The resident DJ of the day, Michele Poletto, who this year has also been DJing at Solé, Rototom’s beach bar in Castellón, punctually opened the evening in style. Then came the great live set of Shanty Powa from the Tyrol. With a clear sky, a band of 14 members appeared on stage, with 4 singers and a sound proposal that included reggae, rap, ska, funk and a lot of rock. Promising.

It was a nice return to the stage of the Rototom for Mediterranean Roots. After their performance in 2014, which left a good impression, they presented themselves in a more mature way with a completely new show. This year, the Valencian band was characterized by a more modern and powerful sound.

Then it was the turn of ska. The ska DJ’s for the day were Rub-I-Dub, who presented a very varied set which included ska, funk, soul and rock. Immediately after, it was the turn of the ska-jazz of Hammond York from Madrid. A band with a great experience even though the age of its members is not too high.

The Skints came from London to the Showcase with a loaded set. The historical band, described by Clash Music as a representative of the new reggae made in UK, demonstrated its ability to give Jamaican music a distinctive trait with a very typical sound. Great energy and a lot of well mixed styles in their show. Reggae, ska, dub, punk, rock, dancehall, grime and hip hop … only four on stage, with a very compact and powerful sound. Surely, we will be hearing more from them in the future.

It was not an easy task for the French Soulshiners to perform after the English Skints, but they were not the least intimidated by the large audience that was building up in front of the stage. At ten past four in the morning, the dub-new roots sound reinvigorated the crowd. Tropical Waves mixed with modern African sounds. Powerful and fun. Congratulations!

Then, there was only one band left to put an end to this fantastic twenty-third edition although the crowd seemed ready for another endless series of consecutive days.

At half past five in the morning it was time for the last one. The last of the bands that performed in the Showcase stage and in the whole of the Rototom Sunsplash in this edition came from Fortaleza, Brazil. A group which is becoming increasingly popular in its country and also throughout South America and after this participation, so will be in Europe too. They are called Donaleda and they did not betray the audience, who danced, danced and danced tirelessly with the rhythms played by the band. With a mild temperature, the President, Filippo Giunta, confirmed on the Main Stage that next year we will be back here. Until next edition then!

Some figures of this 2016 edition for the Showcase stage:

• 48 live concerts
• 88 hours, 5.280 minutes of music
• 448 artists on stage
• 22 DJ’s
• 8 resident DJ’s
• 56 DJ sets
• Artists from 20 different nationalities
• 14 different music styles
• 21 members of staff

Paul Stones