Henrietta Smith-Rolla (born 1980/81), is a British-born Ghanaian-Russian-German composer, producer and DJ based in Manchester, performing under the alias Afrodeutsche. Alongside her prolific DJ career, she has produced music for her own studio album, as well as music for television and film, including composing the score for BAFTA nominated short film Kamali.
Growing up in the south west of England, Smith-Rolla developed an affinity for music at a young age. When she was seven, she would dance along to hits on Top of the Pops and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee. At nine, she was introduced to the West Country free party scene through an older friend who would bring back cassettes for her to listen to on her Walkman. She soon started to take formal violin lessons, but gave up by age 12, instead opting to spend many hours playing the pianos of the houses her mother was cleaning.
Smith-Rolla briefly lived in London before moving to Manchester at age 24. Feeling a strong connection with the city, she describes it as “nurturing without question”, and gave her “complete freedom to make stuff”.
Henrietta Smith-Rolla (born 1980/81), is a British-born Ghanaian-Russian-German composer, producer and DJ based in Manchester, performing under the alias Afrodeutsche. Alongside her prolific DJ career, she has produced music for her own studio album, as well as music for television and film, including composing the score for BAFTA nominated short film Kamali.
Growing up in the south west of England, Smith-Rolla developed an affinity for music at a young age. When she was seven, she would dance along to hits on Top of the Pops and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee. At nine, she was introduced to the West Country free party scene through an older friend who would bring back cassettes for her to listen to on her Walkman. She soon started to take formal violin lessons, but gave up by age 12, instead opting to spend many hours playing the pianos of the houses her mother was cleaning.
Smith-Rolla briefly lived in London before moving to Manchester at age 24. Feeling a strong connection with the city, she describes it as “nurturing without question”, and gave her “complete freedom to make stuff”.