Dub Syndicate

by John Bush
Drummer Style Scott joined Adrian Sherwoods influential On-U Sound dub label in the late 70s and played on Sherwoods influential releases as the New Age Steppers (with vocalist Bim Sherman, horn player Deadly Headley, melodica player Dr. Pablo, and a large guest lineup). Scott later formed his own band, Dub Syndicate, which soon became — with the possible exception of African Headcharge — On-U Sounds most popular act. Though not a group per se, Style Scott and producer Sherwood explore reggae, dub and dancehall by collaborating with some of reggae and dubs greatest talents, including Lee Scratch Perry, Skip McDonald, U-Roy and, in a bit of posthumous sampling of an old friend, Prince Far I (on 1990s Stoned Immaculate).
Debut album Pounding System (1982) and the following years One Way System were both reissued in America by ROIR. A project with Dr. Pablo titled North of the River Thames didnt earn a domestic release, but 1985s Tunes from the Missing Channel was licensed to EMI. An import-ony project with Lee Scratch Perry called Time Boom De Devil Dead followed in 1986, but 1990s Strike the Balance appeared on the Island subsidiary Mango. On-U Sound, in conjunction with the American label Restless, began an ambitious reissue effort with three volumes of the Classic Selection series (similar to African Headcharges Great Vintage series) but continued to make new Dub Syndicate projects such as From the Secret Laboratory and Stoned Immaculate available only on import. Restless, though, did eventually give Stoned Immaculate and 1994s Echomania domestic releases. In 1996, Dub Syndicate released both an album of new material (Ital Breakfast), and the remix album Research & Development, with reworkings of tracks from the entire Dub Syndicate catalogue by Zion Train, Soundclash, Iration Steppas and the Rootsman. Four years later, the performance album Live at the Maritime Hall was released. The next album, Acres of Space was recorded in Jamaica and mixed by long-time collaborator, Adrian Smith. Murder Tone from 2002 collected classic and unreleased tracks and was followed two years later by the new album No Bed of Roses. Pure Thrill Seekers appeared in 2005 with guest shots from Luciano, Cornell Campbell, and Gregory Isaacs.