Majestic Roots Sound System is the creation of Mikey Downbeat, a stalwart of the reggae scene in Aotearoa. A deep roots selector, Mikey has a long history of playing roots, dub and reggae to audiences in New Zealand and internationally, including five years on 95bFM in Auckland and five years in Ireland and the U.K.
After collecting and deejaying reggae for over twenty years, the inspiration to build a set came to fruition this year, inspired by local and international sound systems and the desire to play and present reggae music in a true form. ‘I went to a dance one night and was frustrated when I came home and listened to the same tunes I heard the night before sound weak my home stereo. I really wanted to hear my music presented the same way. I wanted my records to run through a system that made trousers flap and the air vibrate’.
The sound has been handmade by Mikey over the course of 2016. He says, ‘It wouldn’t have got this far without the goodwill of several friends in the music industry. I was given an amp and a couple of 18” drivers and it started from there. In 2017, my goal is to expand the bass section and start playing for the public around the Bay of Plenty.’
With a deep respect for the artists and creators of reggae music, Mikey has this message, ‘Please support the artists – buy their releases and go to their events. Because without them, we’d have nothing to play.’
The selection of music in these two mixes is just a sample of the style that Majestic Roots will play.
More info:
Majestic Roots Facebook
NiceUp SoundCloud
NiceUp MixCloud
