Some artists are defined by their output. Adrian Sherwood is defined by his ear — a capacity for hearing music that other people would not have thought to make, and then making it happen. It is what built On-U Sound into one of the most singular independent labels in British music history, and it is what runs through every track of The Collapse of Everything, his first solo album in thirteen years and only the fourth of his career.
The album arrives following The Grand Designer, a four-track EP released in June on On-U Sound’s long-running disco plate series. That record previewed the direction — shifting rhythmic structures, dense with effects, and featuring an extraordinary final collaboration with the late Lee “Scratch” Perry, whose voice appears on a dub version of the title track. Perry’s presence serves as a reminder of the depth of the relationship between the two men and the music they made together, including the critically lauded Rainford album in 2019.
The Collapse of Everything extends that territory further. Sherwood has described it as coming from a particular state of mind — a reckoning with the times as much as a musical statement — and the record carries that weight without becoming heavy. It is dub-informed but not limited by it, drawing on electronics, brass, the rhythm section work of longtime collaborators including Doug Wimbish, and the accumulated instincts of someone who has spent four decades learning exactly how a mixing desk can reshape the world.
Dancing Turtle has worked with Adrian Sherwood and On-U Sound for many years — supporting the label’s digital presence, content strategy and website. The release of a new solo album from one of British music’s most important producers is not something we would let pass without acknowledgement. For those yet to come across his work, this is the place to start. For those who already know it, the wait has been worth it.
The Collapse of Everything is out now on On-U Sound.
