Back in 2012 I put together a comp of reggae and dub made by punks called Spiky Dread and put it out as the 1st release on my label Rongorongo. An exhausting project but loads of fun and I met some interesting characters and made a few new friends along the way. One of which was the infamous impresario and champion of outsider-culture David Ferguson.

Amongst his many wild endeavours over the years, David ran the San Francisco based punk label CD presents which is how I encountered him whilst on the hunt to license a track from an LP he released in 1984 by SF ska-punk pioneers The Offs. Various aborted attempts to track him down finally led me to an eBay shop selling off CD Presents master tapes and memorabilia and finally contact was made and I secured "Cool Down" by The Offs as the opening track on Spiky Dread.

We wound up chatting a fair bit over the coming months. David was making plans for new releases on his label having recently remastered (at Skywalker Ranch!) and repressed The Offs album, thanks to new found interest based mainly on Basquiat's cover art; this was Basquiat's only ever album cover commission which came about after a failed audition to drum for the band (who had moved to NYC and were now firmly rooted in the downtown New York noise scene). "Best 500 bucks I ever spent" David chuckled down the phone during our first conversation.

We got chatting about Rongorongo releasing more of The Offs material, and David gave me the go ahead to press "First Record" on CD for the first time along with a handful of my own dub versions, plus the tracks The Offs released on the Max's Kansas City label a couple of years prior thanks to Peter Crowley who was very excited about some new found interest in the group.

As with so many of my endeavours, it never happened. Spiky Dread wore me out, I was in the thick of promo with my own album with Deemas J. I was flat broke and trying to battle on whilst dealing with severe depression and anxiety. Regardless, I've dabbled with the idea on and off for the past 5 years. I've dubbed a few of the tracks (not an easy task with no multi tracks but I'm pretty good at dubbing, even if I do say so myself), and I even considered making it a nice compilation featuring tracks from their earlier punkier 7" releases from the late 70s.

Then, a little while ago, having not spoken to David for a year or so, I sadly discovered he'd passed away. This lovely man who'd shared insights into the murky depths of the music business, who'd divulged stories about getting stoned in a motel with Peter Tosh, and pissing off his neighbour Jim Jones who ran The People's Temple Of The Disciples Of Christ and often complained about the noise David and his bands were making, this guy who I'd been chatting with for a couple of years and was hoping to meet in the flesh one day, gone.

And that left me both very sad and a little stumped. I have no idea where I stand on releasing rights, I don't know anyone that knew David. At least 2 of the main members of The Offs are dead now too; lead singer Don Vinil overdosed before "First Album" was even released.

Two dub versions and an extended disco edit of their wonderful "You Fascinate Me" now sit on my hard drive doing nothing. I hope one day I'll get around to releasing them officially. Until then, have a listen to "I Dub The Handle" and lets raise our glasses to both David Ferguson and The Offs.

The Offs Meet Wrongtom - I Dub The Handle

Follow us on Bandcamp too: https://soundofarttocome.bandcamp.com/follow_me

Duppy dubs
Duppy riddims

The Sound of Art to Come Records is a Transylvanian based record label, home of Dub, Electronic and Experimental music outcasts and exploring mavericks.

Deep in the heart of Romania, it transmits from the dimension of The Shape of Dub to Come.

"For you to know that the music helps carry on / Like you say a new day will bring us tomorrow..."  Shing02 and Nujabes Luv(sic).
“The possible has been tried and failed. Now it's time to try the impossible.” 
Sun Ra #jazz #hiphop #downtempo #electronic #ambient #chillhop #jazzhop #beats #reggae

Bucureci Obeah is a curator, musicologist, art director and entrepreneur with decades of experience in radio, music & visual art. His portfolio includes multi-media projects Creionetica, Tunesinourheads, Abator Industries, Crowd Control, Black Rhino Music & Radio & A4Activism. Bucureci was a collaborator of Radio Guerrilla, Electronic Beats by Telekom and is a graduate of architecture, art & design.
Sound of Art to Come Records is his Transylvanian platform & record label, where dub, industrial, post-punky reggae, hip-hop, electronic & experimental artists from all over the world are brought together. From the heart of Romania, they offer a monthly transmission of art through a unique selection of artworks, collages, music & remixes inspired by the intersection of Pop Art, multi-culturalism & horror soundtracks.
Sound of Art to Come have partenered with the UK-based NGO/ label from Lancashire - Wormhole World, to put out their artists catalog on CD in the UK & surrounding areas and connect their audience with dub, industrial, post-punky reggae, experimental music.

Wrongtom is a record producer and dj from South London, now residing in the not-so-trendy reaches of the east end, he spends his days playing with tape echo and watching B-movies in his makeshift studio hidden away in a converted nunnery.

Spanning over a decade, Tom’s career has covered a colourful patchwork of styles from Dancehall to Indie-Pop with the likes of Rockabilly, Dub, Ghettotech and Free Jazz filling the gaps in between. Starting out as a percussionist playing on records for Bob Jones’ Black On Black label and Kingsize Records, Tom soon taught himself to produce with some hand-me-down analogue gear and a cracked copy of Cubase, his early productions bridging the gap between new school breaks and old freestyle-electro records.

Somewhere down the line he got tangled in the web of pop music and in no time was touring the land with spiky soul boys Hard-Fi playing seemingly inappropriate records to thousands of indie kids which came to it’s ilogical conclusion on stage at Wembley Arena as 10,000 perplexed punters listened to a selection of B-More, Shut Up & Dance and Italo House classics. Through Hard-Fi, Tom notched up production credits on a UK number 1 LP and paved the way for his reggae/dub collective Stoneleigh Mountain Rockers, with whom he’s worked on projects for Trojan Records, Pama International (featuring 2 Tone luminary Lynval Golding) and now with UK rap legend Roots Manuva.

As a dj Tom’s traveled the world from Shanghai to Southampton playing in a variety of venues including sweaty basements, churches and even a former Yugoslavian army barracks, the bakery of the barracks in fact. Not content with subjecting the world to his record collection in the dance, he’s also tormented the airwaves via experimental station Resonance FM for a few years with his radio partner Mr Trick.

With his latest album with Roots Manuva in the can, you can expect a couple of new projects in the not so distant future, no doubt filling in a few more genre gaps on his CV in the process.

music is the soul of the universe ,,, come waste your time with me =) if its got a beat and bumps  let it play !!!

The " red house " of :
Welsh Artist Anthony Richards
Here I am on Soundcloud 9
perched in Ammanford.
A small post industrial town in South Wales
the undisputed home of the underground
there used to be more coal mines here
than you could shake a stick at, before
they were all shut down.
Truly well deeply deeper underground.
A Massive thank you to all the music makers,
 music lovers, the whole world over.
Loving all of your divine music.
At the house of dancing paintbrushes.
If I am not here, then I might well
also be here, when I am not here....
www.facebook.com/antswelshart
Or I might also be here of course. If I am neither here nor there...
www.facebook.com/anthony.richards.581
Love and Big Cwtches ! From, the house of dancing brushes, small town South Wales, the birthplace and home of the " Redhouse Ultra-underground " Movement/Non Movement. Safe Journeys & Happy Adventuring, to all of you most fabulous folks out there, peace, love, and respect to you all. X

No, of course I am not nuts..
But, my dear old passed dad. Often asked of me. With a quizzingly confused, expression upon his face.. " Are you some kind of a bloody loony ? " I never gave his quizzing a definitive answer, it was more fun to keep him guessing.

The Offs Meet Wrongtom - I Dub The Handle

wrongtom