Adrian Sherwood’s Dub Syndicate is getting set to reissue it’s first four releases, plus an LP collection of previously unreleased tracks called Displaced Masters, due out November 10th via Sherwood’s On-U Label. Before Dub Syndicate became a showcase for the collaborations between the producer/label owner and drummer Lincoln “Style” Scott (Roots Radics, Creation Rebel), it was a studio-based project helmed by Sherwood featuring a collective of musicians from his On-U roster.
Applying his own uniquely British take on Dub techniques, Sherwood’s project brought together a cross-current of Jamaican and UK artists including members of Creation Rebel, African Head Charge, and Public Image Ltd., as well as musicians like Doctor Pablo, Bim Sherman, Lee “Scratch” Perry, and Ashanti Roy. At the mixing desk, Sherwood was a relentless innovator. Influenced at an early age by the heavy bass sounds he heard coming out of the sound system parties at Jamaican clubs in his London neighborhood, and considering production legend Prince Far I a sonic mentor, Sherwood continually pushed dub into new territory, even while staying true to its’ roots. Dub Syndicate would go on to release music all the way up until 2015’s Hard Food LP, but would end up calling it quits when Style Scott was found murdered at his home in Jamaica on October 9th, 2014.
On-U’s upcoming reissue follows on the heels of last year’s repressing of African Head Charge‘s first four albums, plus a collection of previously unreleased tracks. With its’ attention now turned to the Dub Syndicate catalogue, look for this new collection to include 1982’s The Pounding System, 1983’s One Way System, 1984’s North Of The River Thames, and 1985’s Tunes From The Missing Channel, as well as the 2017 collection of previously unheard tracks from the On-U vaults called, Displaced Masters.
These early years between 1982 to ’85 represent a truly fertile time in Sherwood’s development, and Dub Syndicate’s first four albums are testament to the period’s “golden age” of collaboration between UK and Jamaican artists. From The Pounding System‘s heavy debut set featuring members of African Head Charge and Creation Rebel, to Tunes From The Missing Channel‘s sample spliced collaborations with drummer Style Scott, The Congos’ Ashanti Roy and Public Image Limited’s Jah Wobble and Keith Levene, this collection is an important reminder of Sherwood’s radical studio experiments and the brilliant crew of Jamaican artists that formed the core of this music. Available as 5xLP box set, Dub Syndicate’s Ambience In Dub 1982-1985 will ship with a 24-page booklet that includes archival photos and sleevenotes by Steve Barker (On The Wire). Don’t miss the Ambience In Dub 1982-1985 trailer below…
