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Aqua Livi & The RootsImansion are a roots reggae band based in Reading, England. Aqua and his band have been performing and recording for a number of years and despite changes in the RootsImansion’s line up the conscious message and high quality of traditional reggae delivered has never been stronger.
Aqua and his band are truly an uplifting live
experience and over the years they have shared the stage with many
reggae legends including; Horace Andy, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Ini Kamoze,
Misty In Roots, Bim Sherman, The Abysinnians, Jah Shaka, Mad
Professor, Macka B, Earl Sixteen, Half Pint, Ras Michael, Johnny
Clarke, Justin Hinds, Peter Tosh's son Andrew Tosh and many more. |
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Aqua Livi Lead Vocals |
Aqua Livi was raised on music, his father owned a record shop and this was his foundation for a love of music, as a teenager in the 70’s Aqua started toasting on Reading's emerging sound system scene and it wasn’t long before Aqua (then known as Aqua Levi) started his own sound called ‘Sir Masai Downbeat’. In the early 80’s Aqua teamed up with friends to start Reading’s first roots reggae band called ‘Urban Warrior’, this band enjoyed much success on the live circuit and performed all over the UK, Europe and even as far a field as Japan. Urban Warrior also became the first international reggae band to tour Sudan. By the mid 80’s Urban Warrior had disbanded but Aqua and a couple of other former members went on to start a new band called ‘The Roots Dimension’ and in 1986 they released their first single ‘Who Is Gonna Try’. Further singles over the next couple of years saw the band establish a solid reputation but it was the release of their 1989 ‘Bustin Loose’ album that really put them on the map. Aqua’s vocal and lead guitar skills firmly established him as the front man for the band and it wasn’t long before the band was renamed Aqua Levi and The RootsImension. During the early 90’s the band spent much time touring and this period saw the release of singles like ‘His Foundation’, ‘Gather My Children’ and the excellent ‘Babylon Must Set Me Free’ which received heavy play from people like Joey Jay and the king of roots sounds Jah Shaka. 1993 saw the release of another album ‘Come For Your World’ which included live recordings and a collection of new material. |
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Julie T Backing Vocals |
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Gilly Lead Guitar |
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Bob Drums |
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Izzy Saxaphone |
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Ross Bass Guitar |
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Solo Percussion |
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In 1994 while Aqua was in Jamaica he also recorded an album for the late Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd who was the legendary producer and owner of 'Studio One' (the reggae equivalent of Motown). Sadly this album has never been released but we can only hope that one day it will be unearthed from the Studio One archives. In the mid 90’s Aqua’s faith resulted in a name change for him and the band to Aqua Livi and the RootsImansion and the next few years saw the bands popularity on the live circuit in the UK and Europe continue to grow and grow. During this time Aqua also started working on material for his next album and in 1999 Aqua Livi and The RootsImansion released critically acclaimed ‘He’s My Guide’ which to date this has been their most successful release. |
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Discography: 1986 - Who Is Gonna Try (7")
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Audio Clips:
Stop The
Shooting |
The new millenium has seen Aqua and his band continue to tour and entertain reggae fans all over the UK and Europe, including some notable performances at the massive Womad Festival in Reading and The Reggae Festival of Wales. 2004 saw Aqua Livi release an excllent single 'Stop The Shooting' recorded on the 'Be Real' riddim. The great news for all roots reggae fans is that Aqua is currently working on his next album, it is likely to be called ‘Cast Your Bread’ and from the couple of tracks we’ve heard so far in live shows it’s promising to be their greatest works yet.
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