Pitchfork: Roots Manuva to Issue First LP Since 2001

Roots Manuva to Issue First LP Since 2001

The Atlantic Ocean thankfully insulates America and Europe from each other's epidemics. We mostly missed out on Mad Cow Disease, for example, and England remained largely uncontaminated by the compulsion to create two-hour albums that cut a swath through the credibility of so many unfortunate American rappers a few years ago. Maybe Rodney Smith could have used a little more exposure to Yankee excess, though; Smith (aka Roots Manuva) has taken almost three years to follow up 2001's Run Come Save Me, and in one song on the new album he even bemoans his own laziness. (That said, he also claims to own nothing except his own testicles, which may not be strictly true.)

But his laziness and testicles are along for the ride, finally, on Awfully Deep, due out January 31 via Big Dada. Yeah, that's a Monday, which means that no U.S. release date has been set. However, early adopters get a bonus disc of demos and remixes as a token of their dedication. Details:

01 Mind 2 Motion
02 Awfully Deep
03 Cause 4 Pause
04 Colossal Insight
05 Too Cold
06 A Haunting
07 Rebel Heart
08 Chin High
09 Babylon Medicine
10 Pause 4 Cause
11 Move Ya Loin (featuring Lotek)
12 Thinking
13 The Falling
14 Toothbrush

>> Bonus disc:
01 Chin High (Manuvadelics Version)
02 Too Cold (demo)
03 Colossal Insight (Manoustic At Reading)
04 Rebel Heart (Manuvadelics Version)
05 The Falling (demo)
06 This World Is Mine

Manuva has already released the lead single "Colossal Insight", featuring remixes by Royksopp, Soft Pink Truth, Part 2, and Jammer & Mizz Beatz on the maxi-single, and exclusive b-side "Things We Do" on the mini-single. Late in February Smith, and possibly his band the Manuvadelics, will tour:

02-23 Gateshead, England - The Sage
02-24 Leeds, England - Met University
02-25 Manchester, England - Academy 2
02-26 Birmingham, England - Academy
02-27 Glasgow, Scotland - The Arches
03-01 Cambridge, England - Junction
03-02 Bristol, England - Academy
03-03 Brighton, England - Concorde 2
03-04 London, England - Brixton Academy
03-15 Angers, France - Chabada
03-16 Rennes, France - Ubu
03-17 Paris, France - Maroquinerie
03-18 Lyon, France - Transbordeur
03-19 Zurich, Switzerland - Rota Fabric
03-20 Geneva, Switzerland - L'Usine
03-21 Vienna, Austria - Flex
03-23 Brussels, Belgium - AB Box
03-24 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso