RSD (Smith & Mighty – Bristol, UK)
Bristol, UK’s Rob Smith is the veteran dub producer behind
the RSD moniker. Smith has been at the center of UK sound system
culture since 1987, working alongside Ray Mighty in the influential
dub/downtempo electronic outfit Smith & Mighty. The duo are
rightly considered as influential as Bristol greats like Massive
Attack and the Full Cycle crew and their 1995 album Bass Is
Maternal (More Rockers/!K7) is considered a trip-hop classic. In
’02 Smith released the huge dubby garage track “B-Line
Fi Blow,” while more recently he turned his subbass skills
toward dubstep audiences with a slew of material on Peverelist's
Punch Drunk label and Pinch's Tectonic and Earwax outlets,
connecting Bristol's sound system heritage with today’s
styles. This year RSD released the singles collection Good Energy
on Punch Drunk. Surefire Sound is proud to present this dub and
bass legend at its monthly event at the Triple Crown.
MANEESH TWISTER ( Surya Dub – SF)
Maneesh the Twister is founder of Surya Dub, a groundbreaking
monthly club night that established the Dread Bass sound. His
vision is to unite all dubwize communities from roots reggae,
dubstep and ragga to breakbeat, drum ‘n’ bass and
bhangra. He was also co-founder of the Dhamaal Artist Collective,
which championed South Asian audio hybrids for over seven years.
Maneesh has varied tastes and spins dub reggae, dubstep, breakbeat,
drum ‘n’ bass, dancehall, global beats, and anything
with bass. Being heavily influenced by dub reggae, he is also a
resident of the US’s longest running weekly dub and roots
club night, Dub Mission, which is 12+ years and dubbing!
TOMAS A.K.A. Dub I.D. (Umoja Hi-Fi, Voltage Music Label - SF)
DJ Tomas is a San Francisco and LA music mainstay. In 1993 the Bay
Area native co-founded the six-man reggae/jazz/soul/hip-hop Umoja
Hi-Fi sound system in LA producing clubs like B-Side and Goa Dub
while broadcasting KXLU-FM’s main reggae radio show for seven
years. In 2000 he co-founded the Voltage Music label, one of
America’s first dubstep imprints. Tomas produces music as Dub
I.D. and Double Identity for Voltage and other labels and is a
co-host on KUSF’s weekly Friday Night Session radio show.
Since March ’09 he’s held down the monthly Roots
Roadblock night at Koko Cocktails in addition to guest appearances
at Dub Mission, Afrofunke (LA), Underground SF and more.
Hosted by MC DUH (Shelter - SF)
MC Duh, or Max to his friends, is one of the Bay’s most
versatile microphone doctors, with the ability to switch from
ragga-style chats to freestyle hip-hop MCing on a dime. He’s
blessed the mic at raves all over the US and notable for his
long-standing residencies at drum & bass nights like Eklektic
and Shelter. Expect the unexpected with this much respected master
of rough and rugged poetry.
Talk