Avid collector and selector Sir Robin has been playing records for over 25 years and after arriving in Manchester back in ‘96 began to get seriously drawn into the world of reggae. This was largely due to living in Whalley Range (location of the carnival), a tape bought from a taxi driver on a drunken ride home and a good friend, none other than reggae connoisseur DJ Heala, who eventually helped to ID the tracks on that tape.
After befriending a few like minded souls the sound collective Longshot was formed which consequently led to club nights, festivals, free parties and even the carnival. By far the most significant was the formation of weekly reggae session Reggae Thursday which joined the dots between Manchester’s reggae sounds of the past and paved the way for a new wave of reggae loving youngsters, notably dub smugglers, dub and conductor and now successful producer Eeyun Delroy Purkins who were all regulars at the event.
Obsessive vinyl collecting followed and over the years Sir Robin had been lucky enough to play at events with Mungos Hi-fi, Tippa Irie, Earl Gateshead, Iration Steppas, Blood & Fire, Alex Patterson, Dennis Bovell and many other sounds and reggae selectors, not least some of Manchester’s foundation soundmen (Megatone, Baron, Cosmic, Freedom Masses, Nucleus Roots)- big shout out to shorty ranks from King Cosmic sound with whom collaborated for a second run of Reggae Thursdays.
Sir Robin’s selections delve deep through reggae history, from the sixties to the present, ska to dancehall to dubwize and is especially fond of reggae versions of songs from other genres.
