The Road to Rototom contest has its winners. Iyaman Pablo & Irie Reggae Vibes, Sotabosc and Mountain Tops are the three acts selected in the second edition of the competition to be part of the Welcome Party on August 16, at the 31st edition of the international Rototom Sunsplash festival, which will return to Benicàssim this summer.
The selection of the winning bands combined the assessment of a specialized jury, responsible for 80% of the score, and public participation through open voting on the contest platform, which accounted for the remaining 20%.
The winning bands
IYAMAN PABLO & Irie Reggae Vibes |
SOTABOSC |
MOUNTAIN TOPS |
Iyaman Pablo Irie Reggae Vibes
Iyaman Pablo Irie Reggae Vibes opens the winners’ list, a roots reggae musical project led by Galician artist Pablo Cameselle from Puerto del Rosario (Canary Islands). He joins the Rototom lineup with a performance that champions the most classic essence of the genre.
Sotabosc
From Barcelona comes the project driven by Víctor Aiza, bringing a unique sound identity that converges reggae, dub, and Mediterranean roots. It builds a musical universe with a strong personality and lyrics full of critical awareness that connect with social and political reality. Àrid is their latest work (2025), following their debut with Hàbitat.
Mountain Tops
This is a 9-member band from Cantabria formed in 2021. They join the Rototom lineup with a proposal inspired by Jamaican roots and British reggae that pays homage to nature and social consciousness. In 2025, they will release their first showcase-style album, Global Warning, produced by Roberto Sánchez.
Welcome Party Details
The three bands will perform at the Rototom Sunsplash 2026 welcome party, a special day that will officially open the next edition of the festival under the motto “The Place to Be”. It will bring together over eight hours of live music at the Benicàssim venue.
- Free access: For those with any type of festival ticket.
- Individual ticket: Also open to the public without a ticket, priced at 15 euros.
The best welcome to the 31st anniversary, which will officially take place from August 17 to 22, with daily programming that will once again fuse music and dialogue, social and environmental awareness, well-being, gastronomy, and fun.
The criteria
Public and Jury To choose these three artists, a scoring system was applied that balances audience passion with professional rigor (20% public vote and 80% professional jury). We deeply appreciate the work of our expert committee, composed of: Miguel Camaño (Radio 3/RNE), Iñigo Castro (Txapel Reggae), Eloi Contreras (Nowa Reggae), Bruno Giusti (Rototom Sunsplash), Alex Kurh (Reggae Boa), Xoán Lois Vila (Minho Reggae), Carlos Monty (Journalist), Javier Pulpo (Extremareggae), and José Carlos Ramos (Do the Reggae).
Boosting emerging talent
With Road to Rototom, the Exodus Foundation consolidates a platform aimed at boosting emerging talent and giving visibility to projects from the national scene linked to reggae, dancehall, ska, dub, and their multiple contemporary fusions. The initiative has the collaboration of Rototom and SGAE and reinforces the festival’s commitment to supporting musical creation and opening its programming to new voices from the national scene.
