Soothsayers are a London-based collective that reach far beyond the restrictive clichés of ‘World Music.’ Blending the pulsating rhythms of Afrobeat with the sonic adventurousness of dub reggae and urban jazz, Soothsayers shook up the jaded music scene with their acclaimed debut album, Lost City. They followed this with Tangled Roots, an exceptional release that defies standard classifications: the West African roots music that fired Fela Kuti’s rebellion is filtered through the deeply seductive dub experimentation of Lee Perry, King Tubby and Augustus Pablo, while funk, hip hop and other contemporary elements yield a complex sound firmly lodged in London’s broader musical experience. Soothsayers is a band brought together by unusual coincidences and, when they hear the music or see a live performance, many say destiny . The main writers and conceptual leaders of Soothsayers, Red Earth Records and the wider Red Earth Collective are Idris Rahman and Robin Hopcraft. The producers met in the late 1990s while working together as a horn section for reggae producer , Mad Professor. They realised they had similar musical passions and an affinity for each other's playing. They decided to work together and call themselves Soothsayers, a name which suggests something of the deep and mystical power they felt for the music they began to study and create. A chance meeting with the Nigerian elder and artist, musician, master drummer and singer, Adesose Wallace, at a benefit gig for the late Nigerian writer Ken Sarowiwa inspired further collaboration and songwriting. The Fela protege grew up in Sierra Leone and Nigeria where his mother ran the old Afro Spot nightclub in downtown Lagos. In his early days he toured extensively across West Africa with Hugh Masakela and was a regular at Fela's shrine compound. Soothsayers then found themselves bonding with Togolese bass player, Kodjovi Kush. The son of a diplomat and speaker of 10 languages, he was schooled in Israel but has settled in London. Kush, as he is known to his friends, is a long time devotee to Rastafari. Idris' sister, the Mercury Music Prize-nominated Jazz keyboardist Zoe Rahman was incorporated into expanding sound as well as master drummer Patrick Illingworth, whose credits include work with the Cinematic Orchestra, singer-songwriter Sia and groundbreaking dance music act 808 State. The line up was completed by guitarists Phil Dawson, who has worked with many international African stars like Tony Allen and Natasha Atlas, and Derek Johnson whose Dub Asante band back reggae vocalists Horace Andy, Johnny Clarke, Michael Rose among others. Soothsayers have become known for their amazing live performances that take the audience on a mystical and exciting, afro funk fuelled , dubalicious journey. Last year fans were treated to memorable performances at Glastonbury festival, Italian roots festival Rotottom , North Sea Jazz Festival and many other events throughout the Uk and Europe. The dynamic live act with thumping grooves, killer horn lines and uplifting vocal melodies has grown ever tighter over the last year making them one of the best live acts on the scene. Soothsayers are able to unify influences from varied genres with a common purpose to create something unique and satisfying. Imagine what might happen if King Tubby and Fela Kuti lived next door to each other in South London in 2008, and you’re getting close to what Soothsayers are all about. Soothsayers' recorded output includes two albums with worldwide release (“Lost City” and “Tangled Roots”) as well as a recent Japanese release entitled “The Time is Now” which incorporates tracks from these albums as well as new as yet unreleased material. As well as this, Soothsayers’ own label Red Earth Records has released a number of vinyl singles including a successful 10 inch of “Blinded Souls” with remixes by Quantic and Mad Professor, and more recently a 7 inch of “Bad Boys” featuring the legendary Johnny Clarke, and featuring a Manasseh dub on the B side, which is taken from their forthcoming album of dubwise collaborations, which is due for release later this year. As well as the regular band you will hear an array of guest vocalists on Soothsayers' recordings: the Nigerian "Blu Funk" vocalist and guitarist Keziah Jones features on the funky meltdown "Freedom"; the sublime "Love and Money" presents the beautiful vocals of 'Chimurenga soul' princess Netsayi Chigwendere and Griot Guinean Kora player and singer Mosi Condi floats over the hypnotically dubbed out "We Must Return"; Faithless star Maxi Jazz collaborated very successfully with a darkly humourous commentary on modern fast living “Instant Hit”, which is Soothsayers' own dubbed up version of an old Osibisa classic. More recently, Soothsayers have been working with some of Jamaica’s roots legends including Johnny Clarke, Michael Prophet and Linval Thompson, as well as some rising stars of the British music scene including Rikky Rankin, HKB Finn and Mellow Baku for an album which they will release later this year. Instrumentation Idris Rahman - Sax / vocals, Robin Hopcraft Trumpet/ vocals , Derek Johnson - Guitar, Kodjovi Kush - bass, Patrick Illingworth - drums , Adesose Wallace - percussion -vocals , Phil Dawson Guitar, Zoe Rahman- Keyboards. Discography Cd albums: Lost City (2002), Tangled Roots (2006), The Time is Now - (release due in Japan ..June 2008.) 10" Vinyl - Blinded Souls (Quantic and MAd Professor Mixes) , 7" Vinyl - Bad Boys - Soothsayers meets Johnny Clarke. 7" Vinyl - Love Fire - Soothsayers meets Michael Prophet.