In the old, scorching hot concert hall at the Earth Art Center in Hackney, a dozen long, narrow speakers are mounted, four on both side walls, four on the wall at the back. On a large screen a barrage of images appears, a fantastic visual dub mix of photographs, animation and illustrations, perfectly matched to the music, drawn by Peter Harris, who has long handled the art work of On-U Sound. We see all sorts of obscure historical references, the Sumerian giants, African voodoo ... Especially pleasing are the adventures of superhero Lee 'Scratch' Perry, in the guise of cartoon characters as well as historical and biblical personalities.
In the right corner of the stage, behind his machinery: the Great Wizard in person. Adrian Sherwood has created a collection of brand new tunes for the occasion. Not remakes of classic On-U Sound dubs and riddims but never-before-heard songs, with the voices (and visuals) of Lee Perry and the equally lamented Mark Stewart as prominent tributes to the artists who helped make On-U great. But we also hear and see Billie Holiday, in images (together with a host of heroic women from all cultures) and in dub.
And that new music from Sherwood sounds even more special today than his unique sound always has. At the time, "1999" was featured on the first On-U Sound labels, a year that seemed unrealistically distant at the time but matched the vibes and feeling the music evoked, as if you were catching a glimpse of the future of dub. On-U in 2023 still does that, and with this 3D experience, Adrian Sherwood adds another futuristic dimension.
In an advance interview, the producer explained how he and some faithful came up with this concept. Too technical to explain here, but the result is stunning, the so-called binaural sound swirling through the speakers all around, embellished with all kinds of effects and sounds that come from somewhere else each time. There is even a kind of synaesthesia involved: you tend to look in the direction of the unexpected surprises popping up everywhere.
Even the already fairly hallucinatory percussion work of Bonjo I (new album by African Head Charge is coming!) and the ethereal horn parts of Harry Beckett go through the binaural mill, straight into space, like the soundtrack of a psychedelic SF movie. Almost at the end of the 75-minute set, Sherwood throws Horace Andy into the mix (and on-screen) with his On-U version of 'Fever', followed by another disturbing new funk dub with video and lyrics showing an ominous, fully robotic world where the difference between AI and reality is barely perceptible.
That wasn't the only slightly apocalyptic message we got at Hackney, by the way. At times it was as if Darth Vader was at the mic, his voice wandering along the speakers. Somewhere along the way on that trip, an alternate version of Mark Stewart read William Blake's long poem 'The Tyger', as he did sometimes when alive.
Is this the future of dub? In any case, the On-U Sound spectacle was a very convincing demonstration of the possibilities that dub offers if you dare to embrace new technology, and especially if you move away from the mono tradition that currently dominates the sound system world. We were in the company of soundman Tim Bangarang, and he pointed out to me that fundamental flaw: all that fantastic dub and the roots of yesteryear is and was recorded in stereo but in essence can never be done full justice no matter how good the sound system. Let alone create that binaural experience with it. On U Sound will remain the music of the future for some time to come, as the music of Adrian Sherwood and friends has always been.
.Dl7BAwhJ_ZJXLLF.webp)
