BOB MARLEY - ROOTS KING
JACOB MILLER (MY FAVOURITE ROOTS DON)
AUGUSTUS PABLO ( MY FAVOURITE DUN MUSICIAN)
THE HISTORY OF JAMAICAN MUSIC . . .
Imagine Jamaica at the end of the 1950s, already gripped by Independence fever as the new nation prepares for the lowering of the flag in 1962. In downtown Kingston the sound systems are booming and competition for the freshest tunes is ferocious. Of course the imported sounds of American rhythm & blues won’t satisfy these souls, so, at about that time, the coming of an indigenous Jamaican music for the masses was inevitable.But this celebratory combination of nationalism and commercialism had another powerful element – Africa. Religion, in the form of Pocomania, and the drum music traditions of Burru and Kumina survived transportation to be embraced in Jamaica where Africanism was clung to fiercely and slave revolts were far more commonplace than on any other Caribbean island. Much later, Rastafari’s sophisticated drum ensembles would provide a living example of these ancient traditions, while the burgeoning music industry was never slow to absorb those influences. Add to this a generation of classically-trained musicians, who had embraced bebop jazz’s sense of adventures, and crowds who just want to dance and it’s little wonder that this tiny island – a population half the size of London’s – has become such a force in global music. Music is not Jamaica’s only gift to the world, but it is how so many Jamaicans chose to define themselves. People will talk about how music and singing lifted the spirits through slavery and colonialism as well as being a weapon against political corruption and civil disorder. It gave the poor people a voice and something to call their own, celebrated the joys of life on the tropical island and spread One Love throughout the world. For fifty years, the natural medium for this music has been the sound system dances, with, traditionally, commercial recordings and release schedules playing second fiddles to these awesome ghetto-centric situations. Thus, for as long as there’s been Jamaican music it’s remained inseparable to the people and the environment responsible for it. Reggae remains one of the world’s last genuine folk musics.
SOUND SYSTEMS:
Sound systems are the heartbeat at the centre of all meaningful Jamaican music.
During the last forty years, sound system culture has spread all over the world essentially unchanged.
They appear in a pure Jamaican form for the Notting Hill Carnival with systems such as Aba Shanti-I and Good Times being huge crowd pullers.
Don’t confuse sound systems with mobile discos – one can rock a real party, the other is useful for weddings.
King Tubby(click for larger image)
The early sound system(click for larger image)
The only way to listen to reggae is at a sound system. Ideally, this would be at an open air lawn in downtown Kingston, where it’s 80 degrees at 2am and the bassline vibrates your bottle of Red Stripe, but a church hall in Bristol or a house party in Birmingham will do. The whole point is you’re packed in with like-minded people; you have ownership of the music; the rig is such that you feel it before you hear it; the deejay is vibing up the crowd; and every killer tune brings a noisy reaction. Sound systems took over from orchestras in Jamaican dancehalls in the 1950s – why pay a band when you can play imported US R&B records? The cost of having your own record player or radio was also overcome by the systems putting their speakers in the street for all to hear the music. The first Jamaican record producers - Prince Buster, Coxsone Dodd (Studio One) and Duke Reid - were sound system owners, commissioning recording sessions to ensure a supply of exclusive tunes. Because sound system dances were one of the few things ghetto people could call their own, they became central to downtown life, thus a barmometer of popular taste. Once producers started making records for sale, they’d test new styles out on their sound system and nearly every development in Jamaican music – ska, rock steady, reggae, dancehall and so on has been a result of competition between sound men to find something new to pull in the crowds.Competition for the best equipment and the most exciting music was fierce and sound clashes – contests whereby two sound systems in the same dance played alternate records and were judged by audience reaction - frequently spilled over into violence. Clashes are still part of reggae culture, dub plates get cut with the DJ’s name being overlaid on the track. In London recently the DJ David Rodigan had Wyclef Jean and Tom Jones (!) singing his name live as part of the clash. Wherever Jamaicans have travelled sound systems have been part of their luggage. In Great Britain sound systems established themselves almost as soon as The Windrush docked. They are also at the centre of the Notting Hill Carnival and proved crucial to development of UK urban music as outfits like Soul II Soul in London and The Wild Bunch in Bristol began life as local sound systems. In New York, hip hop grew out of a sound system set up by an ex-pat Jamaican - DJ Kool Herc – as he brought Kingston dancehall culture to American music.
DUB:Reggae
Story of Reggae:DubSuddenly, the mixing desk was the most important instrument in the studio and the man who could operate it was the biggest star.
Augustus Pablo
When dub music developed in the late sixties from reggae B-sides to become music in it's own right, Horace Swaby was still at school. He was already learning the piano, and his favourite hobby was to sneak into the church and mess with the organ. But Augustus Pablo (as he was later called), was to become famous for the most unlikely of instruments, the melodica. The instrument was used for teaching music at school and his first melodica was lent to him by a girl in his class.
Pablo's first recording came in 1971, when he was invited by producer Herman Chin Loy to work on some sessions. His most famous track from this period was "East Of The River Nile" which set the mould for his 'Far Eastern' sound. His signature is a combination of minor keys and modern melodies, and influences on his music ranged from ska trombonist Don Drummond to Studio One organist Jackie Mittoo.
"King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown", Augustus Pablo/King Tubby"Trinity Dub", Massive Attack & Mad Professor
Reggae music stripped back to the bass ‘n’ drum foundation and rebuilt to reveal tunes you never knew existed.
No dub… no remix culture… no Fatboy Slim… no Zero 7… in fact not much at all
25 years on King Tubby remains dub’s rightful ruler.
In cyberpunk novel "Neuromancer" Rastafarian space colonies orbit the earth. Smokin', floating and listening to….dub.
King Tubby(click for larger image)
Augustus Pablo(click for larger image)
Strip reggae – any sort of reggae – back to its essence and you’ll be back to the bass and drum, the groundation of everything that happens in the music. But if you then rebuild on that bass and drum with the imagination, the invention and the sheer mixing board dexterity of King Tubby, Lee Perry or Scientist, you’ll be dubbing. The art of dub is more than merely remixing, although remix culture is an extension of the dubmasters craft, it’s redefining a tune by taking its essential elements and rebalancing them in a way that gives the finished article a whole different meaning but still exists within the same parameters. Witness the Augustus Pablo/King Tubby classic "King Tubby’s Meets Rockers Uptown", an edgy, altogether dangerous three minutes that was once the cool lovers rock of Jacob Miller’s "Baby I love You So".Dub began in Kingston in the late 1960s, when deejays were looking for gaps in records’ vocal performances to toast both their sound system and their selves. "Version" was the name given to these instrumental sides, but, thanks to the 1970s’ rapidly developing studio technology, where was the challenge in simply dropping the vocals in and out? Filters, faders and multi-track recording allowed any component part of the tune to be pushed backwards and forwards in the mix, while the echo chamber and reverb unit brought a whole new dimension to what they’d sound like when they got there. Suddenly, the mixing desk was the most important instrument in the studio and the man who could operate it was the biggest star. King Tubby’s, Scientist, King Jammy’s, Joe Gibbs & Errol T, Lee Perry, Mikey Dread, Gussie Clarke … it was this generation of Jamaican dubmasters that paved the way the way for today’s superstar remixers such as Fatboy Slim, Armand Van Helden and Masters At Work. Dub also had a major influence on the likes of Massive Attack, Mouse On Mars and a whole generation of sonic terrorists. .
FASHION REGGAE STYLE:
Pop Reggae Fashions In the late 70s/early 80s reggae became immensely popular and started to infiltrate Western culture on a major scale. Jamaica was portrayed as a romantic island of paradise where everything was 'cool' and all the citizens were 'irie'. People all over the world readily embraced what they believed was a slice of island life. Bob Marley led the way with other artists following. Jamaicans were in the pop charts and the knock on effect was the use of reggae beats by UK acts such as UB40. Boy George formally of the 80s pop outfit Culture Club burst onto the scene within a wave a controversy. He combined full make up (intrinsic to the New Romantic scene in the UK) with decorated dreadlocks, flamboyant jewellery, and a penchant for the colours red, gold and green. People from Europe, America and the Far East attempted to imitate Reggae and the Rasta look. The invention of the Rasta hat, (a knitted tam usually in red, gold and green) with false knitted dreads attached to it has to be one of the least appealing fall-outs of this influence
