In the next episode of our monthly RELEVANT PARTIES podcast series, Carhartt WIP features Adrian Sherwood, the legendary English dub music record producer and founder of labels such as Green Tea, Pressure Sounds, and @on-u-sound-records. 

As a producer, Sherwood worked with luminaries including Vivian Goldman, Creation Rebel, Cabaret Voltaire, and Lee “Scratch” Perry, while also shaping remixed compositions for the likes of Primal Scream, Depeche Mode and Einstürzende Neubauten.

His most influential label, On-U Sound, is stylistically rooted between dub, experimental, Reggae, post-Punk, and electronica, and is known for groundbreaking releases by artists and collectives, from African Head Charge and Singers & Players to Bim Sherman and Tackhead. In recent years, Sherwood has worked with contemporary acts, like the Japanese trio Nisennenmondai and UK ensemble The Near Jazz Experience, as well as releasing cutting-edge bass music together with Bristol’s dubstep wizard Pinch.

For this episode, host Chal Ravens sat down with Adrian Sherwood to discuss squatting with Ari Up and Neneh Cherry, dub reggae philosophy, and why you should never trust a hippy.

Relevant Parties Podcast Series - On-U Sound

December 3rd 1974,48 years ago.The Young Americans recording session started with Producer Tony Visconti and Engineer: Harry Maslin.Tony Visconti began mixing the album and adding overdubs. From August to November of 1974, Bowie recorded part of his ninth studio album, “Young Americans,” at Philadephia’s Sigma Sound Studios. But only one tape from the sessions remained in the studio’s archive when its 6,200 master tapes were donated to Drexel in 2005. Now the tape is part of the Sigma Sound Studios Collection in the Drexel University Audio Archives, housed in the basement of University Crossings.The assortment of tapes helps tell the story of Philly music from just before the founding of the studio (in 1968) to 1996, when Sigma switched from using analog tapes to digital recording. In the early ‘70s, the studio was known for producing Philly soul and “The Sound of Philadelphia,” and Bowie, who was known for his glam rock albums and personas, was looking for a change.
“Imagine it's 1974. Sigma was hot. Coming out of Philly and coming out of Sigma was hit record after hit record,” said Toby Seay, project director of the Audio Archives and an associate professor in the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. “It would be very enticing for an artist like Bowie to say, ‘Let’s go there and see if some of that ‘magic’ wears off.’” The session’s remaining 16-track tape, dated August 14, 1974, and labeled “Reel 4,” contains just five songs. These include alternate takes of songs that made the album, like reworked versions of the title track, and rejected songs that only appear on reissues, like “John, I’m Only Dancing (Again),” “It’s Gonna Be Me” and “Who Can I Be Now.” The single sheet of paper accompanying the tape only lists the tracks, takes, times and instruments used — no dates, no musician names and no inventory of its place alongside other possible tapes from the Bowie sessions.
Of course, the album is far from unknown. “Young Americans” reached the Top 10 List in America and the song “Fame,” which was later co-written and featured vocals from John Lennon in New York City, was Bowie’s first No. 1 single in America. But the records from the smash hit are less prominent.
“Bowie had the forethought from the very beginning to own his recordings. That's so rare,” said Seay. “From what I understand, he knows where every tape of every record he's recorded exists except for "Young Americans’ and ‘Station to Station.’”
01. Young Americans (US TV promo)
02.  Young Americans (Take One)
03.  Young Americans (Take Two)
04.  Young American [take 3, sample]
05.  Young Americans (Take Three)
06.  Fame (Vocal)
07.  Shilling The Rubes (take 1, sample)
08.  Shilling The Rubes (Take One)
09.  It's Gonna Be Me (With Strings)
10.  After Today (take 1, sample)
11.  After Today (Take One)
12.  Take It In, Right (Demo)
13.  It's Gonna Be Me (Previously Unreleased)
14.  Fascination (Instrumental)
15.  Somebody Up There Likes Me (Alternative Mix)
16.  Fame (Instrumental)
17.  Lazer (The Gouster)
18.  Who Can I Be Now  (Previously Unreleased)
19.  Young Americans (Funky Purrfection Version)
20.  Right (Alternative Gouster Mix)
21.  Fame  (Demo)
22.  Fascination (Strippe Down mix Chorus Only)
23.  I Am A Lazer (take 1, sample)
24.  Accross The Universe (Demo)
25.  Can You Hear Me  (Demo)
26.  Win  (Instrumental)
27.  Fame ('Disco Alternative Mix)
28.  I'm Divine 
29.  Young Americans (Strippe Down mix Without Chorus )
30.  John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)
31. Sweet Thing (Sigma Acetate by Ava Cherry Bowie on Vocals)
32. It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City (Completed New Mix)
33.  Young Americans (US radio promo)

Bowie 1974  The Sigma Sound Sessions

In The Mix - The finest DJs from across the globe - and from every end of the genre spectrum – doing what they do best, sharing the music they love.

He’s been a member of Psychic TV’s live band, collaborated with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Mark Stewart, African Headcharge and co-wrote Gary Clail’s biggest hit ‘Human Nature’.  That’s not to mention a staggering four decades of solo albums – his latest, Rare Earth Technology is just out - and recordings for Andrew Weatherall’s Emissions label and The Orb’s Orbscure, among many others. David Harrow treats us a sublime trip through the archives of his LA studio.

in The Mix: David Harrow

Dekmantel Ten: A Decade of Dekmantel Festival

The Dissolving Rhythm

1		Fame
Arranged By – Janette Mason
Organ [Hammond] – Shedrick Mitchell
Written-By – Alomar*, Bowie*, Lennon*
5:53
2		Space Oddity
Arranged By – Janette Mason
Written-By – Bowie*
5:46
3		Golden Years
Written-By – Bowie*
4:58
4		Suffragette City
Arranged By – Janette Mason
Vocals – Janis Siegel
Written-By – Bowie*
6:03
5		Starman
Arranged By – Janette Mason
Written-By – Bowie*
5:07
6		Boys Keep Swinging
Arranged By [Rhythm] – Kevin Hays
Arranged By [Vocals] – Debra Barsha
Backing Vocals – Lea Delaria
Written-By – Eno*, Bowie*
4:48
7		Rebel Rebel
Arranged By – Kevin Hays
Written-By – Bowie*
4:25
8		Let's Dance
Arranged By – Janette Mason
Written-By – Bowie*
5:27
9		Life On Mars?
Arranged By – Janette Mason
Written-By – Bowie*
6:39
10		The Jean Genie
Arranged By – Janette Mason
Organ [Hammond] – Shedrick Mitchell
Written-By – Bowie*
5:48
11		Modern Love
Arranged By [Choral] – Debra Barsha
Chorus – Broadway Inspirational Voices
Organ [Hammond] – Shedrick Mitchell
Written-By – Bowie*
6:01
12		Young Americans
Backing Vocals – Kenny*, Kevin*, Lea*, Matt*, Seamus*, Tony*
Written-By – Bowie*

Lea Delaria At The House Of David

Buckle up for the ride as ADRIAN SHERWOOD celebrates the release on 10" vinyl of "Echoes of the Night", four of his remixes of Pitch Black tracks. This special mix features cuts from his On-U Sound label and includes some sneak previews of tracks not yet released. Adrian Sherwood has spent the last 30+ years producing and/or remixing some of the planet’s most innovative recordings under his own moniker or that of his On-U Sound label, stamping his big, fat, booming sonic trademark on hundreds of releases from African Headcharge and Dub Syndicate to Nine Inch Nails and Primal Scream.

1 Tackhead - The Robot Song
2 Pitch Black - 1000 Drift (Adrian Sherwood Mix)
3 L$£ - Let’s Come Together
4 Adrian Sherwood – Dressed To Impress
5 Pitch Black - Transient Transmission (Intercept's retwist of Adrian Sherwood's Iota Remix)
6 Creation Rebel – Off The Spectrum
7 African Head Charge – Push Me Pull You
8 Pitch Black - Third Light (Adrian Sherwood's Echoes of the Night 10" Dub Mix)
9 African Head Charge – The Best Way
10 Dub Syndicate – Plains Of Africa (Echo Echo Echo)
11 African Head Charge – God Willing
12 Pitch Black - A Doubtful Sound (Adrian Sherwood 10" Dub Mix)
13 Adrian Sherwood – Insane Drums
14 Talking Dogs - Remix
15 Adrian Sherwood - Hiroshima Dub Match
16 Panda Bear and Sonic Boom – Getting To The Point (On U Dub)
17 Horace Andy – Fever
18 Tackhead ft Mark E Smith – Repetition
19 Tackhead – International Rescue
20 Adrian Sherwood - Hiroshima Dub Match
21 Shit Robot - Adrian Sherwood Remix
22 African Head Charge – Asalatua
23 Adrian Sherwood – The Collapse Of Everything

https://soundcloud.com/adriansherwood | http://soundcloud.com/dubmissionrecords

ADRIAN SHERWOOD | Dubmission Records Series Ep. 54 | 18/09/2024

Little Axe - Live At Fruitmarket, Glasgow 31st January 2007

“Creativity is serious, sacred, and spiritual, but it’s also about play. It’s about freedom, tearing things down, and rebuilding.” Mala for Carhartt WIP Radio – March 2025.

Hailing from South London, the producer and DJ has been a leading figure in electronic music since the early 2000s, who as part of the legendary DMZ crew and label, pioneered a genre rooted in sound system culture – a genre we know now as dubstep.

In 2006, Mala founded his label @deep-medi-musik as a platform for more experimental releases. It has remained a vital force in underground bass music, with a roster of artists including Kaiju, Silkie and Goth-Trad.

Twenty years since Mala first made his mark on the scene, his influence is as strong as ever. For this episode of Carhartt WIP Radio, the legendary producer and DJ created a mix featuring tracks from the DEEP MEDi vault, alongside some new releases. The mix is accompanied by an interview, as Mala discusses the duality of art and science in music-making, his ethos of “building” sounds, and the significance of an artist’s story in their work. Listen to the mix and read the interview at www.carhartt-wip.com/journal/music.

tracklist:

1. Mala - I Wait Part II
2. Gorgon Sound - Late Night Blues
3. Kaiju - Pride
4. Commodo - Saracen 
5. Mala - Guidance 
6. Mala - Jah Power 
7. Skream - Backwards
8. J. Sparrow - Where Am I
9. Compa - Narabeh
10. Samba - Wormz 
11. Quasar - Signal Processor
12.  TMSV - The Glow
13. Gantz x Elif Dikec - Fugazi
14. Bukez Finezt - The Devil
15. Cartridge - Nemisis 
16. Hamdi - Second Mouse
17. Darkai - Atonement
18. Alxzdr - Abacus
19. Bukez Finezt - Foreign Signal
20. Two Rangers - The Marble
21. Truth - Secret Portal
22. Harry Craze - Thirty Six Hours
23. Silkie - Beauty
24. Egoless - Vitae Eterna
25. Mala - Changes (James Blake Harmonimix)

Carhartt WIP Radio March 2025: Mala / DEEP MEDi MUSIK

Marcus Miller, George Duke, David Sanborn - Run For Cover

soprano saxophone; simon, piano; http://soundcloud.com/vektoria

IKTA live broadcast part 5 (signpost)

Celebrating The 45th Anniversary of The Young Americans album,released on 7 March'75 with a 30 tracks New Edition..1.Young Americans(Funky Purrfection) 2.Win(instrumental) 3.Fascination(Stripped Down Mix) 4.Right(Leon Sweet Extended) 5.Somebody Up There Likes Me((alternative mix) 6.Across The Universe(Dub Remix) 7.Can You Hear Me(Stripped Down) 8.Fame('75 Disco Purrfection) 9.Young Americans(Visconti Edit) 10.Win((Remaster) 11.Fascination (instrumental) `12.Right(Alternative Mix) 13.Can You Hear Me(early version) 14.Fame (Dub mix) 15.Young Americans(With S.R.Vaughan) 16.After Today(Outtake) 17.Fame(Bobby C Remix) 18.Can You Hear Me(With Cher) 19.Young Imagination 20.John, I'm Only Dancing (Long '74) 21.1984(Sexcrime version) 22.Fame(Jules Instrumental) 23.Who Can I Be Now?(unreleased) 24.It's Gonna Be Me(Strings) 25. I'm Divine(Outtake) 26. Fame(House) 27.Fascination(disco Edit) 28.John I'm Only Dancing(Reflex Edit) 29.Young Americans Medley(With Cher) 30..Fameback(WithJames Brown)

IKTA live broadcast part 5 (signpost)

simonwest369