New Age Steppers were a
dub collective from the United Kingdom, formed by producer
Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Maxwell Sherwood (born 20 January 1958, London, England) is an English record producer specialising in the genre of dub music. He has created a distinctive production style based on the application of dub effects and dub mixing technique ...
and featuring members of various prominent 1970s UK
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
groups, including
Ari Up
Ariane Daniele Forster (17 January 1962 – 20 October 2010), known by her stage name Ari Up, was a German vocalist best known as a member of the English punk rock band the Slits.
Biography
Ari Up was born in Munich, West Germany. Both her pare ...
and
Viv Albertine
Viviane Katrina Louise Albertine (born 1 December 1954) is an Australian-born British musician, singer, songwriter and writer. She is best known as the guitarist for the punk band the Slits from 1977 until 1982, with whom she recorded two studio ...
of
the Slits
The Slits were a punk and post-punk band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up (Ariane Forster) and Palmolive (a.k.a. Paloma R ...
,
Mark Stewart and
Bruce Smith
Bruce Bernard Smith (born June 18, 1963) is an American former football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Virginia Tech, where he was ...
of
The Pop Group
The Pop Group are an English rock band formed in Bristol in 1977 by vocalist Mark Stewart, guitarist John Waddington, bassist Simon Underwood, guitarist/saxophonist Gareth Sager, and drummer Bruce Smith. Their work in the late 1970s crossed d ...
,
Keith Levene
Julian Keith Levene (18 July 1957 – 11 November 2022) was an English musician who was a founding member of both the Clash and Public Image Ltd (PiL). While Levene was in PiL, their 1978 debut album '' Public Image: First Issue'' reached No 22 ...
of
Public Image Ltd
Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and dr ...
, John Waddington of
Rip Rig + Panic
Rest in peace (RIP), a phrase from the Latin (), is sometimes used in traditional Christian services and prayers, such as in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist denominations, to wish the soul of a decedent eternal rest and peace.
...
, and
Vicky Aspinall
Victoria "Vicky" Aspinall is a British musician. She was the violinist in the English post-punk band The Raincoats from 1978 to 1984. In 1992 she and Dave Morgan founded the independent dance label Fresh Records (not the post-punk label of the sam ...
of
The Raincoats
The Raincoats are a British experimental post-punk band. Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London.
Signed to the label Rough Trade, the ...
.
Other musicians included associates of Sherwood's
On-U Sound label, including George Oban,
Bim Sherman
, children = Chantelle Vincent, Rasiah Vincent
Jarret Lloyd Vincent (12 February 1950 – 17 November 2000), better known by one of his stage aliases Bim Sherman (others include Jarrett Tomlinson, Jarrett Vincent, Lloyd Vincent, J. L. ...
,
Style Scott
Lincoln Valentine Scott (29 April 1956 – 9 October 2014), better known as Style Scott, was a Jamaican reggae drummer, famous for playing in the Roots Radics and, later, with Dub Syndicate. He also recorded and performed with Prince Far I, Bunn ...
, and Eskimo Fox.
History
New Age Steppers released the
self-titled debut album on
On-U Sound in 1980. It was followed by ''Action Battlefield'' in 1981. The third album, ''Foundation Steppers'', was released in 1982.
''Love Forever'', an album of songs which the late
Ari Up
Ariane Daniele Forster (17 January 1962 – 20 October 2010), known by her stage name Ari Up, was a German vocalist best known as a member of the English punk rock band the Slits.
Biography
Ari Up was born in Munich, West Germany. Both her pare ...
and
Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Maxwell Sherwood (born 20 January 1958, London, England) is an English record producer specialising in the genre of dub music. He has created a distinctive production style based on the application of dub effects and dub mixing technique ...
had recorded together until the death of Ari Up, was released in 2012.
Style and influences
John Dougan of
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
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."
Discography
Studio albums
*''
The New Age Steppers'' (1980)
*''Action Battlefield'' (1981)
*''Foundation Steppers'' (1982)
*''Love Forever'' (2012)
Compilation albums
*''Crucial Ninety'' (1981)
*''Massive Hits Vol. 1'' (1994)
*''Trifecta'' (2011)
*''Stepping into a New Age'' Box Set (2021)
Singles
*"Fade Away" (1980)
*"My Love" (1981)
*"My Nerves (Punk)" (2012)
References
External links
*
interview with New Age Steppers' drummer, Eskimo Fox
{{Authority control
Dub musical groups
On-U Sound Records artists
English post-punk music groups
British reggae musical groups
1980 establishments in England
Musical groups established in 1980
2012 disestablishments in England
Musical groups disestablished in 2012
Musical collectives