en – about MD

ABOUT MANUEL

“It was the 9th of March 2010 when the call came. It was from an old friend, but one who up until that day had never phoned me. That in itself gave me an immediate jolt of unease.

I had just graduated and was planning a trip to Madagascar with Manuel, my twin brother from another mother. We were born the same day of the same year, and were practically inseparable from that moment on.
In Madagascar a one-off special Iration Steppas set was waiting for us, the perfect event to celebrate graduation and the start of a new beginning.

Manuel and I shared the same passion for dub music and roots culture, and always thought about organizing an event like that in our native Sicily. On that day we still had a lifetime of friendship ahead of us, with many more dances to go to, places to see, things to experience.

But then came the call…”

Manuel had been killed in a car crash, aged 24.

It was from the brutal feeling of powerlessness that came from this tragedy that Manuel Dub was born, that same year, to pay tribute to Manuel Asaro, a friend so close he was almost a part of me.
It was made possible by the strength in adversity of Manuel’s closest friends, who dedicated their time, energy and spirit to make sure they could say goodbye to Manuel with a party celebrating his life.

We couldn’t have started this adventure in any way differently from the way things went down at Manuel Dub #1: Iration Steppas and Vibronics tore apart the venue with truly special sets, just as Manuel would’ve wanted. It was a night that remained in the hearts of all involved, as well as in the history of Sicilian roots and dub music as the site of the first dub festival in Italy. After that night we knew we couldn’t the first year be the last, and thanks to a lot of hard work it grew bigger and better each year, and this year will be the 4th edition.

Manuel Dub is a strictly not-for-profit event dedicated to the memory of Manuel. On the one hand, this has enabled us to host some of dub music’s finest artists who after feeling moved by the energy, dedication and love that goes into the event agree to perform for a reduced fee or even free of charge. On the other hand it means that we are in constant need of funding to make it happen and keep it going.

We set up this site as a space to ask for donations, both large and small, from people who share our passion for real music and our dream of Manuel Dub surviving, growing and hopefully becoming one of the best music festivals in Italy.
For this year’s festival we still need to buy some flight tickets for the artists and to give the venue a festival vibe with some shaded chill-out zones with hammocks, so please donate whatever you can, no matter how little – we really need all the help we can get!

The Manuel Dub line up has always been international, having hosted the likes of Aba-Shanti I, Iration Steppas, DanMan, Vibronics, Madu, Parvez (The Dub Factory), Echo Ranks, Vanya O, I-mitri (United Nation Of Dub), Linea di Massa, Mr Dill (Idren Lion Warrior) and Lab Frequency, along with (of course!) our own Sicilian sounds, including GhettoCity, Wise Sound, Makinda Hi Fi, Alpha Sud and Mistical.

It’s with great excitement that we announce the Manuel Dub#4 line-up, our biggest to date, and the first featuring fully live sets.

As well as the quality musicians performing, our location on the southern shores of Sicily means we can also promise the crystal-blue sea, historical and artistic beauty, and stunning food and wines our island is famous for.

Help good intentions, Help good people, Help good music… Help Manuel Dub festival.