Interview - Rootsman Saxophone (NL)

Reggae agenda meets Rootsman saxophone (NL)

"FESTIVAL REGGAEBUS IN BRUSSEL ENSURED MY COLLABORATION WITH BIGGER SOUNDSYSTEM NAMES
LIKE KING SHILOH, BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, CHANNEL ONE AND ABA SHANTI."

We saw Rootsman (Ruud van Korven) perform on multiple occasions and got impressed by the skills of this Saxophone player from the Netherlands. Rarely missing a note this talented youngster is really making a name for himself and we catched him playing at festivals like Reggae Geel, ReggaeBus, Dub Camp and Rototom Sunsplash alongside sounds and artists like King Shiloh Sound System, Aba-Shanti-i, Moa Anbessa, Blackboard Jungle and many more!

Rootsman also is a part of the Utrecht based reggae formation Independant Intavenshan and his roots are with the Pacha Mama and Covenant Sound System Family from Den Bosch. We will probably see this man around a lot upcoming summer so we thought it was time to get to know this conscious hornsman a little bit better…

Please tell us who you are and where you are from ?
My name Is Ruud van Korven, I will become 27 years old next month and I am born and raised in Heusden, a medieval town near Den Bosch.

For how long the Saxophone is a part of your life now ?
When I was a kid I did an overall music course to try different instruments and learned basic music theory. I immediately fell in love with the saxophone when I first tried it and I started to practice the saxophone for only one year in a Brabant’s Harmony. During that time I developed other interests like playing outside and playing playstation games and so I stopped practicing the saxophone.

2008 was the year that I went to my first reggae festival with my good friends Wouter (Pacha Mama selector) and Menno who passed away a year ago. We saw the performance of my legend Dean Fraser and that was the moment that I told my friends that I wanted to play the saxophone again. When I came home I immediately hired a sax and searched for a saxophone teacher.

Playing any other instruments?
No my focus have always been with only the saxophone.

What came first when you were younger the love for your saxophone or the love for reggae music?
My love for the saxophone developed because of reggae music when I went to my first reggae festival in 2008.

"It all started being involved with Pacha Mama soundsystem from Den Bosch. We started to build our own soundsystem around 2010. That was also the time that we started to go to all the soundsystem events in the Netherlands and Belgium and I learned about the soundsystem scene and culture"

Rootsman playing ls. Nish Wadada @ International Dub Gathering, Barcelona

Pacha Mama Sound, a part of Rootsman's foundation back in the days

When did you first combined reggae music with your saxophone and why ?
When I started practicing the saxophone and started to have lessons I also combined reggae and playing sax. From the beginning I tried to play along with reggae music. I practiced improvisation and tried to learn saxophone solos that I heard in the music I was listening to in that time.

Which are the artists you started listening to when you discovered reggae music ?
I started listening to popular reggae music like Bob Marley.
After that time I discovered bands and artists like Groundation, Gentleman, Ziggi Recado Alborosie, Midnite and Dean Fraser. But I had still not experienced the soundsystem scene in that time.

Would you also be playing the saxophone without reggae music ?
You never know what life brings you but in my occasion my friend Wouter always had a big influence on the music I was listening to. If I didn’t meet Wouter I think I would never have experienced my first reggae festival and I wouldn’t have fell in love with the saxophone because I wouldn't have saw the live performance of Dean Fraser.

How did you get involved in the soundsystem scene?
It all started being involved with Pacha Mama soundsystem from Den Bosch. We started to build our own soundsystem around 2010. That was also the time that we started to go to all the soundsystem events in the Netherlands and Belgium and I learned about the soundsystem scene and culture. In 2012 Pacha mama started to cooperate with Covenant soundsystem (Den bosch) who are part of my roots as well. We started to organize a recurring event called Rewind where we coupled both sounds in the W2 in Den Bosch and invited different guests like King Shiloh, Slimmah Sound, Strawl, Addis Pablo, Brother Culture, Murray man, I jah salomon and Lyrical benjie. At this moment people started to know me. I was performing live at different soundsystem sessions with improvisations on my sax. In this time I decided to make an artist facebook page and named myself "Rootsman".

Pacha Mama Sound System (NL)

You started a cooperation with Eleni Demetriou and she will be your manager in the upcoming years. Also she runs a sound called Syrina Sound. What are your future plans with this cooperation?
Yes I'm very happy to announce Eleni has just started to manage me. I want to focus on playing and recording music and I think its good to give away my communications with festivals and arranging my performances. I believe Eleni will be a great opportunity for me to grow as a soundsystem saxophonist and a big step forward to more performances.

Next month you are going to London for studio sessions with for example Channel One Sound System. That makes us very curious… What can we expect from that trip?
I have good connections with Channel one Soundsystem coming from London and I have played regularly with them on events like reggaebus, Reggae Geel, Dub Gathering and Rototom Sunsplash. Since the first time we met they asked me to come and play in London and now that time has finally come. I will join Channel One in their monthly session in Village underground in February and hope we will have some time to spend in the studio as well.

Rootsman & Channel One Sound at International Dub Gathering in Barcelona (2016)

Rootsman playing with Christine Alpha & Omega

We have seen you on many Soundsystem sessions around, which session was your favourite so far and why?
This is a hard question because dreams came true last year, I had my first release on vinyl on Indica dubs label (conquering horns), recorded a Moa Anbessa His foundation dubplate and I have had an awesome festival summer. I played at Dub gathering, Dubcamp, Reggae Geel and Rototom sunsplash and made new connections with many soundsystems and artists.

Playing at reggae Geel’s 18inch corner in the woods is the most special for me because this festival is a tradition for me and I came there since 2009 with my closest friends. I also have a lot of good memories of Reggae Geel with my friend Menno who passed away a year ago. I believe that this tragic happening also plays a big part of my success because through this tragic happening I totally focused on music last year. This tattoo represents the great memories I had with Menno and is inspired by the artwork of Ras Mykha.

You are in the reggae formation Independant Intavenshan as well, what can you tell us about this band?
Independent Intavenshan is a roots reggae band based in Utrecht. Lead singer Ozzie saw me playing at soundsystem events and asked me to join his band, which didn’t have a horns section anymore. I’m involved with Independent Intavenshan for three years now and nowadays we are a full reggae band with 10 musicians. We just released our 2nd album 'Rub a dub emergency' on vinyl.

Some hornsman prefer to play solo, some are more comfortable in a horns section. What do you prefer and why?
I’m much more comfortable as a solo artist but I like to play in horn sections as well. I think my popularity as Rootsman is due to my improvisation skills. I also never read music so for that reason I’m more comfortable as a solo artist. When I started to play saxophone with Independent Intavenshan I was improvising all the time. That had to change when we had a trombone player in the band and because of him I had to start to play typical horn section melodies. I think I am still learning a lot and would love to grow as a horn section saxophonist as well.

Being part of the Pacha Mama and Covenant soundsystem family and a band you must be everywhere this summer, where do you find the time and energy to do all this?
Like I said before last year I totally focused on music and besides that I work in a bar to pay my rent. I’m very happy and lucky that my employers of the bar totally support me in my musical journey so I get free for all my performances. I hope to finish my study on food technology next month and after the coming summer I will try to find a part-time job in this field of work. Music will always be part of my life and it is very important for me to make time to practice, record and perform. Reggae music and playing saxophone is my medicine!

Big up Reggae agenda for doing this interview with me and supporting me all the time!
Blessed love!

www.saxophonerootsman.com
www.facebook.com/saxophonerootsman