ADRIAN SHERWOOD

A pioneering force in UK reggae, Sherwood’s first attempts to set up labels in the late 70s were disastrous, and cost him a great deal of money in the process. Despite such misadventures, he persevered, and set up the On U Sound label to house ex-Pop Group singer Mark Stewart’s New Age Steppers project. Hundreds of albums and singles have subsequently been released, including music by Bim Sherman, Dub Syndicate and Mothmen (an embryonic Simply Red). Sherwood styled On U Sound after the reggae model of “house bands” (Revolutionaries, Soul Syndicate, etc.). The label/organization also played out as a sound system, in a similar fashion to its Jamaican counterparts. Among the notable long-term protagonists at On U Sound have been Bonjo (African Head Charge), Bim Sherman and Skip McDonald aka Little Axe, Doug Wimbish and Keith LeBlanc (Tackhead). However, Sherwood is equally renowned for his production skills, which he learned at first hand from Prince Far I and Dr Pablo. Simply Red, the Fall, Depeche Mode, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails and KMFDM have been among his notable clients.

On U Sound came to the attention of the public outside reggae circles when self-styled “white toaster” Gary Clail entered the UK charts in 1991 with “Human Nature”. However, neither this, nor any other individual release, can be described as representative of the rock-reggae-dance fusion that On U Sound have fostered. On U Sound’s eclecticism remains rampant, but as Sherwood himself concedes: “I’m first and foremost a passionate fan of reggae music”. In 1994, he established the Pressure Sounds imprint, dedicated to reissuing classic reggae and dub releases. He released his debut solo album, titled after Jamie Reid’s infamous punk slogan, in 2003.

GHETTO PRIEST

Ghetto Priest aka Squidz: Singer/Songwriter/Recording artist/Live performer is one of the most flamboyant, creative performers to have emerged from the London music scene in the past few years. Like the community from which he hails, Ghetto Priest is a man at ease with multiple musical visions. Walk through the streets of London and you begin to grasp the flow and the rhythm that has produced his unique sound. It’s a community of exchange; African/Caribbean and Irish, Asian and English, each mixing and informing the other, lending beats and grooves, keeping things fresh and new. Ghetto Priest born and raised in the east end of London to Afro-Caribbean parents has been on the reggae/dub/experimental music scene now for over 2 decades.

He has been a mainstay of the On U Sound camp for many years as a backing vocalist, and percussionist for the band African Headcharge. He has also worked with David Harrow aka Technova aka James Hardway, Asian Dub Foundation & Ben Watkins (Juno Reactor) to name but a few.

PETE LOCKETT

Pete is one of the most versatile multi-percussionists in the world, having immersed himself in percussion and drums from every part of the globe, from Indian to Arabic and from Japanese to Latin. He has a number of collaborative projects and has released five albums. The wide range of artists he’s worked with reflects the diversity of his playing, inc: Björk, Peter Gabriel, Robert Plant, Bill Bruford, Jeff Beck, David Torn, Vikku Vinayakram, Selva Ganesh, Ustad Zakir Hussain, The Verve, Steve Smith, Texas, Damien Rice, Craig Armstrong, Bernard Butler, U Shrinivas, Ronan Keating, Nitin Sawhney, Evan Dando, Adrian Sherwood, Afro Celt Sound System, Vanessa-Mae, David Arnold, Evelyn Glennie, Errol Brown, Jarvis Cocker, Rory Gallagher, Pet Shop Boys, Beth Orton, Hari Haran, Mel C, A R Rahman, Eumir Deodato, BBC concert orchestra, DJ Judge Jules, Sinead O’Conner and lots more!

Pete was voted #1 Best Live Percussionist in 2005 by readers of Rhythm & best live percussionist 2005 on international drum site, mikedolbear.com

Pete’s Album, ‘Taiko to Tabla’ with Joji Hirota included in top 55 rhythm albums of all time in Songlines magazine, August 2006.

SKIP McDONALD

Grounded in blues music learned from his father, a steel worker who played blues guitar at weekends, McDonald spent his early days playing jazz, doo-wop and gospel, and eventually relocated to New York City as a teenager with his band of friends, called The Entertainers.

McDonald formed the group Wood Brass & Steel in 1973 with bass guitarist Doug Wimbush and drummer Harold Sargent. The group recorded two albums before their 1979 breakup. He then became part of the house band for Sugarhill Records and appeared as a session player many early rap albums, including “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

After leaving Sugarhill, McDonald, Wimbish, and drummer Keith LeBlanc began working with Adrian Sherwood and eventually formed the trio into the industrial/dub group Tackhead, later fronted by Bernard Fowler. McDonald would also collaborate with Sherwood on other projects, including albums by African Head Charge and Mark Stewart.

In the 1990s, McDonald assumed the moniker “Little Axe” and began moving from hip-hop to a form of blues that drew from an array of musical influences, including dub, R&B, gospel, and jazz.

I-TAL FAYA SOUND

Formed by two brothers, Fabio “Fabz” and Marco “Mr. Nero” Santucci are originally from Rome but now Edinburgh based.

They made their debut on the 24th of Aug 2008 when they started the “Dragonfly inna Rub-A-Dub Style”, reggae night that runs fortnightly on Sundays and features pure reggae vibes in a journey from deep dub baselines through roots reggae to jumpy dancehall.