This Dub's On-U

On-U Sound with Adrian Sherwood at the helm produced, in my opinion, the best dub outside of Jamaica. When Sherwood met Keith LeBlanc in New York in 1984, things would never be the same at On-U or in the world of dub musick.

LeBlanc met up with Skip McDonald & Doug Wimbish in 1979. McDonald & Wimbish had been part of the New York 70s disco scene in the band Wood Brass & Steel They released a self-titled album in 1976 on Turbo records that gave them a pair of minor hits, "Always There" (a Ronnie Laws cover) & "Funkanova" (an underground jazz/disco classic still enjoyed by club-goers decades later). After meeting LeBlanc, the three hooked up with the newly-formed Sugarhill Records. They soon became the label's house band, providing backing for the Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, & Melle Mel. They were instrumental (literally) in launching 80s rap.

 As Sugarhill self-destructed (accompanied by drawn-out legal hassles over musick rights), the three musicians continued to work together on various projects. Described as one of the day’s ‘most extraordinary rhythm sections’, they moved on from Sugarhill to Tom Silverman's Tommy Boy label. There Keith LeBlanc released some solo work ("Maneuvers" & "Uh!" on the 1985 Masters Of The Beat compilation). He created the now legendary unique DMX drumbeats style by mixing it with his own special drum sound. LeBlanc’s release "Malcolm X No Sell Out" featured the cut-up words of civil rights activist Malcolm X juxtaposed against the infamous DMX drumbeat, now acknowledged as the first ever sampling record. Sugarhill had purchased some of Malcolm X’s speeches & LeBlanc got some samples from Marshall Chess. He then recorded “Malcolm X No Sell Out” at Tommy Boy, as Sugarhill was not willing to pay Malcolm’s widow royalties. In fact, Sugarhill released a version of the song, credited to the phony group Sugarhill All-Stars.

"Malcolm X No Sell Out" caught the attention of London's dub-meister extraordinare & On-U Sound label owner Adrian Sherwood. Sherwood was working on a remix of Akabu’s "Watch Yourself" for Tommy Boy. He met LeBlanc, along with Keith’s cohorts McDonald & Wimbish. This meeting spawned the radical collaboration between the British producer & the three American musicians that continues to this day. Later the four teamed up in London to begin work on a new project which they christened Tackhead/Fats Comet. Wimbish came up with the name Tackhead, which is New Jersey slang for homeboy. Fats Comet was the alter ego of Tackhead.

Tackhead is the zenith of years of experimental collaboration: LeBlanc’s beats; Sherwood’s Dub Methodology; McDonald’s distorted guitar; & Wimbish’s funky bass.

To quote Steve Barker's liner notes for the Tackhead/Fats Comet compilations Power Inc., volumes 1 & 2:
      "In short, the master plan, although never commited to either memory or paper, was for                 Tackhead to take dub/funk on a journey through leftfield and into the unknown to God knows where, and then for Fats Comet to pilot the mothership smoothly back from this alternative dimension to a safe earthly landing with sounds that you would recognise instantly without ever having heard before."

Here, collected in one place, are all the singles of FatsComet…

 decryption code in comments

 

BOP  BOP  

(12" on World Records & Magic Records/World Records - 1985/1988)

• Bop Bop
• Zoop Zoop

Credited: Fats Comet and The Big Sound

 DEE JAY'S DREAM

(12" on World Records - 1985/1988)

• Dee Jay's Dream
• Dee Jay's Program
• Eat the Beat

 DON'T FORGET THAT BEAT

(12" on Rough Trade Records - 1985/1987)

• Don't Forget that Beat
• Freak Out

Credited: Doug Wimbish featuring Fats Comet

 KING OF THE BEAT 

(12" on World Records - 1986, never officially released)

• King of the Beat
• (It's Time)
• Body to Burn (So Different)
• Eat the Beat (Put a Smile on Your Face)
• (Now Here Comes that Beat)

Credited: Fats Comet with DJ Cheese

 ROCKCHESTER

(12" on World Records - 1987)

• Rockchester
• O.K. Bye!

 STORMY WEATHER

(12" on Rough Trade Records/Logarhythm Records/Rough Trade Records - 1985/1986/1987)

• Stormy Weather
• Dub Storm

Enjoy,

NØ