Dub music

Dub music is an offshoot of reggae music, characterized by instrumental remixes of previously-recorded, typically reggae, music and audio samples that are further manipulated with sound effects such as loops, echoes, and reverbs. This remixing generally changes the original material so much that new songs, or “versions,” are created. Dub music was the was the first music genre to use samples and the engineer’s sound board alongside, or in place of, live or recorded singers and musical instruments. Dub is the progenitor of electronic music, including genres such as electronica, techno, drum n bass, jungle, trip hop, house, and most recently dubstep.

Dub music reflects it’s reggae roots with a strong emphasis on the drum and bass components of a melody, using the other instruments and effects as accents. It is the progenitor of modern electronic music, including genres such as techno, drum n bass, jungle, top hop, house, and most recently, dubstep.

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Learn more about the history of dub music.

Dub glossary

Dub refers to the process of producing acetate recordings for dancehall and reggae sound systems, where vocal tracks were laid atop prerecorded instrumental melodies known as riddims.

Dub artists, called selectors, further manipulate their music with the addition of audio samples and sound effects such as loops, echos, overlays, and reverbs, resulting in textured, rhythmic, melodies called versions. In live performances, selectors often remix the music onstage, using their sound equipment as instruments. These performances are sometimes accompanied by live vocalists, and reggae deejays occasionally toast and rap along with the music. (Versions with live vocals are called deejay versions.)

Early dub music was played by sound systems, mobile dancehall and sound engineering booths.

Best dub music & albums

Dub music is loosely defined and many people have different ideas about the best dub music, but the following list includes the recordings that frequently top the lists of dub listeners and music critics around the world. This list includes famous dub music from the past as well as hot new dub music from recent years.

Blackboard Jungle Dub by King Tubby and Lee “Scratch” Perry and the Upsetters

King Tubby, born Osbourne Ruddock, is widely credited for the invention of dub in 1968 and was the leading dub musician throughout the 1970s. His background in electronics allowed him to invent new dub effects devices and push the genre forward at a rapid pace, first from his Hi Fi Soundsystem and then from his Waterhouse recording studio, where he groomed and collaborated with artists including Lee “Scratch” Perry. Perry, who has since grown to become dub’s most creative selector, was an early protege. Blackboard Jungle Dub, released in 1973, is a highlight of both artists’ careers.

The Undertaker by Errol Thompson, Derrick Harriott and the Crystalites

Widely considered the first pure dub album, this 1970 release was the first to eschew vocals altogether. Errol Thompson was one of the first dub reggae artists. Working on the Amalgamated label, he was King Tubby‘s first rival in the dub realm.