African Head Charge

My Life In a Hole In The Ground (1981) ... 

Bonjo Iyabingi  Noah and Adrian Sherwood produced this avant reggae, African psychedelia in Berry St, London (the hole in the ground), soon after Eno and Byrne produced 'My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts' ...The debut album of this particular grouping of the On-U Sound collective ...

Elastic Dance ... 
 

Stebeni's Theme ...

No real connection to Eno-Byrne's album soundwise (no 'found voices' or sampling), and the 'African' element is the genuine percussion of Bonjo 'I' , this experimental group took the electronic warping and sonic explorations of reggae of the 1970s to a new level.  The On-U Sound label regularly marked their album covers with a date ten years ahead of the time they were produced, and were very influential ...eventually the rest of the music world did catch up...

Faraway Chant ...

"My Life in a Hole in the Ground" can now be viewed as an experimental work in that it was a search for a fresh musical template for the then virtual band African Head Charge. At the time it was made, and certainly more prosaic than the grander sounding term experimental, it was a case of "what next?", "how about trying this?" or "will this work?". Studio time was precious and samplers, even in theit most rudimentary from, had not yet arrived in commercial studios. The introduction of pre-captured sound had to be managed by the use of precious channels or the mind-numbingly tedious process of multi-edits. So we find Adrian, Bonjo and the usual On-U suspects of the time playing with fairly free-form rhythm creation based on the tenets of reggae - drum and bass makes the space. On this bed Bonjo was then free to develop precussion patterns and breaks, whilst contributions from the likes of Deadly Headley and Doctor Pablo filled in the requirements for colouration." ... princefari.com ...

Crocodile Shoes ... 

skysaw.org AHC history ... 

African Head Charge

Songs of Praise (1990) ...

From Adrian Sherwood and Co ...

Hymn ... 

"The distinctive sound is still there; atmospheric synth stabs, percolating percussion, stinging, minimalist guitar lines, sturdy bass lines. AHC has progressed since the heady days of MY LIFE IN A HOLE IN THE GROUND, though. The dense, dark soundscapes of that era are supplanted here by a more celebratory air and an open, spacious feel. Several cuts feature what sounds like children chanting, and there's a more spiritual tone throughout, even reflected in song titles such as "Hymn," "Healing Ceremony," and "Gospel Train." Fear not, Sherwood and company haven't gone new age. The sonic settings are just as exquisitely textured as ever, they've just been given an added depth."

Dervish Chant ... 

"Progressive dub producer Adrian Sherwood first made his mark in the early '80s as the man behind the boards for groups like African Head Charge, Creation Rebel, and New Age Steppers. His revolutionary combination of dub reggae with a gritty, forward-looking post-punk aesthetic was a breath of fresh air. A decade later, SONGS OF PRAISE finds African Head Charge and Sherwood still fully capable of innovation.

African Head Charge includes: Skip MacDonald (guitar, keyboards); Carlton "Bubbles" Ogilvie (piano); Crocodile, Junior Moses, Martin Frederix (bass); Style Scott (drums); Sunny Akpan (percussion); Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah, Prisoner."

AHC Biography ...

African Psychedelica ... 

.................<>..................