STEPPIN' ROOTS WITH DON GOLIATH
DUBROOM ARTIST REVIEW AND INTERVIEW
WWW, June 2014 - Do not call it Dub Step, don't even call it "Dub Steppish", and especially not when the term sounds like a cuss to you. Call it Roots Step, for that is the name of the unique sound captured in no less than twenty-four chapters of the "Rootsstep To The World" series released by Don Goliath from his Berlin-based studio. With the help of elders like U Roy, Trinity and many others, his "Rootsstep Division Recordings" label is ready to bring the Roots Vibration to a brand new generation. Are we? Time for an in-depth listen and talk with the don himself.
Dubstep. Just saying the word can get you into a long discussion or even debate. Every one has an opinion, every two disagree about everything two can possibly disagree over. And, as with all Dub/Reggae derivates, it can be kind of really difficult to discover any Roots. Dubstep. Not really something to check and not really something to disagree over, either. It's just not relevant.
Or is it?
Apparently it is. We have Mad
Professor's Ariwa Sound releasing
"Roots of Dubstep", an obvious
description of (DUB) Reggae. An obvious
statement as well from someone who actually
stood at the roots of UK DUB.
And now we have "Rootsstep" music straight from Berlin, in a rather large quantity and consistent quality. Many well-known vocalists have contributed, some are so well-known that their contribution is obviously voluntarily. We're talking names like U Roy, Jazzbo, Kojak, Lone Ranger, Trinity, Dillinger. They have all stood before the microphone and voiced especially for Don Goliath and his Rootsstep riddims. Voicing like they have done for decades, without any compromise in word or sound or power.
So, what is Rootsstep? What drove these Founding Fathers of Reggae to contribute to Don Goliath's sound? Mind you, these are people that you do not tell what to do. When they do something for you, it is the result of their decision to do so. They really can be considered as Elders for they are.
The best way to start is to listen for yourself. However, it it is very difficult to find reviews or articles about the Don and his Rootsstep Sound. Just only recently, the ORIGINAL DUB GATHERING Net Label picked up some of Don Goliath's work and a German blog wrote a review in German but that's about it. So, chances are that your discovery of this unique sound starts by CLICKING HERE (ZIP FILE) for an MP3 mix featuring Kojak and Trinity straight from Don Goliath's WEBSITE or (if your browser lets you) check out the tune below:
Yes, this is the sound of Rootsstep. It's a sound that has all the musicological elements of Roots Reggae while the overall vibe has nothing out-dated or "historical" if you will. This could very well be described as 21st Century Roots, Cyber Roots, or simply Conscious Contemporary Reggae. This is more than merely a style by a sound, this is a sound by itself. So why not call it Rootsstep?
Listening to the conscious message of Rastafari, skillfully delivered by voices too familiar to not take serious, the music instantly drops you into today's vibes dominated by modern digital recording and mixing technologies. In itself, once again it is shown how Rastafari and Consciousness in general transcends times and places as it contains a universal message from the Creator Himself. Who feels it, definitely knows it.
Unlike the Biblical giant, this one Goliath comes with an uplifting message. A message of righteousness and with songs of praises to the Almighty. Just like all conscious Reggae, that is. However, it is the sound that is intriguing. This is a sound that will appeal to an audience that may not necessarily be drawn to your Steppers Reggae or (DUB) Reggae in general. This is a sound that seamlessly fits into today's spectrum of electronic styles while in the same time distinguishing itself from the slackness and plain vanity or emptiness "present" in too much productions these days (including Reggae!).
Don Goliath started releasing his new sound through a series of albums called "Rootsstep To The World". At this time, in June 2014, chapter 24 is released. You don't have to make the math to see that something is going on here and the fact that so little is written about it all makes you wonder. It makes you wonder so much that you want to find out more about Don Goliath and his Roots Steppin' sounds.
Time to go to the Don and ask him some thing. This: What Is Rootsstep and how did you come up with this unique sound?
CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE INTERVIEW AND GET LOADS MORE MUSIC AS WELL
