Bradford-based dub maestro The Rootsman is hardly a household name in his home town.

And yet his albums are in great demand in unlikely Eastern European outposts of the pop world.

"I sell more records in Poland than I do here. It's a place where that whole scene is just developing," he said.

"People are very hungry for Western music, stuff like dub and jungle. It's a funny scene because there's a very close crossover between punk and reggae. I first went there in October 1996 and I've played to up to 550 people."

Sceptics may questions DJs' rights to be ranked alongside other musicians but no one should scoff at the punishing schedule which The Rootsman puts himself through, often playing for more than five hours and stopping only when breakfast time beckons.

And his new CD called Realms of the Unseen is also his most impressive.

It's the fourth solo album by The Rootsman, whose unique fusion combines African, Asian and Arabian sounds with dub reggae and jungle elements.

More than ever before on Realms of the Unseen he blends disparate sounds collected like a travelogue.

"I am always on the look-out. I can't switch off and I always have a tape recorder with me when I am on my travels. I recorded this guy in India while he was making Indian sweets and he was amazing," said The Rootsman.

"I have so many influences. I write stuff that I enjoy at the time and I have ideas and use samples and build up tracks like that."

He was well known for running the Dub Me Crazy series of nights in Bradford but has more recently concentrated on playing abroad.

"Since I have started to play places like Italy and France where people really have respect for my music I have been less interested in doing stuff in Bradford, to be honest," he said.

For more information on The Rootsman, send an e-mail to Thirdeye.music@virgin.net or write to Third Eye Music, PO Box 294, Bradford BD12 0YS.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.