Slime & Reason

Rodney's inspiration for 'Slime & Reason' has come from looking back to his roots, the music that moved him even before he heard hip-hop. "With this record I was trying to tune into that old Channel One, Studio One aesthetic. Lord knows what they were drinking, smoking or eating or what they were doing or what was on their mind but to me that was a special period in music. Today, with the technology that's available it's pretty easy to make generic music. But to tap into a unique aesthetic, to make a long player that is of its own world is a harder job. How do we make it have an individual sound?"

There's no shortage of individuality on 'Slime & Reason'. While it's a record that commentators have compared to 'Run Come Save Me' for its range, depth & impact, everything here sounds as unique, as utterly one-off, as the mind of the man who created it.

Rodney's own productions range from the skanking carnival anthem "Again & Again"; through the melancholy funk of "C.R.U.F.F."; the electro-Bach rhythms of "Kick Up Ya Foot"; the lof-fi gospel of "A Man's Talk"; the roots stylings of "The Show Must Go On"; and the analog-synth attack of "It's Me Oh Lord". But as a vocalist, Roots Manuva has also been reinvigorated working with young producers Toddla T (who has done remixes Hot Chip and Roisin Murphy) & Metronomy (who has remixed the Klaxons; Franz Ferdinand; + Kate Nash).

There are three Toddla T tracks here (including "Buff Nuff", the first single taken from the album) and they represent some of the funniest, most loose-limbed music Rodney has produced in years. In addition, Metronomy's "Let the Spirit" is one of the standouts of the record - a gorgeous piece of "blue-eyed" electro-funk which will be soundtracking our lives for a long time to come.