JAH ROOTS is specialized in creating riddims. New, original riddims. They have been playing together for over a decade (in this formation). The reason why Jah Roots creates riddims rather then songs written out from start to stop is because the main objective of the tracks is to make DUB tracks of them. This particular art of re-mixing reggae music, especially when done live, requires a lot of improvisation from both the musicians as well as the Dub mixer.

A typical Jah Roots session, which takes place on a weekly basis, consists of the following: After setting up the most necessary equipment, the band starts to play. Sometimes an arrangement, sometimes a bassline or even a drum roll, and a riddim comes into existence. Imro and Erik lay down a heavy foundation of drum and bass, while Sure Dread is touching his keys as if there were two players hitting the black and white buttons and Messian Dread sings and mixes everything live.

IMRO FEDOR - When you say "Imro", you say "Rhythm". This founding member of the band has studied many rhythms, builds his own hand drums, and has spent years and years playing drums many hours a day. He knows his instrument like you know your name.

MESSIAN DREAD - Founding member and notorious for his DUBwise mixing. His works are quite popular under the online reggae community. He mystically turns Jah Roots music into DUB as well. MD also plays some percussion and sings with the band.

STEVE - This versatile artist, who also drew the cover for Messian Dread's album MESSENJAH DUB, participates in Jah Roots projects since 1989. He plays killer basslines, writes deep lyrics and plays a good Reggae Skank on the six string instrument called the Guitar.

SURE DREAD - Sure Dread joined Jah Roots at age 14 in 1988, and has developed his own style of playing very melodic keyboard lines ever since. Many love his solo works. He has played on concerts with only drum and bass as other instruments and the people loved it!

Initially he was the drummer, as he invited others to join, under which Imro Fedor. Later on, the two swapped their place, and Imro became the drummer while Messian Dread turned singer. 

At first, the five original members of the band couldn't really play. But they had at least two things in common: a love for Reggae Music and a desire to play it. 

And so they played for months and months in an appartment somewhere in Fryslân. This appartment was used by two other bands too, a Hardcore Punk band called "No Death" and a New Wave band called "EliJah". 

And that was not the only thing, as people gathered every wednesday to see one of the three bands and reason about Jah, the Creator. This youthman collective was organized under the name "Fools", but unfortunately doesn't exist anymore.

In fact, Jah Roots is the only activity still left of this all. But in 1987, many activities were held, many concerts given and organized too, even though the band couldn't really play that well then. 

Around 1988, a dreadlocked brethren from French Guyane, and living about 150 miles from the place where the Jah Roots members lived, heard a tape from the band and decided to help them out. 

The tape made it clear, that the band didn't really know that much about chords, for example. Imagine the sound, the band hopes you'lll never hear it. 

The group owes a lot to the brethren BERTRAND, who founded in Belgium the band ZION DESTINY.

 Later, in 1989, Sure Dread joined the band at age 14 and this was a truly welcome addition, because he is a natural talent with a strong love for Reggae Music. 

Around the same time, a brethren originally from the UK joined the group to play guitar and bass and to sing songs, too. Steve has also painted the front cover for the Messian Dread CD MESSENJAH DUB and has written many songs for the band. 

During the first 5 years of it's existance, the band had many members, but after that a hard-core was formed and they are still the driving forces of the band. 

As said, throughout the last part of the 1980's and the early 1990's, the band has performed much, as a regular reggaeband and mainly for small audiences. 

Jah Roots has truly come a long way, but they are all auto-didacts (self learners) with -in the meantime- a long time experience in music.