(From left) Chronixx, Jah9 and Jesse Royal performing at Rototom Sunsplash festival in Spain, recently. (PHOTO: ROTOTOM SUNSPLASH FESTIVAL)
ORGANISERS of the annual Rototom Sunsplash festival say the August 16-23 show in Benicassim, Spain achieved its objective of appealing to a new demographic.
Katia Brollo, a Rototom spokesperson, credits the appearance of neo roots-reggae acts with attracting new fans to the festival which was first held in Gaio di Spilimbergo, Italy in 1991.
“The main objective of this year’s show was to increase the visibility of the reggae renaissance, giving the opportunity to the exponents of this movement to come to Rototom and porform on the main stage of the festival,” Brollo told the Jamaica Observer. “Jah9, Kabaka Pyramid, Jesse Royal and Chronixx offered high-quality concerts.”
Brollo added: “We could become the bridge between the historic reggae performers like Jimmy Cliff, Luciano and Alpha Blondy and contemporary hip hop dance icons such as Sean Paul, Shaggy and Lauryn Hill.”
She noted that veterans such as Cliff, Luciano and Inner Circle helped the festival maintain its core demographic (ages 20 to 45).
The Rototom Festival, which is the largest of Europe’s summer reggae festivals, again comprised workshops looking at ways to improve the reggae product, as well as reflecting on the music’s history.
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