Dub Revolution: The Story of Jamaican Dub Reggae and Its Legacy.

Written by John Bush

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Useful Quotes

"The great sound system engineers of Jamaica in the late 1960s and early 1970s pioneered theinstrumental remix and were the first to make the style popular. Using only primitive recording and mixing equipment, the mixing engineer took a lead role in defining the sound of the recording, using the mixing board as his instrument.” (Bush)

“Ruddy played a key role in the initial development of dub, as he was the first to make a public performance of what would become known as version - the instrumental mix of a song without the vocals.” (Bush)

“Scratch later built his own studio, the legendary Black Ark, in 1974 in the Kingston suburb of Washington Gardens. Under Perry’s guidance, the Black Ark became known for its signature sound that was quite different from the other studios. From 1974 to 1979, the Black Ark was a center of creativity in reggae music, with Scratch continuing to experiment in version and dub styles. The Black Ark sound was characteristically heavy yet uplifting at the same time.” (Bush)

The development of the genre dub took place when the engineer would take an instrumental version of a track to the next level, using the effects such as echo, reverb and delay to change the whole sound and texture of the riddim. “This was the turning point in which dub emerged as a unique and characteristic branch of music itself, and can be credited almost entirely to the contributions of a mixing engineer known as King Tubby.” (Bush)

Tubby who was experienced in electronics through his background in TV repairs customised his mixing desk at his studio in the ghetto district Waterhouse in Kingston, adding faders which allowed him to add or subtract the various elements of the tracks smoothly. He also created his own effects units by modifying tape machines to create delays and hitting spring reverb units which created the characteristic thunderclap sound used in dub. “Tubby’s innovations behind the mixing board introduced to Jamaica the idea of the mixing engineer playing a creative role in the music.” (Bush)

Prince Jammy and Scientist who were trained by Tubby at his studio were the next generation of dub engineers. “Prince Jammy, otherwise named Lloyd James, would eventually go on to become one of the most successful producers during the dancehall era that Jamaica was soon to enter.... Using Tubby’s equipment, Jammy’s dubs would have the characteristic sound of Tubby’s studio, but in a style of his own. Jammy’s dubs were often more stripped down than Tubby’s, emphasizing the groove of the drum and bass, or the riddim.” (Bush)