U-Roy & The Robotiks (30 Aug)

Jazz Café present U-Roy and the Mad Professor a heavyweight bill of two of reggae’s most influential dub and roots rock artists.

Ewart Beckford , aka U Roy, received his famous moniker from a young family member unable to correctly pronounce Ewart, brings his inimitable old school DJ style for one night in the Capital.

For four decade the legendary vocalist U-Roy has been one of the main proponents of the Rastafarian movement. His performance with The Robotiks will be live mixed by one of dub music’s leading contemporary producers, Mad Professor.

U-Roy’s rise to fame was slow, and took almost a decade before he broke through. He began back in 1961, DJing at the Doctor Dickie’s Dynamite sound system. However it was John Holt’s influence that saw him release some of his most famous tunes like “Wake the Town”, “Girl I’ve Got a Date”, “Wear You to the Ball”.

U-Roy continued to record intermittently throughout the ’80s, recording “Hustling”, for Gussie Clarke, in 1984, and two excellent albums for DJs turned producer Tapper Zukie and Prince Jazzbo, in 1986 and 1987 respectively.

In the mid-nineties he linked up with the Mad Professor and produced a number of tunes featuring Sandra Cross and a remix of “Hurt So Good” with Susan Cadogan.
U-Roy is the man who is responsible for putting the DJ on the map, both as recording artist in Jamaica and as a major indirect influence on the US rappers. As such his importance is immense.

The whole show will be mixed by the Mad Prof’s, a producer known for his pioneering take on production that brought dub into a whole new realm, transforming it from its root origin into a futuristic sound.

With the two giants of reggae music together on stage, expect a night of dub, roots and old style DJing the likes of which has not been seen at the Jazz Café in a long while.

30 Aug, Jazz Café, NW1 7PG, £15. 9pm www.jazzcafe.co.uk