About Playgroup

There are, at least, three artists known as Playgroup. 1) A band on Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound imprint, during the early 1980s. Their lineup included Sherwood, Style Scott (Dub Syndicate), Bruce Smith (ex-Pop Group), Charlie 'Eskimo' Fox, Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah, and others from the On-U collective. They released two lp's entitled Epic Sound Battles 1 (1982) and Epic Sound Battles 2 (1983), both later reissued as a single CD. Much in the same vein as their labelmates New Age Steppers, Playgroup's sound employs the dub-based On-U-Sound sound (and uses some of the same riddims), while incorporating jazz, rock and funk, with even some steel drums. 2) A pseudonym of London, UK electroclash / electro house producer & graphic designer Trevor Jackson (aka Underdog). Jackson also ran, the now defunct, Output Recordings. Discography: Make It Happen! (2000), Playgroup (2001, brought diverse influences, inc: funk, disco, hip-hop, electro & dub - creating an album that relies heavily on the past, only to reshape, with such vigour, that it might sound too modern, for its own good), several more releases followed, Reproduction (2004, a remix album) & Front 2 Back (feat. KC Flightt, 2006), 3) A New York-based project, unrelated to the On-U group, who recorded a 12" single, "Euphoria", for Factory Benelux in 1985.