In 2020 one of Balkan’s best-known soundsystems and producer duos will be celebrating their 20th anniversary of their musical journey.
Although the two main selectors come from a different musical background influenced by all kinds of musical genres, Pier and Fu based themselves in positive reggae vibes. Reggae became the one genre with which they could most identify themselves and a kind of a platform to express their love of music. As enthusiastic as they were at the beginning, Pier and Fu still promote their sound by compiling mixtapes – Kus Kus, which represents strictly Reggae, Dub, Dancehall selection, and Shishmish, based on Reggae selection but with all kind of derivates, and hosting radio shows on FM and internet radio frequencies. Their sound and style was so unique that they quickly gained on popularity and their trademark sound successfully spread out across their home country borders.
In the past 20 years, RIS name was featured on most venues and festival line-up’s in the region, promoting reggae sounds shuffled around derivates such as jungle, drum’n’bass, grime and dubstep. They have had a chance to share a stage and host many world-known DJ and MC’s names – David Rodigan, DJ Marky, Mala, LTJ Bukem, David Boomah, DJ Shepdog, Navigator MC, to name a few.
Known for their live shows full of banging tunes that drew a crowd, they started making their own production in 2009 and testing it out on live shows. Their debut was the riddim “Raja Raja” produced in collaboration with the Bosnian Baga Sound that made a big buzz in the Balkans. A banging version of Mikael Rose’s Shoot Out (John John Production) is “Gangsta Shoot”, featured on the mixtape Shishmish 2. The duo’s first official release was a remix of Kiril Dzajkovski’s song “Jungle Shadow”, who is an internationally acclaimed Macedonian electronic musician, which was published by the German label Breaks per Minute. Another artist to hit big with was a Slovenian vocalist Alexandra Ilijevski, whose song “Vedno Sam” featured on a compilation by Radio Slovenia’s Second Channel Val 202. Pier and Fu continued to be active in their recording studio, and more offers came by. The Canadian Interchill Records also got in the RIS vibe, and “No War” was produced – an easy skankin’ reggae bass track with original vocals recorded by Pier in Jamaica. Another Balkan collaboration hit was made, when RIS teamed up with a Bosnian crossover band Dubioza Kolektiv to remix the track “Tranzicija” featured on their latest studio album. Supporting the sweet reggae vocal by David Boomah in 2013, RIS featured on a track “Where Do We Go From Here” on his debut album. In 2018, the summerish drum’n’bass remix “#Proljeće” was featured on the remixed album of the currently most active Croatian band Brain Holidays, which is a remix version of their original third studio album. However, it looks like 2020 will be marked with a couple of new banging drum’n’bass remixes, one of which is a soulful love story “Zgrešen klic” (engl. Missed Call) freshly produced for a Slovenian compilation Sladica 20 featuring a young and aspiring local rapper Skova.
The broad musical foundation reflecting in the music production of the RootsInSession has made them one of the most wanted producers duos in the Balkan region supporting established artist Edo Maajka, Bad Copy, Frenkie, TBF, Klemen Klemen, Emkej etc. For the past few years, Roots In Session are actively promoting and spreading their love for the soundsystem culture. They are one of the first soundsystems in Slovenia with the main goal or better said a missionn to explore the roots of music and share the positive message of music in general.
LINKS
https://www.facebook.com/RootsInSession
https://www.instagram.com/rootsinsession_sound
https://twitter.com/rootsinsession
https://soundcloud.com/roots-in-session
http://www.youtube.com/user/RootsInSessionSounds
https://www.mixcloud.com/RootsInSession/stream
