What role did dub play in early dancehall music?

September 26, 2025 by Dahrk Vision in Early Dancehall

Discover the critical role dub played in shaping early dancehall. This article explores how dub mixing, version culture, and sound-system innovation transformed reggae into dancehall’s bass-heavy, deejay-driven sound.

Introduction

No story of Jamaican music is complete without dub. Emerging in the late 1960s and flourishing in the 1970s, dub revolutionized how music was produced, performed, and experienced. By stripping tracks down to bass and drums, reimagining them with echo and reverb, and releasing instrumental “versions,” dub not only redefined reggae but also laid the foundation for dancehall.

When dancehall emerged in Kingston’s sound systems in the late 1970s, dub was not a side note — it was the engine-room of the genre. This article explores the role of dub in early dancehall music, showing how dub mixing, versioning, and live sound-system practices created the sonic and cultural framework for the dancehall explosion.

What Is Dub?

Origins and Definition

Dub began as the instrumental B-side of reggae singles, designed for deejays and selectors to use in sound systems (Veal, 2007). By removing vocals and emphasizing rhythm, engineers created space for toasting and crowd interaction.

The Studio as an Instrument

Dub pioneers like King Tubby and Lee “Scratch” Perry treated the mixing console as a creative instrument, applying echo, reverb, and delay to reimagine songs.

From Experimentation to Culture

By the mid-1970s, dub was not just a studio experiment but a cultural practice, central to sound-system battles and community identity.

Dub and the Birth of the Riddim Culture

Version Sides as Platforms

Every reggae single came with a version side — an instrumental or dub cut. These became essential for sound systems, allowing deejays to toast over the riddim.

Riddim Recycling

Dub created the concept of riddims as reusable frameworks, a practice that became the lifeblood of dancehall (Manuel & Marshall, 2006).

From Song to Riddim-Centric Culture

In reggae, the song was primary. In dancehall, the riddim itself — often a dub version — became the central unit of performance.

Sound Systems: Where Dub Met Dancehall

King Tubby’s Home Town Hi-Fi

Tubby’s sound system pioneered the use of dub plates — exclusive mixes cut for sound-system play (Veal, 2007). These versions gave his deejays a competitive edge in clashes.

Selector and Deejay Roles

Selector: Played dub versions to control the crowd’s mood.
Deejay: Toasted lyrics, jokes, and commentaries over the dub track.

This live interaction laid the foundation for dancehall performance practice (Stolzoff, 2000).

Dub as Live Experience

In the dance hall, dub was not background music; it was the interactive canvas for performers and audiences alike.

Engineers and Producers Driving the Fusion

King Tubby

Innovator of dub mixing.
His stripped-down riddims and exclusive dubplates directly fed into early dancehall.

Scientist

Tubby’s protégé, famous for his “space-age” mixes.
Shaped the sound of Junjo Lawes’ early dancehall productions in the early 1980s (Hope, 2006).

King Jammy

Another Tubby disciple.
Brought dub sensibilities into early dancehall, later pushing the transition to digital with Sleng Teng in 1985.

Henry “Junjo” Lawes

Worked with Scientist and the Roots Radics to produce riddims like Diseases, built for the dance hall and heavily dub-influenced.

Dub Techniques Inside Early Dancehall

Stripping and Rebuilding

Dub versions emphasized bass and drums, mirroring the energy of the dance hall.

Echo and Delay

Engineers used effects to create space and atmosphere, enhancing the live vibe when selectors blasted riddims through massive sound systems.

Dropouts and Resets

Strategic removal of instruments created dramatic tension, allowing deejays to shine.

Endless Versioning

Dub encouraged the recycling of riddims across multiple songs and performances, making familiarity part of the thrill.

Examples of Dub in Early Dancehall Tracks

Barrington Levy – Collie Weed (1979): Backed by the Roots Radics and mixed by Scientist, featuring heavy dub textures.
Yellowman – Zungguzungguguzungguzeng (1982): Performed over a dub-heavy riddim.
Toyan – How the West Was Won (1981): Dub mixing central to its sound.
General Echo – 12 Inches of Pleasure (1979): Showed slackness over dub-infused versions.

These recordings demonstrate how dub mixing was not separate from dancehall but built into its DNA.

Dub’s Cultural Role in Dancehall

Empowering the Deejay

By stripping vocals, dub created space for the deejay — the true star of dancehall.

Fueling Sound Clashes

Exclusive dubplates gave sound systems competitive power, making dub central to Kingston’s clash culture.

Connecting Community

Dub emphasized collective participation — the crowd’s response was as important as the track itself.

Shaping Global Sound

Dub’s innovations fed into dancehall, but also spread outward, influencing hip hop, jungle, dubstep, and EDM.

Dub as Dancehall’s Blueprint

Dub was more than a technical precursor; it was the blueprint for dancehall’s philosophy:

Minimalism: Less instrumentation, more rhythm.
Participation: The audience’s voice mattered as much as the artist’s.
Innovation: Every riddim could be endlessly remixed and reinterpreted.

In this way, dub didn’t just influence dancehall — it became the culture of dancehall.

Conclusion

Dub played a central role in early dancehall by providing the riddims, mixing techniques, and live sound-system practices that defined the genre. From King Tubby’s version sides to Scientist’s spacey mixes and Junjo Lawes’ Volcano productions, dub infused dancehall with its minimalist, bass-driven identity.

Without dub, there would be no dancehall as we know it. The genre’s focus on riddim, deejay performance, and sound-system culture all stem directly from dub’s radical rethinking of music as something versioned, remixed, and performed live.

References

Bradley, L. (2000). This Is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaica’s Music. Grove Press.
Cooper, C. (2004). Sound Clash: Jamaican Dancehall Culture at Large. Palgrave Macmillan.
Hope, D. P. (2006). Inna di Dancehall: Popular Culture and the Politics of Identity in Jamaica. University of the West Indies Press.
Katz, D. (2012). Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae. Jawbone Press.
Manuel, P., & Marshall, W. (2006). The riddim method: Aesthetics, practice, and ownership in Jamaican dancehall. Popular Music, 25(3), 447–470.
Stolzoff, N. C. (2000). Wake the Town and Tell the People: Dancehall Culture in Jamaica. Duke University Press.
Veal, M. (2007). Dub: Soundscapes and Shattered Songs in Jamaican Reggae. Wesleyan University Press.