Avant Gardening

A new compilation from On U Sound rounds up some oddities, rarities and unreleased versions from the New Age Steppers tape vaults. On U Sound's re- issues of African Head Charge's albums and the similar unreleased extras compilation from last year, Churchical Chant Of The Iyabinghi, were essential purchases and this covers similar ground although Ari's presence and the post- punk anxiety and dissonance give many of the tracks on Avant Gardening an edge that makes this sometimes uneasy listening. 

World Wide Version is a dubbed out version of My Whole World from 1981's Action Battlefield, bass and FX providing the foundation for some Eastern tinged clavinet courtesy of Kishi Yamamoto. Previously only available on the 2004 Japanese re- issue of the album 

World Wide Version

Man Next Door

More dubbed out wonder for the first day of June. Man Next Door was the third single from The Slits and shows them moving deeper into dub territory and away from the punkier sound of Cut. Released in 1980 Man Next Door is a cover of a John Holt tune and produced by Adrian Sherwood. Tessa Pollitt was unwell so the bass was played by Ari Up and the whole session was done at short notice, Sherwood calling to say they had a couple of hours if they could come now. Drums were played by a man called Cecil and according to Viv Albertine they didn't  know his surname and never saw him again. On the B-side Sherwood twisted the song into further abstract dub shapes which is what you're getting here.

Man Next Door (Version)

Fade Away Again

After The Slits broke up Ari Up sang maybe her best vocal take on this 1981 New Age Steppers cover of the Junior Byles song Fade Away (posted recently both here and at Jim McLean's Rabbit). New Age Steppers were Ari, dub maestro Adrian Sherwood, his Creation Rebels and a rotating cast/collective of like minded musicians.  They were also the first release on Sherwood's On-U Sound label- some of their dub is deliberately harsh and abrasive, confrontational. Fade Away is a dubbed out delight from start to finish.

Fade Away

I Heard It Through The Bassline

The Bagging Area Slits-fest continues with this astonishing piece of live footage from Berlin in 1981, playing Man Next Door- freeform dub live with The Pop Group's Bruce Smith on drums, Neneh Cherry on backing vox and dancing and Ari, Viv and Tessa in full effect for eight minutes. There really was nothing else like them.

Man Next Door was originally a John Holt hit, based on a Dr Alimantado song, based on a Dennis Brown song.



As an extra I've been hammering this recently, their cover version of I Heard It Through The Grapevine (B-side to Typical Girls). It is the best dub-punk cover, bar none, and I have posted it before but it bears repeating. Tessa Pollitt's bassline is out of this world- as Ari Up sings 'I heard it through the bassline'

I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Bet You're Wondering How I Knew

As a follow up to yesterday's post here's some Slits. Viv Albertine, Ari Up (above) and Tessa Pollitt never sounded better than on this Slits cover version of Marvin Gaye's song, where they twist its rhythms about and give it a punky-dubby makeover.

I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Ari Up

Ari Up (The Slits)
17th January 1962- 20th October 2010

05 In the Beginning There Was Rhythm.wma