.
After revealing the first names of the line-up of the pre-festival event that will take place on the streets of Benicassim on August 15th, Rototom now announces the performances on the main stage of the festival, together with Derrick Morgan, of Alborosie (with an exclusive concert featuring other artists), Protoje and the Spanish Muchachito Bombo Infierno, from the 16th to the 22nd of the same month.
DERRICK MORGAN - Another living legend sums up to the list of protagonists of the history of the Jamaican music who have performed at our festival. Derrick Morgan was already famed by the time the first movements of the Jamaican music industry started to imitate the US-American rhythm and blues, which would eventually generate ska music. By then he had already gained his share of success in the dancehalls with songs like 'Fat man' and 'Leave earth'.
After the partnership was sealed with Leslie Kong - a producer of Chinese origin - the verbal battles between Derrick and Prince Buster in tracks like 'Blackhead Chiney man' and 'Blazing fire' begun attracting the whole island’s attention. With them, the large tradition of verbal battles in dancehall started.
Derrick continued his glorious career in the era of rocksteady and reggae with his music for producers like Duke Reid and Bunny Lee. Nowadays he is the only Jamaican artist with authentic roots sound to perform on a regular basis. He will be accompanied by the British band Ruff Cutt.
ALBOROSIE & FRIENDS – Alborosie is an artist who does not need to be introduced. Albums like 'Soul Pirate' and 'Escape from Babylon' are among the absolutely best works recently published in reggae. After releasing his last LP '2 times revolution ' he won the Mobo Award for 'Best Reggae Artist' in Glasgow in October.
Albo is strongly connected to Rototom Sunsplash and has performed several times at the festival; but this year we are organising something special with him: a live-event designed
especially for the Sunsplash, called 'Alborosie & Friends'. The Italian artist, who now lives in Jamaica, will share the stage with several guests: great Jamaican and non Jamaican artists who Albo has worked with or who share a special affinity with him for style.
We will not anticipate any names for now. But if you know his discography, you may be able to find a hint there, even before we announce the guests of this incredible show!
PROTOJE - His first album 'The seven year itch' was released in 2011 and refers to the first seven hard years of his career, which Protoje had to endure before he became one of rising
stars of the international reggae scene. His mother Lorna Bennett, is a Jamaican singer who was successful in the seventies with her version of 'Breakfast in bed' by Dusty Springfield. Another important relative of his is cousin Donovan Bennett, the owner of Don Corleon brand, who the artist has been working with since 2010 and who produced his first album. 'Arguments' and the magnificent combination with Kymani Marley 'Rasta Love' are the most relevant tracks on the album. The latter has contributed a lot to the success of 'The seven year itch'. If Damian Marley has introduced a new way of mixing reggae with US-American urban music, Protoje is one of the biggest talents who are following this fruitful example nowadays.
MUCHACHITO BOMBO INFIERNO - Rototom opens its doors once again to music styles characterized by diversity and fusion, in this case for Muchachito Bombo Infierno who will perform for the first time at the festival.
Muchachito, born Jairo Perera in Santa Coloma de Gramenet - suburb of Bacelona - in 1975, founded his band Trimelón de Naranjus in 1993 and kept the project until 2000. By then, he
started performing solo in innumerable bars, developing the "Rumboxing": rumba and swing in a speed that can only be done by him.
In 2005 'Vamos que nos Vamos' was published and for the live shows the whole band Gigoleto Brass joined him in order to support his swing. The painter Santos de Veracruz, who does everything from posters to graphical art, has been seen painting during shows. In 2007 he established his own label 'El Orfanato Eléctrico' and edited 'Visto lo Visto'. In 2010 he released his third album 'Idas y Vueltas' under his label.
At Sunsplash he will offer one his of few live performances this summer and it will be an original and unpredictable show with tinges of rumba, swing and ska...
After revealing the first names of the line-up of the pre-festival event that will take place on the streets of Benicassim on August 15th, Rototom now announces the performances on the main stage of the festival, together with Derrick Morgan, of Alborosie (with an exclusive concert featuring other artists), Protoje and the Spanish Muchachito Bombo Infierno, from the 16th to the 22nd of the same month.
DERRICK MORGAN - Another living legend sums up to the list of protagonists of the history of the Jamaican music who have performed at our festival. Derrick Morgan was already famed by the time the first movements of the Jamaican music industry started to imitate the US-American rhythm and blues, which would eventually generate ska music. By then he had already gained his share of success in the dancehalls with songs like 'Fat man' and 'Leave earth'.
After the partnership was sealed with Leslie Kong - a producer of Chinese origin - the verbal battles between Derrick and Prince Buster in tracks like 'Blackhead Chiney man' and 'Blazing fire' begun attracting the whole island’s attention. With them, the large tradition of verbal battles in dancehall started.
Derrick continued his glorious career in the era of rocksteady and reggae with his music for producers like Duke Reid and Bunny Lee. Nowadays he is the only Jamaican artist with authentic roots sound to perform on a regular basis. He will be accompanied by the British band Ruff Cutt.
ALBOROSIE & FRIENDS – Alborosie is an artist who does not need to be introduced. Albums like 'Soul Pirate' and 'Escape from Babylon' are among the absolutely best works recently published in reggae. After releasing his last LP '2 times revolution ' he won the Mobo Award for 'Best Reggae Artist' in Glasgow in October.
Albo is strongly connected to Rototom Sunsplash and has performed several times at the festival; but this year we are organising something special with him: a live-event designed
especially for the Sunsplash, called 'Alborosie & Friends'. The Italian artist, who now lives in Jamaica, will share the stage with several guests: great Jamaican and non Jamaican artists who Albo has worked with or who share a special affinity with him for style.
We will not anticipate any names for now. But if you know his discography, you may be able to find a hint there, even before we announce the guests of this incredible show!
PROTOJE - His first album 'The seven year itch' was released in 2011 and refers to the first seven hard years of his career, which Protoje had to endure before he became one of rising
stars of the international reggae scene. His mother Lorna Bennett, is a Jamaican singer who was successful in the seventies with her version of 'Breakfast in bed' by Dusty Springfield. Another important relative of his is cousin Donovan Bennett, the owner of Don Corleon brand, who the artist has been working with since 2010 and who produced his first album. 'Arguments' and the magnificent combination with Kymani Marley 'Rasta Love' are the most relevant tracks on the album. The latter has contributed a lot to the success of 'The seven year itch'. If Damian Marley has introduced a new way of mixing reggae with US-American urban music, Protoje is one of the biggest talents who are following this fruitful example nowadays.
MUCHACHITO BOMBO INFIERNO - Rototom opens its doors once again to music styles characterized by diversity and fusion, in this case for Muchachito Bombo Infierno who will perform for the first time at the festival.
Muchachito, born Jairo Perera in Santa Coloma de Gramenet - suburb of Bacelona - in 1975, founded his band Trimelón de Naranjus in 1993 and kept the project until 2000. By then, he
started performing solo in innumerable bars, developing the "Rumboxing": rumba and swing in a speed that can only be done by him.
In 2005 'Vamos que nos Vamos' was published and for the live shows the whole band Gigoleto Brass joined him in order to support his swing. The painter Santos de Veracruz, who does everything from posters to graphical art, has been seen painting during shows. In 2007 he established his own label 'El Orfanato Eléctrico' and edited 'Visto lo Visto'. In 2010 he released his third album 'Idas y Vueltas' under his label.
At Sunsplash he will offer one his of few live performances this summer and it will be an original and unpredictable show with tinges of rumba, swing and ska...
