Dreadzone

Dreadzone

Dreadzone live in Athens, June 2007
Background information
Origin London, England
Genres
Years active 1993–present
Labels Virgin
Dubwiser Records
Website dreadzone.com
Members Greg Roberts
Tim Bran
MC Spee
Earl 16
Leo Williams
Chris Compton
James Bainbridge
Past members Steve Roberts
Dan Donovan
Chris Oldfield
Ben Balafonic

Dreadzone are a British band whose music is an eclectic fusion of dub, reggae, electronic dance, folk and rock. They have so far released seven studio albums, two live albums and one compilation.

Career

Dreadzone was formed in London, England in 1993 when ex-Big Audio Dynamite drummer Greg Roberts, teamed up with Tim Bran, who had previously worked as a musician and sound engineer for Julian Cope. The name Dreadzone was suggested to Roberts and Bran by Don Letts.

Bran and Roberts signed to Creation Records in 1993 and released their first album 360°. They were soon joined by bassist Leo Williams and keyboardist Dan Donovan, also formerly of Big Audio Dynamite. Throughout 1994 they developed a reputation as a live act and released a limited edition live album Performance and in June that year opened the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival.[1] During these early years their backing vocalists included Melanie Blatt and Alison Goldfrapp. The following year the band signed to Virgin Records and released their second studio album Second Light. In 1995 Earl 16 joined as a vocalist, singing on the single "Zion Youth". Dan Donovan left the group.

In January 1996, the group had their first and so far only Top 40 hit in the UK Singles Chart with "Little Britain",[2] which reached No. 20. The song sampled a line from the 1968 cult British film If.... – "Britain today is a powerhouse of ideas, experiments, imagination".[3]

John Peel championed Dreadzone on BBC Radio 1, and cited Second Light as one of his favourite albums of all time.[4] Tracks from Second Light also dominated Peel's Festive Fifty in 1995, and the band recorded six Peel sessions between 1993 and 2001. In 1996 they supported Oasis at the Loch Lomond and Knebworth shows. In 1997 they released their third album Biological Radio. A track from that album "Dream Within a Dream" appeared in the soundtrack to the film The Saint.

Between 1998 and 2001 the Dreadzone sound system hosted the Dubwiser club night at Notting Hill Arts Club. During that time Roberts and Bran set up a studio together and recorded and released their fourth album Sound which featured Brinsley Forde and MC Spee. In 2000, MC Spee joined as a second vocalist. The album was released on the independent Rufflife label.

In 2001 Ben Balafonic joined, replacing Tim Bran. During the following years Greg, Ben, Spee, Earl and Steve Roberts recorded and released the fifth studio album Once Upon a Time in 2005 on the independent Functional label run by Biff Mitchell. The band also recorded, along with Leo Williams, the 'Live at Sunrise' album released on Functional. In August 2006 Balafonic left the group. On 26 October 2006, Dreadzone guitarist Steve Roberts, the brother of Greg Roberts, died.[5]

In 2007, the band were joined by new members Chris Compton and Chris Oldfield (DJ and lighting designer) and returned to touring. In 2007 and 2008 they played gigs and festival across the UK and Europe, and signed to a new management company in 2008. In 2010, the band released their sixth studio album, Eye on the Horizon on their own label Dubwiser.[6]

In 2011, a compilation album was released by Dubwiser Records entitled The Good, the Bad and the Dread: The Best of Dreadzone.[7] That same year Greg and Leo were part of the Big Audio Dynamite reunion tour playing shows and festivals in Europe and USA.

In 2012 The band recorded their 7th studio album in Mick Jones' studio with Tim Bran back in the fold co-producing and playing. James 'Bazil' Bainbridge joined the group replacing Chris Oldfield. In 2013 a new album Escapades was released. in the same year Dreadzone celebrated 20 years as a band with a short film about their history. A single "Too Late" featuring Mick Jones was released.

In 2016 a new album was recorded, and released as Dread Times in February 2017, including contributions from Don Letts.[8]

Discography

Dreadzone on stage at the Band on the Wall, Manchester, 7 December 2012

Albums

Singles

References

  1. ↑ Dreadzone.com Archived 5 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. 1 2 3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 168. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ↑ http://www.whosampled.com/sample/348308/Dreadzone-Little-Britain-If....-Chapter-2-(College)/
  4. ↑ Dennis, Jon (13 October 2005). "The Peel detective". The Guardian. London.
  5. ↑ Dreadzone.com Archived 10 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ "Eye on the Horizon – Dreadzone : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  7. 1 2 O'Brien, Jon (16 May 2011). "The Good, the Bad and the Dread: The Best of Dreadzone – Dreadzone : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  8. ↑ http://www.vanguard-online.co.uk/dreadzone-dread-times-is-a-reminder-of-a-great-british-dance-and-roots-institution/
  9. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/albums
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