Pay It All Back Vol. 2

There are some record labels that have a sound and an aesthetic all their own. On-U Sound, run by the brilliant producer and impresario Adrian Sherwood, is one of those, and the best way to introduce yourself to the On-U Sound experience is with one of its many Pay It All Back compilations. The best of them is the second, which features contributions by African Head Charge, Bim Sherman, Barmy Army (a “band” whose output consists entirely of English football chants set to electro reggae rhythms), and the mighty Dub Syndicate, among others. Roots reggae, avant-garde dancehall, experimental electro funk, and other less-identifiable musical genres all rub up against each other and create a delightful stylistic friction.