What’s up …on the whatsapp: „Where are you?“ .. At the Rototom Launch Party… „Where you staying?“ … (she thinks: why is he saying „staying“, replies:) Mallorca .. „Thought you were in New York, I am here, going to their launch party tonight“..
Different locations, same vibrations? From Solé beach in Castellón (the Spanish province that is home to the festival) via Ibiza, Lyon, Bolzano, Palma and New York to London, launch parties of the Rototom Sunsplash festival -this year from 12-19 August- took place in seven different cities of five countries across two continents during the last 72 hours (Brixton Jamm on tonight!).
What, however, happened on the island on Saturday appeared to be a manifestation of the magical force that the island possesses and one keeps hearing people talking about. From as soon as 7 pm people could enjoy themselves at the wonderful venue of „Sa Possessió“, an old farmhouse located in the capital. The place gave space for three stages and so one could count on finest music of the genres that the so-called Dub Club Stage and the Reggae Story Stage were named after.
The main stage, the Wagwaan Stage, took on its name from the Wagwaan band who backed all the headline acts. 3 full hours with Mat Petelicki on guitar, Xarlee Green on bass, Marc Ortiz on drums, Toño on keyboards and adding -having „borrowed“ them from the local Reggae band Kaparoots- David and Josep on the saxophones.
The band played and played and played whilst the seven Spanish Reggae artists came on stage, interchanged stage, shared stage. The local artists performing were Calee Jah, Jaume Mas and El Hermano L. And the invited artists were Irie Angel from Barcelona (Catalonia), Irie Nanara from Gijón (Asturias), King Konsul from Eibar (Basque Country), and Lasai from Talavera de la Reina (Castile–La Mancha). Here we caught some footage of Lasai’s “Troddin” for you.
The beauty of it was that the fact that each artist stayed true to his own style and work but simultaneously succeeded to harmonise with the other artists until everything just culminated in the unification of all the singers and players of instruments on stage.
A great party and opportunity to listen in to the works of some of Spain’s most prominent Reggae artists. And all this in Inity!
from left to right: Xarlee Green (Wagwaan band), Calee Jah, Irie Angel, King Konsul, Lasai, Irie Nanara, El Hermano L
Text and photo: Ilona „ilo“ Kepic
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