On-U Sound are proud to announce a sequel to the hugely successful Midnight Rocker album. This is the ‘sound system’ take on the original sessions, featuring brand new tracks; radical dancehall re-works with guest toasters; and stripped back instrumental version excursions in deep dub reggae style. 

On-U Sound is proud to present the latest volume in the much-loved and collectable series of On-U Sound label samplers, packed with exclusives, alternate mixes and previews of upcoming releases. Includes unreleased tracks from Lee “Scratch” Perry, Tackhead, African Head Charge, Mark Stewart, Creation Rebel, Andy Fairley and more. 

On-U Sound are proud to present Midnight Rocker a brand new album from Horace Andy, produced by Adrian Sherwood. Order now on Red & Black Vinyl, and CD.

A special compilation put together to celebrate 40 years of the On-U Sound label, this limited cassette and digital release pulls various guest appearances the legendary and much-missed Jamaican MC Prince Far I made with early 1980s On-U house band Singers And Players, as well as some alternate versions and deep cuts for the true dub reggae heads.

As a follow-up to the African Head Charge mixtape we put together a few years back which put their releases into a wider context of influences, collaborators and intersecting sounds, we’ve done the same thing for the New Age Steppers. Check out the playlist, mixed version and detailed track-by-track notes.

An interview with Andy Martin

ONULP1 was released in 1981, the debut album by the New Age Steppers. The striking collage sleeve (featuring a hula-hooping Elvis and a football playing baby) was designed by the mysterious ‘Bill Bell’. Although there was mention online of him having done some illustrations for the NME in the early 1980s, not a lot else could be found out about him and no-one knew of his whereabouts.

Fast forward 40 years and, after a chance meeting in a Kent art gallery, Bill was revealed to in fact be a pseudonym for one Andy Martin, who after his brief entry into the nascent On-U Sound story, returns to On-U Sound to complete the art circle 40 years later and design a companion sleeve to ONULP1 for the Steppers rarities set Avant Gardening.

On-U Sound are proud to present a comprehensive reissue programme of four albums from New Age Steppers, as well as an album of rare dubs, version excursions and unreleased tracks from the vault, recorded between 1980 – 1983. New Age Steppers were the group that launched the On-U Sound label with the first album and single, New Age Steppers were a collective with an evolving line-up, built around the driving forces of Ari Up (The Slits) and producer Adrian Sherwood. Their records featured contributions from several singers and players from the UK post-punk vanguard such as the Pop Group, The Raincoats and The Flying Lizards; colliding with established movers from the reggae world such as Bim Sherman, Style Scott and George Oban.

The 5 albums included are ‘New Age Steppers’ (1981), ‘Action Battlefield’ (1981), ‘Foundation Steppers’ (1983), ‘Love Forever’ (2012), and ‘Avant Gardening’ (2021)

In 2018, On-U Sound sat down with Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah, the percussionist, singer, and mulit-instrumentalist behind African Head Charge.

Online and in record shops worldwide from today!

To cap a banner year for Lee “Scratch” Perry, the dub companion LP to the critically adored RAINFORD is in record shops now.