Audio Active - Happy Shopper In Europe EP

This is another fine release by the UK based experimental reggae/dub label "On-U Sound" run by Adrian Sherwood.

On-U Sound's following in Japan has been strong for many years, helped considerably by the success of Sherwood's early 1990's production work for the then recently-formed "Audio Active".
Here then is the story of the 'Japan connection':
Tokyo-based "Audio Active", led by shinehead Masa, got together through a mutual appreciation of reggae. These guys, however, got further than playing Bob Marley covers. That they were drawn towards dub and roots reggae, and later sometimes fusing it with hard techno beats and screaming guitars is something for which we should be truly grateful.
United by a shared love of dub, vocalist Masa and keyboardist / programmer 2DD (pronounced "nee dee dee"), who got their start in a 10-piece ska band called "Vital Connection", formed "Audio Active" with drummer Shigemoto Nanao and bassist Takeshi Akimoto in 1991, naming themselves after an album by Jamaican reggae star Dennis Bovell. Guitarist Kasai joined later after the departure of Akimoto from the collective.

Their big break came when Adrian Sherwood took the band under his wing in the 1992 - 93, producing some of their earliest recordings and releasing them in Britain via On-U Sound. With Bim Sherman guesting on the subsequent single "Free The Marijuana" they were already in heady company indeed!
An occasional musician himself, Sherwood also took them with him on a tour of the United States. The band has also toured in Europe, as headliners and with "Asian Dub Foundation". On their own Beat Records label in Japan they released several singles that maybe never were heard of in Europe. They are also quite big in Australia how many can claim this for themselves?!

Using a mix of programming and live instrumentation "Audio Active" create a dense, dub-inspired world of sound. References to outer space and time travel-interests fostered by sci-fi films and animated TV shows like Taimu Bokan abound in their English lyrics. But it's their love of the 'erb that is impossible to ignore and sets them apart on the Japanese music scene, where controversy is anathema. Titles such as "Weed Specialist", "Kick The Bong Around", "Psycho Buds", and the "Hempire Strikes Back" are just some of the many tributes to their favourite medicine contained in their back catalogue.

"Audio Active" released the fantastic "Happy Shopper In Europe EP" in 1995.

Tracklist:

1	Happy Shopper (Main Mix)
2	Happy Shopper (Dub Mix)
3	Happy Shopper (Live Mix)
4	Electric Bombardment (Remix)
5	Electric Bombardment (LP Mix)
6	Frog In The Well
7	Free The Marijuana (Version)
8	Mammoth Galactica

Audio Active - Happy Shopper In Europe EP
(256 kbps, cover art included)