New Age Steppers were a dub collective from the United Kingdom, formed by producer Adrian Sherwood and featuring members of various prominent 1970s UK post-punk groups, including Ari Up and Viv Albertine of the Slits, Mark Stewart and Bruce Smith of The Pop Group, Keith Levene of Public Image Ltd, John Waddington of Rip Rig + Panic, and Vicky Aspinall of The Raincoats.[1] Other musicians included associates of Sherwood's On-U Sound label, including Errol Holt, George Oban, Bim Sherman, Style Scott, and Eskimo Fox.[3]
New Age Steppers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Dub,[1] post punk[2] |
| Years active | 1980–2012 |
| Labels | On-U Sound |
| Members | Adrian Sherwood Mark Stewart |
| Past members | Ari Up Steve Beresford Bruce Smith George Oban Viv Albertine Vivien Goldman John Waddington Style Scott Eskimo Fox Jarrett Tomlinson Kishi Yamamoto Neneh Cherry Keith Levene Bim Sherman Vicky Aspinall Sean Oliver Antonio Phillips Dan Sheals Stephen "Shooz" New Errol Holt Eric "Bingy Bunny" Lamont Michael "Bami" Rose Nick Plytas Peter Stroud Carlton "Bubblers" Ogilvie Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah Vin Gordon |
History
editNew Age Steppers released the self-titled debut album on On-U Sound in 1980.[4] It was followed by Action Battlefield in 1981.[5] The third album, Foundation Steppers, was released in 1982.[6]
Love Forever, an album of songs which the late Ari Up and Adrian Sherwood had recorded together until the death of Ari Up, was released in 2012.[7]
Style and influences
editJohn Dougan of AllMusic said, "the sound of the New Age Steppers was that of cut-and-paste dub mixing, psychedelic swirls of found sounds, dissonant aural collages, sinewy reggae riddims, and odd, semi-tuneful vocals."[3]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit- The New Age Steppers (1980)
- Action Battlefield (1981)
- Foundation Steppers (1982)
- Love Forever (2012)
Compilation albums
edit- Crucial Ninety (1981)
- Massive Hits Vol. 1 (1994)
- Trifecta (2011)
- Stepping into a New Age Box Set (2021)
Singles
edit- "Fade Away" (1980)
- "My Love" (1981)
- "My Nerves (Punk)" (2012)
References
edit- ^ a b Raymer, Miles (2 May 2014). "Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers: Threat to Creation". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ Karan, Tim (21 October 2010). "In Memoriam: Ari Up of the Slits". Alternative Press. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ a b Dougan, John. "New Age Steppers - Biiography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "The New Age Steppers". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "Action Battlefield". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ Thompson, Deva. "Foundation Steppers". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ Anderson, Rick. "Love Forever". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 October 2014.