(Translated from my original Italian text by ChatGPT and Piero Scaruffi)
Adrian Sherwood was one of the most influential producers of the 1980s. His early musical outlets were the New Age Steppers (born out of a collaboration between him, his childhood friend
Mark Stewart
and Ari of the
Slits) and the Dub Syndicate, with whom he recorded sophisticated dub records, though not particularly inventive.
At the dawn of rap, Sherwood was invited to New York by Tom Silverman, the mastermind behind Tommy Boy, to record a single with the already famous Keith Leblanc. Sherwood gathered Skip McDonald and Doug Wimbish and brought them all to England. Disguised under names like Maffia, Fats Comet, Tackhead, Strange Parcels, and Little Axe, these four figures revolutionized the very concept of funk, on one hand using new technologies with complete freedom, and on the other injecting the genre with a rage and brashness that were the exact opposite of the refined sensuality of the 1970s.
In reality, Sherwood focused on the Dub Syndicate, an open group (with only the drummer Style Scott as a constant) that included members of the British alternative rock scene. They debuted with Pounding System (1982), North of the River Thames (1984), and Tunes from the Missing Channel (1985); and on the African Headcharge led by percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah, who directly transmitted Sherwood’s ideas on record, starting with My Life in A Hole in the Ground (1981), inspired by David Byrne and Brian Eno’s My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, followed by the more melodic Environmental Studies (1982) and Drastic Season (1983). These ideas largely draw on reggae but primarily emphasize a stylized use of recording technology. McDonald seems, in retrospect, to be the true musical genius behind these projects.
Sherwood started from a very simple principle, the same that had underpinned the success of Stax soul and later Motown: anchor all the music to a solid rhythm section. It can be said that Sherwood was the first to invent a dub aesthetic, turning a Jamaican genre into a Western-style art form.
(Original English text by Piero Scaruffi)
The Dub Syndicate repeated their cliches on
Strike the Balance (1990),
Stoned Immaculate (On-U, 1991),
Echo Mania (On-U, 1994),
Ital Breakfast (On-U Sound, 1996)
with unrestrained nonchalance. They are all
impeccable records of trance world dance music.
Fear Of A Green Planet (Shanachie, 1998) added elements of trip-hop
but was fundamentally a well-produced parade of cliches.
In the meantime, African Headcharge had become a real live band, not just
a studio project, with Off The Beaten Track (1986), supported by
skilled musicians like
Skip McDonald, Keith LeBlanc and Doug Wimbish (of Sugarhill Gang fame).
Their ambient dub shines on Songs of Praise (1990), possibly their
best album, tinged with psychedelic and horror overtones and including synths,
while In Pursuit of Shashamane Land (1993),
Akwaaba (1996),
Sankofa (1997),
and Drums of Defiance (1998) were uninspired works.
After several mediocre recordings,
Dub Syndicate returned to top form on
Acres Of Space (Lion & Roots, 2001),
Murder Tone (2002), No Bed of Roses (2004).
After an 11-year hiatus, they released
Hard Food (Echo Beach, 2014), the last one with
drummer Scott (murdered a few weeks earlier).
African Head Charge returned with
Vision of a Psychedelic Africa (2005), the best since Songs of
Praise, and
Voodoo of the Godsent (2011).
Their career was compiled on
Environmental Holes & Drastic Tracks (2016) and
Drumming Is A Language 1990 - 2011 (2020).
