The pioneering dj collective of sound system and club culture in nz - this November, celebrating a mighty 10 years out of the blocks

1. press release header :
the roots foundation sound system - 10th birthday party !!!
(a story in 10 parts)

2. possible slugs :
roots foundation enters the next dimension !!
roots foundation eclipses big day out !!
roots foundation looking forward with pure glee to the next decade of bass-driven echo-heavy dubbing delights !!
roots foundation sound system turn 10
and still write their own press releases !!

3. blatant unashamed hype
roots foundation - the pioneering dj collective of sound system and club culture in nz - this november, celebrating a mighty 10 years out of the blocks- an average of 15 gigs a year - with an average attendance of around 400 bass-loving headz ... giving a combined total attendance of over 60,000 people since 1992 !! which is bigger than a big day out !! if you get creative with the arithmetic !! which is easy in the reggae business.... yes it is !!

4. second header :
the roots foundation sound system
10th birthday party !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sat 16 november 2002
sub nine/ studio nine / nine bar / edward st precinct - wellington city

doors open @ 10pm
" don't miss this heartbeat "

5. a rootical storyline :
from the humble beginnings in 1992 at taki rua theatre in alpha st wellington, the four core roots foundation djs (mu, lemon, koa & goosebump) and their various musical companions have built the roots foundation into - not only the southern hemispheres' longest running sound system / party night - but also nz's most respected dj collective, consistently rocking the dance floor with roots, reggae, dub, dancehall, hip hop, breaks, jungle, & 2 step !! definitely the only club night across new zealand that can truthfully use the phrase "full spectrum" in their press releases ........ although we do our best not to.

6. some kinda history
looking back .... the early years, 1992 -1997, showcasing acts like salmonella dub, the nomad, bongmaster, jules issa, bronz battlelion, tuffy culture, te uki ou drummers, stinky jim, 48 sonic (to name but a few).

developing the sound, refining & expanding the equipment .. adding the akai mpc, roland tape echo, various delay units, regular mc appearances and vj add -ons .......

cut to the year 2002 - its been a busy 10 months so far (how do they go so quick ?)... a strange start at the ill-fated "g2" gathering in takaka, onto the cuba st. carnival party alongside detroits' techno deckmaster derrick may, easter saturdays "dub ressurrection" in welli ... then a nationwide excursion dubbing the queen right around nz during the 50th jubilee weekend, onto an enormous sunday-night session for the world cup final (did anybody else on the entire globe put the football commentarty thru an echo machine and dub it right out ??? whoa guys ... you're getting edgy .....) ; mashing up auckland city once again with concord dawn & the black seeds @ the regent theatre, and ramming the all-night lee perry after-party last month at the re-vamped bar bodega

(who was that strange old man singing out of tune ?).

7. a little more hype
the massively anticipated roots foundation birthday celebrations are always suitably ballistic each year and the 10 year "decade of dub" session coming up will naturally be no exception.

a totally stellar line up of djs, musicians & friends past and present join the roots foundation sound system to blow out the ten candles ........and melt the wax on the acetate for the next 10 years .........

roots foundation sound system
10th birthday party !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
aotearos # 1 sound system - by public demand
" when we serve up the musical potion
... everyone gets the dancing motion !! "

boom - more bass !! celebrating a decade of reggae audio delivery "par excellence" 1992 - 2002, this all night session Nov. 16th showcases the very best in explosive roots sounds, dubwise & otherwise, across three booming zones, featuring on the night .......

8. the mother of all artist line ups:
roots selectors:
djs mu, lemon, koa, goosebump & dj manray
plus the echomaster
mike fabulous (black seeds)
setting the controls for the heart of dub

live artist appearances:
fat freddys drop & the smart dogs

plus special guest djs:
vee la roc, grasshopper, ruffian, dj art & dj recloose (planet e / detroit)

and the of course, the candle blowers:
the mighty asterix & mc imon star (rhombus)

9. a wee thank you
gotta say huge thanks going out to the folks at red bull (who have been there supporting us since they first arrived in nz, bless 'em)
cheers guys

10. ticketing infos & parting shot .......
presale tickets just $20 incl. b/f available from these fine wellington outlets:

real groovy records, cuba st
flipside records, bond st
chelsea records, manners mall
rex royale, cuba mall
the soul mine, kilbirnie
artikel, wakefield st

or nationally via:
real groovy records, auckland
echo records, christchurch

or thru tickitek outlets nationwide

"without roots, what have you got ?"

info & updates via the eye of obscure .......
http://obscure.co.nz

roots foundation - always shining .......
love is the foundation !!!!!!!!

pix, tix & further info:
contact john pell
thedubdecade@basstech.co.nz

10 a. not for publication:

just a personal note : indeed, yes, its a press release, just over 2 weeks away from the roots foundation 10th birthday bash ......by definition this should be hyping things up, giving you, the esteemed e-mail recipient (spam@junkmail.com --- for the 15th time this week already !!) " the next big thing " but really i was scratching my arse over labour weekend looking thru old pix and flyers and upon examining the loose hair on the floor discovered little or no residue of the global disco counter-culture explosion c. 1988, does that mean when we say we are old-school from '92 its an outright fib ?

ten years is a mighty long time yer .....

who knows, how the " hype " has managed to follow us, but it certainly has, and the crew of people (the djs, mcs, pa companies, designers, venues, radio stations, photographers, and the ticket-buying public !) who have been the backbone of the roots foundation since those early days (nights ?), maybe at the exchange bar in willis st or taki rua theatre in alpha st have kept it real all along, like the old school cats say "keep it real" - why thank you so much ...... it never ceases to amaze me as the djs progress in years (both in age and experience) --- how the crowds get younger and the music gets fresher ..... in my experience these all-night roots sessions are unique, special, legendary, and a thousand other adjectives my thesaurus can't find ...... as cliched as it might sound, they truly are a musical heartbeat, a snapshot in time, and none more so than the ones yet to come ...

well i guess the next big thing will be a 99.9% sliced-bread facsimile of the last big thing which thankfully means the essence of genuine talent will always belong to the fabled "underground", well nice work you found it right here, we are blessed indeed ..... the roots crew are all looking forward to the next decade of bass-driven echo-heavy dubbing delights ... see you on the 16th november ... good things are meant to last ...and if you are reading this and don't reside in wellington - don't worry, have you any idea how cheap plane tickets to the capital are these days ? ........ peace out : goosebump. oct '02