by Jason Ankeny
Long one of the most influential and innovative figures on the UK reggae scene, producer Adrian Sherwood and his famed On-U Sound label pioneered a distinctive fusion of dub, rock and dance which made waves not only in roots circles but also in the pop mainstream. Born in 1958, Sherwood first surfaced during the late 70s at the helm of a series of disastrously short-lived labels; he formed On-U Sound in 1979, counting Creation Rebel, Prince Far I, Bim Sherman, and the Mothmen (later to form Simply Red) among the rosters earliest additions. While the On-U Sound crews original focus was on live sound system performances, the emphasis soon switched to making records; when none emerged as a breakout success, Sherwood began mixing and matching line-ups, resulting in new acts including New Age Steppers, African Head Charge, Mark Stewart & Maffia and Dr. Pablo & the Dub Syndicate.
Sherwoods distinctive production style soon began attracting interest from acts outside of the dub community, and in 1980 he helmed the Slits Man Next Door, followed a year later by the Falls Slates EP. On-U Sound releases from Public Image Limited and the Pop Group also earned the label considerable attention, but reggae remained the labels focus; Sherwood soon recruited guitarist Skip McDonald, bassist Doug Wimbish and drummer Keith LeBlanc, together the onetime house band at the famed rap label Sugar Hill, and under a variety of names (most commonly Tackhead) the trio brought new power and definition to the companys densely-textured recordings. The group also issued several LPs under their own name, as well as teaming with the self-described white toaster Gary Clail as Gary Clails Tackhead Sound System.
By the mid-1980s, Sherwood was among the most visible producers and remixers in all of contemporary music, working on tracks for artists as varied as Depeche Mode, Einsturzende Neubaten, Simply Red, the Woodentops and Ministry. He became increasingly involved in industrial music as the decade wore on, producing tracks for Cabaret Voltaire, Skinny Puppy, KMFDM and Nine Inch Nails, and although On-U Sound continued to reflect its leaders eclectic tastes the label remained a top reggae outlet. In 1994, Sherwood mounted Pressure Sounds, a new label dedicated to reissuing seminal reggae and dub releases from the likes of Lee Scratch Perry, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, Jackie Mittoo and Horace Andy. 1997 also saw the first in a new series of reissues known collectively as the On-U Sound Master Recordings, complete with CD-ROM tracks.