The British electro-dub-rock group Dreadzone rose from the remnants of the short-lived Screaming Target, itself an outgrowth of Big Audio Dynamite. Screaming Target comprised Don Letts, Greg Roberts and Leo Williams, in collaboration with producer and remixer Tim Bran; when Letts exited, Bran signed on with the team of Roberts and Williams, and the trio rechristened themselves Dreadzone. A dub band relying heavily on sampling and other elements of electronica, they debuted in 1993 on Creation Records with the LP 360°. Two years later, they signed with Virgin for their second album Second Light, featuring guest appearances from Mad Professor and Leftfield's Earl 16. It was and would remain their most successful album, reaching number 37 in the U.K. chart. "Little Britain," the trio's breakthrough and biggest U.K. single (reaching number 20), followed in 1996, with the LP Biological Radio appearing the next year, also on Virgin. Dreadzone were briefly the toast of the town; championed by legendary DJ John Peel on his BBC radio show, they supported Oasis at two of the biggest shows of their career, at Knebworth and Loch Lomond, and their song, "Dream Within a Dream," was used on the soundtrack of the hit movie The Saint.

Though they would never again reach these heights of success, Dreadzone's reputation was assured, and for the next two decades they continued to record and release albums to a devoted fan base. Despite various lineup changes, the core members remained constant, and the band's sound changed relatively little, though some albums were heavier and some more mellow, some more electronic and some more organic. Various featured vocalists were usually present on each album, among them Letts. Sound was released in 2001 on Ruff Life; Once upon a Time in 2005 on Functional Breaks. They eventually achieved full independence in 2010 with the launch of their own label Dubwiser, through which they released their sixth LP, Eye on the Horizon, and all their subsequent albums. Escapades came out in 2013 and Dread Times followed in 2017. ~ Jason Ankeny & John D. Buchanan, Rovi