Kingston Rub-a-Dub & Early Dancehall

One riddim, a singer, a deejay — and a whole sound system waiting for its turn.

What you're really asking

The bass and drums leave a space you could walk into. A singer takes it first; a deejay might answer on another version.

This is Kingston's late-1970s and early-1980s dancehall world, where records belong to a conversation between studios and sound systems.

Where it sits

Dancehall culture was already established before this period. What changed was the balance of the records: producers including Henry 'Junjo' Lawes and Linval Thompson worked with the Roots Radics on lean, heavy backing tracks that suited singers and deejays alike.

Channel One and King Tubby's studio were important parts of the recording and mixing network, with Scientist shaping many dub versions. Around 1985, the digital breakthrough associated with 'Sleng Teng' opened a different chapter; this scene centres on the earlier, predominantly band-played phase.

The scene

Who: Johnny Osbourne, Barrington Levy, Sugar Minott, Michael Palmer, Don Carlos, Yellowman and the Roots Radics. Labels and outlets: Volcano, Thompson Sound, Power House and Greensleeves.

What: spacious riddims, strong bass, vocal personality and version culture. Roots lyrics, lovers' songs and deejay boasts coexist.

Follow production credits and backing bands, rather than assigning every release on a reggae label to this era.