Sound September 13

On-U Sound 

 

 

I have always found Adrian Sherwood to be a top notch songwriter/musician/producer who has been vital in the creative evolution of UK Dub. On-U Sound System promoted a myriad of artists, getting their Sound out to the music-hungry fans. Sherwood created Hitrun Records, Green Tea, Soundboy as well as co-founding Carib Gems & Pressure Sounds. I have probably shared more of On-U Sound music here at NSS than any other. Therefore it was a hard struggle as to what to share this Sound Systember. 

 

Two acts that deserve my attention here are New Age Steppers & Revolutionary Dub Warriors. The Steppers I have not shared enough & RDW I have shared much of their limited output but they are one of my favorite usually-overlooked bands. So I'm going to hit both of these now.

First up, New Age Steppers.

New Age Steppers was the brainchild of Adrian Sherwood & Ari Up. The Steppers were a constantly changing Dub collective that featured at various times On-U stalwarts Bim Sherman, Style Scott, Eskimo Fox, with artists like Ari Up & Viv of the Slits, Mark Stewart & Bruce Smith of the Pop Group, Keith Levene, & many others (greats like Michael Rose, Neneh Cherry, Nick Plytas, Bingy Bunny & Bubblers, Vivien Goldman...).

I've shared their 1980 self-titled debut here.

In 2021 On-U released a five CD box set containing the debut plus the follow-up Action Battlefield (1981) & Foundation Steppers (1983) along with Avant Gardening, containing rare Dubs, version excursions, & unreleased tracks from the vault 1980-1983 (listen particularly for dearly departed Mark Stewart on "May I Version", a bonus digital file not on the LP).

Making up for having slighted them in the past... 

 

New Age Steppers - Stepping Into a New Age 1980-2012, On-U Sound ONUCD149, 2021.
all decryption codes in comments

Action Battlefield Disc 2 -

My Whole World    
Observe Life    
Got to Get Away    
My Love    
Problems    
Nuclear Zulu    
Guiding Star

 

 

 

 

Foundation Steppers Disc 3 -

Some Love    
Memories    
5 Dog Race    
Misplaced Love    
Dreamers    
Stabilizer    
Stormy Weather    
Vice of My Enemies
Mandarin

 

 

 

 

Avant Gardening Disc 5 -

Aggro Dub Version    
Send for Me    
Izalize    
Unclear    
Singing Love    
I Scream (Rimshot)    
Avante Gardening    
Wide World Version    
Some Dub    
May I Version

 

 

 

Revolutionary Dub Warriors

 

The Revolutionary Dub Warriors were formed in 1991 in the Reading area by some of the originators of the Free Festival scene whose prime musical interest was Reggae Sound Systems. Their contemporaries were the Megadog & Whirly-Gig outfits, Zion Train, Dreadzone, & the Orb. The interest in Bass & space were the only rules which governed their Sounds.

All of these groups had Dub as a common theme, to greater or lesser extents. All of them used their music to feed this Dub-influenced Sound into new strains of the genre.

 

Revolutionary Dub Warriors' debut was 1994s Deliverance with On-U Sound which I’ve shared here. RDW's sound is that of raw Roots Dubbed up in their own unique way. The band feature live drums, bass, & percussion but also use electronic effects & instruments to enhance the mesmerising effect of their music. The Dub Warriors were known on the Free Festival circuit for their incendiary live sets. It was perhaps this quality which helped them gravitate towards the On-U Sound stable who at that time had become regulars on the festival scene through the contributions of African Head Charge, Gary Clail with On-U Sound System, & the mighty Dub Syndicate. On-U were also at a critical stage in their history as a label in that they had to expand their artist roster, most of whom had grown with the label, in order to keep some freshness & variety in its output.

1994 - Live at the Boatrace & 1996 - Know Your Enemy here.
1996 - State of Evolution here.
1998 - teamed with Mad Professor for Ariwa release 1998 Dub Fusion here.

Here are two live sets, where RDW are at their finest showcasing their Sound System style, that I have yet to share. Starting with the 1993s self-released cassette on Warrior Dance...

 

Revolutionary Dub Wariors - Live at the Marquee cassette, Warrior Dance, 1993.

Side A -
Centenary
Demascus Gate
Homeward Dub
Changes
Wicked Dub
Creation

Side B -
Creation (Reprise)
Dread Dub
Freedom
Dub Warrior
Resistance

 

 

 

 

& one from Brighton's Essential Festival the following summer, a live mix from Adrian Sherwood for the On-U Sound System.

 

Revolutionary Dub Warriors - Live at Essential Festival, Brighton, May 30, 1994

Dub the E (Intro)
Creation
Walkabout
Mount Uhuru
Dread
Dub the E
Industrial
Warrior

 

 

 

 

Dub Warriors frontman, bass player, & songwriter Steve Swann has worked with & been part of such luminaries as the Kaya Collective (1983), Military Surplus (1984), Radical Dance Faction (1984), Dub the Earth (1987), Hi Tech Roots Dynamics (1991) before becoming a founding member of Revolutionary Dub Warriors (1991).

Here is one from Dub the Earth with Steve Swann...

 

Dub the Earth - Heatham House: The Lost Tapes '94.

MF'er Dub
Slug Shag
Knock on Wood
Thailand Dub
Vivisection
Running Out
Hard & Soft
Release the Dub
Pressure Drop
Heartbreaker Dub

 

 

 

 

Steve was also part of Hi-Tech Roots Dynamics, a project for Martin Campbell. Campbell is a UK roots & Dub veteran, the founder of Channel One (UK). HiTech Roots Dynamics consisted of Jah Rej Forte (riddim & lead guitar, Jah Works label owner), Steve Swann (bass, guitar), Martin Campbell (drums, bass, keyboards), MJ Harris (keyboards, riddim guitar), Timm Hill (saxophone), Squidjy (piano).

Here Hi-Tech meets up with Gerald Thomas Moore aka The Outsider (melodica, lead guitar, keyboards, penny whistle). This one's got it all: Jah Works; The Outsider; Steve Swann, Channel One (UK). Gotta love it... 

The Outsider meets The High-Tech Roots Dynamics - At Channel One UK, 

Jah Works JW011CD, 1993.

Alfa
George William Gordon
Rumours of War
Demascus Gate
Warm Love
Jerusalem
Livin' Vibes
Serengeti
Freedom Struggle
Distant Thunder
Cool Runnings
Jerusalem Dub

 

 

 

Bass culture,
NØ