| On-U Sound Records | |
|---|---|
| Founded | early 1980s |
| Founder | Adrian Maxwell Sherwood |
| Genre | Dub, Reggae, Experimental music, Electronica |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Location | London |
| Official Website | http://www.onu-sound.com |
On-U Sound Records is an English record label best known for releasing its own unique flavour of dub music since the 1980s. The label is owned by producer Adrian Sherwood and home to acts such as Tackhead, Dub Syndicate, African Head Charge, The London Underground, Little Annie, Creation Rebel, Mark Stewart, Gary Clail, New Age Steppers, Audio Active, Asian Dub Foundation, and the dub collective Singers & Players plus others.
The On-U Sound dub style differs from the traditional dub sounds of King Tubby, or Lee "Scratch" Perry in that many of the extended family of musicians who are part of the On-U crew have backgrounds in Punk, New Wave, or Funk, producing a sound which is not considered pure reggae though traditional reggae performers such as Prince Far I, Bim Sherman, the Roots Radics and even Lee Perry himself are also associated with the label. Producer Adrian Sherwood generates the On-U signature sound however.
A complete discography of On-U Sound releases would be very difficult to compile due to poor record keeping and limited and alternate or foreign pressings of various releases. See the unofficial site in the links section below for the best known listing of complete releases. The label's sampler albums are a good place to start for those not familiar with the label.