There's been some On U Sound action in various areas recently- a gig in London a month ago that looked superb and the release of Pay It All Back Vol. 8, a sixteen track round up of On U dub/ reggae/ post- punk excellence. By way of a Bagging Area tie in I thought I'd put together an African Head Charge mix, thirty eight minutes of psychedelic dub from Adrian Sherwood and Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah. There's no real way to effectively describe the sounds African Head Charge make, it's best just experienced. Sunday morning vibes taking in deep Jamaican dub, speaker rattling African rhythms and sampled voices from anywhere/ everywhere.
Stebeni's Theme is from the 1981 album My Life In A Hole In The Ground. Asalatua is from the aforementioned PIAB Vol 8. Flim was on PIAB Volume 7, released in March 2019. Hot Pursuit is from 1998's Drums Of Defiance, African Head Charge versus Professor Stretch. Dervish Chant and Cattle Herder's Chant are both from 1990s definitive AHC album, Songs Of Praise, and Hold Some Version is an outtake from that record (which saw the light of day on the essential Sherwood At The Controls Volume 2: 1985- 1990 compilation). From the same time period, Dub For The Spirits is from Churchical Chant Of The Iyabinghi, an album of outtakes and dubs. Off The Beaten Track is the title track of the 1986 album.
Half An Hour Of African Head Charge
- Stebeni's Theme
- Asalatua
- Flim
- Hot Pursuit
- Hold Some Version
- Dervish Chant
- Cattle Herder's Chant
- Dub For The Spirits
- Off The Beaten Track
Nice One, Bags
ReplyDeleteI was on board from the start as it was African Head Charge, but you were on to a winner by kicking off with Stebeni's Theme, one of my personal favourites. The rest of the mix is more than up to the challenge of following it and thanks for reminding me that I need to get Vol. 8 of Pay It All Back.
ReplyDeleteI was gutted to miss the On U Sound gig in Bristol last month, but it was on the same night as Mrs. K's birthday - not a particular Sherwood/On U regretfully - so it was a non-starter.
I hope you're planning on keeping these Sunday mixes going for a while, Adam, they're essential listening at Casa K.
Thanks Khayem. I'll keep them going as long as I'm enjoying them. I've found with weekly series posts that as soon as it feels like a chore it's time to stop or at least have a break. Shame about missing On U in Bristol but sometimes priorities have to be made.
ReplyDeleteJust got around to listening to this, an excellent AH selection Swiss. Songs of Praise is a favourite album of mine. They are one of the best live experiences I've ever been to.
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