Table Of ContentDub in babylon
Studies in Popular Music
Series Editors: Alyn Shipton, journalist, broadcaster and
former lecturer in music at Oxford Brookes University
and
Christopher Partridge, Professor of Religious Studies, Department
of Politics, Philosophy and Religion, Lancaster University
From jazz to reggae, bhangra to heavy metal, electronica to qawwali,
and from production to consumption, Studies in Popular Music is a
multi-disciplinary series which aims to contribute to a comprehensive
understanding of popular music. It will provide analyses of theoretical
perspectives, a broad range of case studies, and discussion of key issues.
Published:
Open Up the Doors
Music in the Modern Church
Mark Evans
Technomad
Global Raving Countercultures
Graham St. John
Forthcoming:
Send in the Clones
A Cultural Study of Tribute Bands
Georgina Gregory
Dub in babylon
Understanding the evolUtion and
significance of dUb reggae in Jamaica
and britain from King tUbby to Post-PUnK
Christopher partridge
Published by
UK: Equinox Publishing Ltd., 1 Chelsea Manor Studios, Flood Street, London SW3 5SR
USA: DBBC, 28 Main Street, Oakville, CT 06779
www.equinoxpub.com
First published 2010 by Equinox Publishing Ltd.
© Christopher Partridge 2010
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permis sion
in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Partridge, Christopher H. (Christopher Hugh), 1961-
Dub in Babylon : understanding the evolution and significance of dub
reggae in Jamaica and Britain from King Tubby to post-punk / Christopher
Partridge.
p. cm. -- (Studies in popular music)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-84553-311-3 (hb) -- ISBN 978-1-84553-312-0 (pb) 1. Dub
(Music)--Jamaica--History and criticism. 2. Dub (Music)--Great
Britain--History and criticism. I. Title.
ML3532.P37 2010
781.646--dc22
2009035241
ISBN-13 978 1 84553 311 3 (hardback)
ISBN 978 1 84553 312 0 (paperback)
Typeset by CA Typesetting Ltd, www.publisherservices.co.uk
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Lightning Source UK Ltd., Milton Keynes and
Lightning Source Inc., La Vergne, TN
IN MEMORIAM
Mark Dickinson
10 May 1959–18 September 2000
Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction xi
PART ONE
Dub JA: From the Days of Slavery to the Creation of Dub
1. Roots and Culture 2
Do You Remember the Days of Slavery? 3
Afro-Christianity 8
The Emergence of Ethiopianism 11
Leonard Howell and the Advent of Rastafari in Jamaica 17
Rastafarianism in Britain 25
Belief and Practice 29
Concluding Comments 41
2. Rastafarian Music, Sound-System Culture, and the
Advent of Dub 42
Nyabinghi and the Emergence of Rasta Drumming 43
The Rise of the Sound System 49
King Tubby and the Advent of Dub 58
The Rise of the Upsetter: Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry 71
The Sacred Art of Dub 82
Version Culture and Copyright Legislation 88
Concluding Comments 89
PART TWO
Dub UK: The Arrival and Evolution of Dub in Britain
3. Sound-System Culture and Jamaican Dub in the UK 98
‘Inglan is a Bitch’: Settling in the Second Babylon 98
The Emergence of Sound-System Culture 101
Sound Systems and Dub 109
Jah Shaka, Sir Coxsone, and Fatman 118
The Initial Dub LPs in Britain 134
The Significance of Bass 138
Concluding Comments 145
4. Punks, Poetry, and Anti-racism 153
Hippies, Space Cadets, and Dub 154
Dread Meets Punk Rockers Uptown 161
Dread and Punk Meet Branson Uptown 171
Punks, Racists and Swastikas 173
‘Love Music, Hate Racism’: Rock Against Racism 183
Punk…in Dub 189
Dread, Beat an’ Blood: Dub Poetry 197
Blackbeard 209
Concluding Comments 214
5. Psychotic Jonkanoo: Theorizing Post-punk Dub 219
African Space in an Age of Plunder: Some Comments
on Dub and Postmodernism 220
A Journey of their Own: The Emergence of On-U Sound 229
Concluding Comments 245
Endnotes 251
Bibliography 274
Discography 292
Filmography 301
Index of Subjects 302
Index of Names 310
Acknowledgements
This book is, of course, indebted to several people, most of whom are,
as is usually the case, those closest to me. First and foremost, as always,
my sons, Tom, Sam, and Jordan are the most important. While they have
benefited from a large dub and roots reggae collection in the house, they
have repaid me many times over, not only with a vibrant, friendly home,
but also by introducing me to much dubstep, electronica and drum ’n’
bass. My growing music collection is large because of my addiction to
music, but interesting because of their recommendations. (It’s particu-
larly pleasing that, as I finish this book, my youngest son, Jordan (aka
Decyfer), has just released his first contribution to dubstep on the Studio
Rockers label.)
I am particularly blessed to share my life with a partner who has a
keen interest in and extensive knowledge of popular music. Few partners
would have so willingly endured so much conversation about popular
music. Thank you Marcia.
Of my close friends, with whom I have spent more hours than is per-
haps healthy ‘dubbed out’ in the North West over the past three decades,
four deserve a special mention: Crossy, Alex, Jeff, and Mark. Mark, who
died on 18 September 2000, is greatly missed by us all and still fondly
remembered for his outrageous humour and his devotion to reggae. It is
now difficult for me to think of Misty in Roots and Bob Marley without
also thinking of Mark. He was a good, gentle human being who made
our lives that little bit brighter during the too short time he was with us.
This book is for him.
While, of course, all those partners who have put up with us listen-
ing to dub and reggae over the years deserve a mention, Mark’s partner,
Diane, deserves a special mention. They were a genuinely lovely couple,
which is why it was they who most often hosted our late-night dub ses-
sions in the early 1980s. Another reason was Diane’s cheesecake…
I am also enormously grateful to one of those dubheads, Jeff, for so
enthusiastically agreeing to design such an outstanding cover.
I am indebted to the guidance I’ve had from academics and writers
over the years, particularly Sara Cohen and Anahid Kassabian at the Insti-
tute of Popular Music, Liverpool University, Jason Toynbee at the Open
University, and the independent scholar Erik Davis.
Finally, I want to thank the many people in the dub and dance com-
munities with whom I have spoken over the years for offering help,
